I don’t regret Tiger sledge: Travis Boak

Port Adelaide captain Travis Boak doesn’t regret sledging Richmond’s Troy Chaplin, but insists there’s no bad blood with his former teammate.

Boak bristled at Chaplin’s overt celebrations when the Tigers beat Port by 20 points in round 17.

At the time, Richmond were finals long-shots and Boak said of his ex-teammate: “I hope he’s enjoying the year that they’re having.”

But the Tigers snuck into the finals with nine consecutive wins and Boak conceded his remarks will attract attention ahead of Sunday’s elimination final at Adelaide Oval.

“I’m sure he’d be pretty happy with his season, the way they’re going,” Boak told reporters on Monday.

“It was just a bit of banter after the game.”

Boak, however, remains let-down by Chaplin, who when leaving Port in 2012 sent an email to players critical of their culture and work ethic.

“At the time it was pretty disappointing,” Boak said of Chaplin’s email.

“But we have both moved on … that is all in the past.”

Port finished fifth and host the eighth-placed Richmond, yet have been ordered by the AFL to wear their away strip in the sudden-death final,

“We challenged this decision vigorously,” Port’s chief executive Keith Thomas said.

“It’s our home ground, it’s our home final, and it doesn’t make any sense that we are not wearing our home guernsey.”

But Port coach Ken Hinkley baulked at buying into the issue.

“It doesn’t worry me,” Hinkley said,

“It’s what it is. We don’t choose when we play, where we play, who we play. Our obligation is to go out there and perform at our absolute best.”

Hinkley said there was no reason why Port can’t become the first club to win the premiership from outside the top four.

“I’m going to have a go and these blokes (players) are going to have a go with me,” he said.

“It’s going to be a bit of fun trying.

“At some stage, somebody is going to be able to do it. And we’re going to have first crack.”

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