Port champion Boak hangs up boots shy of 400-game milestone
Boak, 37, has racked up a mammoth 384 games but has called time with the prospect of joining the 400 club not enough to keep him going on for another year.
The three-time All Australian, two-time club best and fairest winner and Port's longest-serving captain sits seventh on the all-time VFL/AFL list for matches played.
He broke Port Adelaide legend Russell Ebert's club games record, which were all played in the SANFL, earlier this year.
'After 19 years at AFL level, it feels like now is the right time to finish my career,' Boak said.
'I'm incredibly grateful to have had the career I've had and at a club I truly love. Being a one-club player is really special to me, and it's certainly not lost on me how lucky I have been.
Travis Boak has announced is retirement. Picture: Sarah Reed/AFL Photos via Getty Images
'I have played alongside some of the greatest footballers, and people, I could have hoped to meet. From Robbie Gray to Ollie Wines, Sam Powell-Pepper, to the new generation in Connor Rozee, Zak Butters and Jason Horne-Francis, it's been an incredible ride.
'Thank you to the club, to my family, my teammates and my coaches for the memories over the years. The highs and lows are what makes footy exciting, and those moments are what connect a group in a significant and authentic way.
'More than football, I hope to be remembered as someone who always carried myself in the right way and gave people my time. A human being first and an athlete second.
'The Port Adelaide fans are loud, passionate, and supportive. They demand success. And while I haven't been able to help deliver them an elusive second AFL premiership, I can't wait to sit back and watch on as this club does that for them.
'I'll forever be a Port Adelaide person, and I'll forever be grateful for this part of my life.'
Port coach Ken Hinkley said Boak was 'a person and leader who embodies everything Port Adelaide stands for'.
'He's someone who is selfless, caring, courageous and never satisfied,' Hinkley said.
'Coaching Travis has been one of the great privileges of my career. He's taught me as much as I've taught him. Watching him grow from player to captain to a modern-day club legend has been a privilege, and I feel incredibly fortunate to have been part of that journey.'
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