KEYBOARD warriors are a growing concern for the modern AFL footballer, according to Port Adelaide skipper Travis Boak.

When the league’s captains were asked about the challenges facing footballers, most nominated the new rule changes for 2016. However, Boak believes the biggest issue confronting his peers lies away from the field and in the digital space.

The 27-year-old says abuse directed at players via social platforms such as Twitter, Instagram and Facebook is becoming a problem.

“It’s still the fact that the social media side of things is getting harder and harder and bigger and bigger in a way. Players are copping a lot of criticism from a lot of people. That’s one area that I would like to see improve,” he told foxsports.com.au.

Round 18

“We love to get active on social media networks but there’s certainly some personal stuff out there that can cause some serious effects on players.

“We’ve seen in the past depression and these sort of things and the (increasing) pressure on players. That’s one thing I’d like to see improve.”

Geelong skipper Joel Selwood says the mental health of footballers continues to be a growing concern.

“I still think the health of players is pretty important,” he said. “The players are feeling more pressure to perform on the big stage.”