Leadership position a big honour for de Boer
INSPIRED by his former skipper at Fremantle Matthew Pavlich and his father Ron, Matt de Boer is the surprise promotion to the Giants leadership group.
The 27-year-old Dockers discard comes into the downsized group which will again see Phil Davis and Callan Ward as co-captains.
Superstar in the making Josh Kelly joins Stephen Coniglio as a vice-captain while Devon Smith (Essendon), Heath Shaw and Dylan Shiel move out of the group.
The elevation of de Boer confirms his amazing resurgence after being delisted by Fremantle at the end of the 2015 season where he played 138 games.
He also had the challenge of starting out as a Giant with a series of hamstring injuries.
“Starting off with three hamstring injuries at a new club is never easy,” de Boer said.
“I still tried to lead and drive standards wherever I could in the meeting room and build relationships with players as well. Then I got fit and was able to play a role for the team.”
The tough de Boer paid tribute to his former Dockers captain Matthew Pavlich who continues to have an influence on his AFL career.
“Matthew Pavlich taught me excellence is a habit,” de Boer said.
“He said you need to attack everything you do on the field and off the field, whether it’s at university or with family and friends. It’s about doing everything to be excellent.
“I’ve tried to make the most of every opportunity.”
The small forward said that his father had also fostered and pushed him towards leadership positions and helped upskill him in different ways.