WATCH Travis Boak running hot in Darwin above on PTV. Can't view the video? Watch on YouTube

1. Boak watch
The 'other' out of contract Travis, Port Adelaide midfielder Boak, has been talked about consistently as his future remains unresolved. The latest talking points include Geelong's brazen visit to Adelaide to lure him to the Cats, and former Port captain Warren Tredrea's Friday revelation Boak had told teammates he had decided to stay at Alberton. However, unlike Collingwood's Cloke, Boak put in a strong performance on Saturday with 28 touches and one goal. He also won votes in the good bloke stakes after acknowledging the big grab Jack Trengove took over him in the second quarter by patting the Melbourne captain on the back afterwards.

2. Give us a break
Port's medical team was run off its feet for a period late in the first quarter when it had to treat three players in close succession. Jasper Pittard was the most serious after he appeared to crack ribs in a friendly fire incident with Chad Wingard, and he required treatment in the rooms before being subbed out and taken to hospital. They also had to look at Wingard, who was vomiting profusely and needed some stomach help, and John McCarthy, who copped a whack on the snout and started spurting blood. McCarthy returned to the field sporting a rather scary looking bandage that covered almost his entire top lip to his nose, and then wrapped around his head.

3. Darwin Demons
Melbourne coach Mark Neeld said on Friday the Demons wanted to increase the time they spent in the Top End, with negotiations with the League to determine future games up there plus the possibility of a pre-season training camp. And, why wouldn't they want to continue their Territory love affair, given they hadn't lost a game there before Saturday night? Whatever was in the water, or in the humid air that had inspired the Demons in their past two clashes with the Power at TIO Stadium, their opponents got hold off this time around.

4. Hang time for Howe

[ Watch: Jeremy Howe's hanger ]

In a game that had few highlights for Melbourne fans, Jeremy Howe's third quarter leap stood out and provided at least one reason to cheer. The high-flying Tasmanian added to his personal highlights reel for season 2012 with an enormous grab over a pack of players, which will no doubt contend with his other marking offerings this year. It was so impressive, it could easily be listed as Howe's fifth nomination for mark of the year, after he impressed selectors with two grabs in round four against the Western Bulldogs, one in round six against Geelong and one in round eight against the Sydney Swans.

[ Related: 'Note to self' - block Howe's run ]

5. Motivating Marines
The Demons met with a US Marine contingent on Thursday after landing in Darwin, and a collection of members were present in the crowd dressed in khaki t-shirts. The presence of the tough branch of the US Armed Forces might not have influenced the result for the Demons but perhaps it had something to do with their tackling intensity, which saw them record 73 to 41 overall. Afterwards, Neeld said he hoped the Demons could continue the newfound relationship with the Darwin-based group. "It was a great experience just to hear some of the philosophies that those guys live by. Their way of life is completely different to everyone in the room, and some of the stories we heard ... you draw some correlations there but the way footy coaches ask players or impress the importance of playing your role on the footy field and then you hear some of the stories of the Marines and how important it is to play their role and what happens if they don't, there's a little bit of difference."