Jack, who earned All-Australian honours, achieved a top-ten finish in this year’s Brownlow Medal count and was runner-up in the 2013 Bob Skilton Medal following an outstanding season, was struck down with glandular fever for almost half of this year’s pre-season training block.
While his team mates, including his newly rookie-listed younger brother Brandon, were hitting the gym and challenging themselves in three-kilometre time trials, Jack struggled to make the short trip from his Randwick home to the SCG, and was unable to participate in even the lightest training sessions for almost two months.
For the then 25-year-old, who is known for his impeccable pre-season work ethic, missing such a large block of training created doubts in his mind about what he could achieve in the 2013 season.
The usually energetic midfielder admitted he had ‘probably partied a little bit too hard’ after the 2012 premiership, and said he had serious concerns about his fitness for the season ahead after being out of action for so long.
“I missed a good six-to-eight weeks of training in January, during which I was pretty much bedridden,” Jack said.
“Certainly if you speak to any footballer they talk about pre-seasons and how important they are and they set you up for a big year.
“I was really questioning at the start of the year whether my body would be up to it, but to come out the other side and to have the year that I’ve had, I’m certainly rapt.”
At the recent Sydney Swans Club Champion dinner, coach John Longmire revealed Jack’s pre-season plight as he awarded the co-captain the runner-up trophy in the club’s best and fairest count.
Longmire said he couldn’t have been prouder of the way his first-year co-captain worked his way back to full fitness after starting so far behind the rest of the group.
“(Kieren) actually had glandular fever in the pre-season,” Longmire said.
“He missed probably six-to-eight weeks of training and I don’t know, I’ve never had glandular fever, but I’ve seen a few people who have had it and it knocks the hell out of you.
“For this bloke to actually miss a fair chunk of his pre-season and to come back in and have the season he had is an unbelievable achievement and it’s a great example of how mentally strong he is and how he doesn’t use any excuse at all to get the most out of himself as a player.”
Reflecting on what he achieved in 2013, Jack said he was also proud of how hard he’d worked to get back to his best football this year, particularly in his first year as co-captain.
“I’m really proud, it’s been a big year and a challenging year and my first year as co-captain, but I’ve just tried to be consistent and bring what I bring,” he said.
“I certainly think I’ve taken my game from last year and I’ve gone up again.”
