Speaking from the Swans’ training session at ANZ Stadium on Wednesday morning, the co-captain said Friday’s game was the Swans last chance to iron out any kinks ahead of September and to prepare for the big month of football still to come.
“It’s a really important game for us,” Jack said.
“We need to get some things right in our game plan and we need to get some form on the board, so contrary to what some people are saying that it might not mean much this week, it certainly means a lot to us.
“We’re out there looking to get some form up before the finals.”
The midfielder admitted that there were still a few areas the Swans would need to rectify, which were revealed in last weekend’s loss to Geelong at Simonds Stadium.
Jack said the team failed to produce the brand of football that has served them so well in recent times.
“I think we’re still ticking off some areas, but there are certainly some glaring things that need addressing,” he said.
“Geelong absolutely smacked us in uncontested footy on the weekend and beat us in tackles which is a sign of our hardness and spread two ways, which is something we pride ourselves on, so we need to get that right.
“This week, on Friday night, it’s a big chance for us to get back onto it.”
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Despite some hiccups over the last month, Jack said the Swans were in a positive place heading into the finals, adding he believed his team’s best football could match it with any other side in the top eight.
“We’ve put ourselves in a position where we’re fourth and we’re still a good team and we can still compete with the best,” he said.
“We still think our best is good enough, but we just need to make sure that everyone - the whole 22 - are accountable and are on top of the little things that we strive to be the best at.
“We’ve probably been a little bit inconsistent over the past few weeks at that, so we need to get back to that this week.”
The clash with Hawthorn will be the Swans’ third match at ANZ Stadium for the season, with the club set to play one home final at the venue this year.
With many new faces likely to play finals football for the Swans this year, it’s crucial that those players become accustomed to Sydney’s home of finals.
While the Swans’ most recent outing at ANZ Stadium resulted in a loss, Jack said he still held fond memories of the ground.
“I think back to the prelim final and the 2010 elimination final and a lot of us have experienced some good times, but we need to get some of the younger boys and get them used to the ground and that’s why we’re out here today doing a training session,” he said.
