Sam’s in-house help
SAM Powell-Pepper has credited his housemate, Port Adelaide captain Travis Boak, for helping him improve as a person and a player after the controversy that led to his suspension earlier this year.
Powell-Pepper received a one-week ban for breaking curfew at a nightclub, but a complaint from a woman at the nightclub resulted in a two-week investigation by the AFL, and another week’s suspension for inappropriately touching the woman.
But he has recaptured his early season form and said the incident had been a wakeup call.
“The decisions I was making weren’t really up to the level I was hoping to be, as a mate and a teammate,” Powell-Pepper said.
“And for Trav, I felt like I was letting him down.
“Living in the same house I felt like I was putting him under a bit of pressure as well.
“Before that . . . I was taking things as they come.”
Boak had to play two roles during Powell-Pepper’s club suspension, the AFL investigation and AFL suspension — the captain who meted out discipline, and the mate who helped PowellPepper get back on track.
“I was the first one to speak to him and that was probably the first time I’ve been really angry with him,” Boak said.
“I was pretty angry at the time.
“From there it was about helping him as a friend.
“What I’ve seen is how good a person he was before that, but now that he’s learned something and turned it into incredible form, his growth as a person is huge.”
In a wide-ranging interview with Fox Footy, Boak and Powell-Pepper talked about what had made them bond so quickly.
Both faced hurdles before they reached the AFL. Boak was 16 when he lost his father, Roger.
Powell-Pepper and his siblings had a nomadic upbringing. He largely was raised by his grandmother and was the first in his family to finish high school.
In his words, he felt like he broke a cycle of drugs and alcohol.
“I think you have that instant bond if you go through similar things in life,” Boak said. “He’s like the brother I never had, too.”