While much has been reported about the club’s big recruits, including Lance Franklin and Kurt Tippett, Jack said a vast improvement across the board has contributed to the Swans’ recent success, which has seen the club win eight consecutive matches.
Speaking to SwansTV at the midway point of the season, Jack said the likes of Luke Parker, Craig Bird, Harry Cunningham and Jake Lloyd have all played significant roles and have helped the team achieve ongoing on-field success.
“We’ve been fortunate that we’ve had some young kids come in and really perform this year,” Jack told SwansTV.
“Luke Parker is probably still a young kid, but he’s been around for a couple of years now and has really elevated his game to another level.
“Craig Bird, as well – he’s not so much of a young kid – but he’s taken his game to another level.
“Then there’s Jake Lloyd and Harry Cunningham, and these guys have come in through the midfield and have really allowed us to have greater depth in there.”
It’s not only the depth within the senior team that has impressed Jack, with the co-captain highlighting a number of young players who have been pushing for selection from the NEAFL competition.
Jack said 2013 draftees Toby Nankervis and Zak Jones have shown potential, along with second-year player Tim Membrey, who has booted 35 goals for the Swans reserves this year.
“It’s great for the club to know that you’ve got players really banging the door down for senior selection,” he said.
“It’s a good place to be and it’s competitive for spots.
“If you are out of form now you’ve got to be careful because there are guys really knocking the door down.
“There are guys like Tim Membrey, Toby Nankervis and Zak Jones who are both starting to play some really good football.
“It’s pleasing for the club because you want to have a strong list and you’ve probably going to have to play 30 players throughout the season.
“We’re going to have injuries so we’re going to need players to come in and fulfil a role and that’s what we hope will happen.”
Another player who has caught the attention of both the leadership group and the coaching staff is former Geelong and Carlton player, Jeremy Laidler who joined the club at the end of last season.
Speaking on 1116SEN’s Morning Glory, Swans coach John Longmire applauded the defender’s ability to slot into a new team with ease.
“I just think that he’s added a real extra dimension to our backline,” he said.
“We lost Andrejs Everitt at the end of last year (and) we needed to make sure we had a player who could fit into our back six and play a role for us every week.
“He’s been able to do it and he’s just come into the team and just contributed every week and has just done his job.
“He’s been really good and he’s a courageous player and has fitted in with our other defensive players in our back six, so we’re really pleased with how he’s going.”
With the Swans looking for their ninth consecutive win against Richmond on Friday night, Longmire stressed the importance of maintaining the team’s strong on-field standards.
“If you look at the ladder, it’s just so tight so we don’t have that luxury (of resting players) and we need to make sure we put our best team on the park every week to give ourselves the best chance of winning,” he said.
“That’s all we’re thinking about at the moment and we’ve not even qualified for a finals berth yet, so we’ve just got to make sure we try to win every week, and that’s what we try and set ourselves to do.”
