Human being first, athlete second.
Carlton's Performance and Culture Manager Travis Boak has brought a fresh perspective on preparation, mindset, and culture to the Blues, hoping the playing group can learn a few things that he prioritised during his career.
"I'm working closely with the leaders, Crippa, Weiters and Walshy at the moment. Also working with a lot of the younger guys as well in terms of preparation, mindset and understanding who they are as athletes and people," Boak told SEN Breakfast.
His philosophy at Carlton:
"My philosophy and what I want to bring in, is a different perspective on how we look at things. Making sure [the athletes] understand we're human beings first and athletes second. Trying to let go of the pressure of football that can play on us at times."
"The number one thing I found out during my career is that my performance is not attached to who I am as a person. The moment we understand that and let go of that, we start to enjoy our performance so much more and we elevate every part of our game.
"We start to want to train more, we're more motivated to train more. We get back to why we started, for the love of the game.
"It's obviously a rich history, the Carlton Football Club, and they've been through a lot over the last few years. But they're such great people within the environment, and now it's about moving forward. I guess the challenge on field is winning more games, but also just enjoying being an athlete and being a footballer.
"As I said, a lot of it is understanding we aren't what we do, we are a human being first."
On Patrick Cripps as a leader:
"Crippa has a bit of an aura about him, there's no doubt about that. He's always had that."
"The number one thing you want in a leader is how they play and impact the game, he's been able to do that for a number of years. The way he plays his contested game inspires others to want to do the same thing and follow his lead.
"He's also very calculated and measured with the playing group. He understands the dynamic of the playing group ... and he's also very optimistic and I think that's great in a leader. There's always gratitude and something that is positive in a situation.
"The number one thing is he leads by example, for sure."
On the fresh faces at IKON Park:
"It's exciting working with some of these young kids, because they're going to be absolute stars."
"[Ollie Florent and Will Hayward] have been huge, I noticed it straight away. Even the language from other players on the impact they've had on the whole group.
"Not only on-field and the professionalism they've brought from Sydney, but the energy they've brought.
"The extroverted nature of who they are has been huge for the playing group, and I think they're all really enjoying having those boys at the Club."
