TRAVIS BOAK
With Port Adelaide on its knees at the end of the 2012 season, Boak was offered a ticket out - he could have joined powerhouse Geelong and immediately welcomed success back into his career. Few could have blamed him. But he ignored the Cats' play and took a stand at Alberton in what was a crucial moment in the club's recent history. He was named captain just months later and has since won back-to-back All Australian selections. He's the Power's premier midfielder and, indeed, one of the game's brightest stars. When Port enters a flat patch and the game appears to be slipping away, it's almost always Boak who steps up and kicks an inspiring goal or sparks his teammates with a hard-ball get. He's a leader in every essence of the word - on and off the field.
KEY 2014 STATS: In the past two seasons, Boak ranks fourth in the competition for handballs, sixth in disposals, ninth for clearances and 10th for contested possessions. He also ranked equal eighth for total points generated from clearances. 

PADDY RYDER
On reputation alone, it's difficult to go past Port's 'missing piece in the puzzle' as the club's most important player. Ryder's athleticism ranks with the best in the AFL and combined with his height (196cm), the former Essendon ruckman is unstoppable at his best. He's able to out-jump and out-reach most bigmen in the competition, which helped him collect 549 hit-outs for the Bombers last year, ranking him seventh in the League. But his real value for the Power will be his versatility. The 26-year-old booted 20 goals in 20 games last season - more than any other specialist ruckman. The partnership he's set to form with Port's No.1ruckman Matthew Lobbe could prove the most damaging in the AFL and with the Power already on the cusp of a premiership tilt, his arrival could indeed lead to the ultimate success.
KEY 2014 STATS: Ryder and Will Minson were the only ruckmen to rank in the top 50 for clearances last season. He converted 87 per cent of his stoppage-first possessions into a clearance – the highest percentage of the top 50 first possession winners.