Since taking on the top job alongside co-captain Jarrad McVeigh, Jack has thrived on and off the field and enjoyed one of his most consistent seasons at the club.
Jack finished the year as the league’s top player for inside 50s, second for tackles, and was rewarded with his first All Australian honours, a top ten finish in this year’s Brownlow Medal count, and was named runner up in the 2013 Bob Skilton Medal.
Individual honours aside, Jack told sydneyswans.com.au that playing alongside his younger brother Brandon for the first time was his highlight of the 2013 season.
How did you sum up your year in 2013?
Personally this year was probably the most consistent year I’ve had. I’ve been around the club for a number of years and this is my eighth year, so I know my role really well and I know what my strengths are as a player. For me this year was just about providing that and helping out a few of our younger boys too.
It was unfortunate that we had some injuries but I think the great thing about this year was we saw some really young kids come in and develop, and under the guidance of some of the senior boys, they came in and made a real impact.
Whilst this year I think we probably went through some ups and downs and we probably started pretty poorly, through the midway part of the year I thought we were really up and going. Then just towards the back end we faded a fair bit and probably tired out a little bit.
I can’t fault the boys’ effort. It was a really competitive year and I’m really proud of the way we stood up towards the back end when a lot of people wrote us off, but we need to get better. We fell short this year and I know the boys are really looking forward to getting back here next year and having another crack at it.
What were some of the highlights for you this year?
For me some team highlights included when we played our first game in New Zealand. I think that was bit of a highlight not only for the club but for the AFL and it was great to be a part of that.
We played some other really good games throughout the year. Off the top of my head I can think of the Collingwood game down at the MCG, Adelaide over in Adelaide, West Coast and obviously the final against Carlton when a lot of people wrote us off. That was very memorable and I’m really proud of the group and the way they dug back in and showed some real character there, so there were plenty of highlights, but as I said, we just fell short.
Who have been some of the biggest improvers this year?
There have been a lot of them, but I think Dane Rampe has been exceptional. He was a real unknown at the start of the year and we weren’t really sure what he was going to bring and what position he was going to play. Unfortunate as it was that Alex Johnson did his knee, I think it really opened up an opportunity for Dane and he took it with both hands. He was outstanding and he’s only going to get better in the next few years. I see him really taking on that Marty Mattner role that he can probably perfect over the next few years.
There were also a whole bunch of young kids who came in like Tom Mitchell, Jed Lamb, my brother, they’ve come in and have been really exciting and have provided some real enthusiasm and just some real spark around the club, so it’s great to see that especially when there are some older heads around the club and we really enjoy having that around.
You’ve had some big personal highlights this year. You were named co-captain, you were named All-Australian and you played your first game with your younger brother Brandon. Which one was the best?
It’s been a really big year and very challenging, but one that I’ve really looked forward to responding to and I think ‘ve probably grown as a person this year with the added responsibility of being co-captain and helping the young boys through as well as working with the older players.
For me, family are everything in your life and to play with my brother and to be part of his first game, I think he played nine games this year, it was an amazing opportunity for both of us and something I’ll never forget. I never probably thought it would happen growing up and coming to the Swans as a kid as well, and now seeing him come in as a kid and he’s just been super impressive in the way he’s gone about it. He knows he needs another big pre-season coming up and I think he can really improve and be a part of our first team in the coming years.
You’ve got a break coming up, what are your plans for the off-season?
It’s been a long year so I’m looking forward to the break. I’m going to go away to Bali with a few of the boys and it will be Jude Bolton’s last trip away so we’re looking forward to that. Then when I get back I’ll just be chilling out, spending some time with my family and then I might go away with my friends somewhere else, but it all hasn’t been organised just yet. I’m a very last minute-type person, but I’m looking forward to a bit of time off and just relaxing.
