Faith rewarded as Brandon upgraded
Brandon Jack reaches his first-season goal with a senior upgrade and two-year contract
The 19-year-old, who arrived at the club via pick 57 in the 2012 Rookie Draft, will officially be promoted to the senior list alongside fellow Sydney product Dane Rampe next month when the Swans select him in the AFL Draft on November 22.
Speaking to SwansTV after putting pen to paper, Jack said he was thrilled to have earned an upgrade and extension at the Swans.
“My goal coming into this year was to get a contract at the end of the year on the senior list and I think I’ve earned that,” Jack said.
“To be honest I was only aiming for a one-year extension and just to do that and have another good year, but to get this, I think it means that club has got a bit of faith in me, so that’s really good.
“It means that I can have confidence going out there knowing that the club does believe in me.”
Brandon, who is the younger brother of co-captain Kieren Jack, burst onto the scene in 2013 when he made his AFL debut as the substitute in the round 11 win over Adelaide at AAMI Stadium.
That match marked the first time in more than 20 years that a set of brothers had taken the field together in the red and white, following on from Neil Cordy and brother Graeme played alongside each other for the Swans in 1989.
Just two games later, Jack surpassed his older brother’s tally for most goals in a game, when he booted four goals against Melbourne at the MCG and went on to kick goals against West Coast, Richmond and the Western Bulldogs and play a total of nine senior games in his debut year at the Swans.
Jack also had the privilege of being mentored by Swans veteran Jude Bolton, who helped the young player find his feet in his new role at the club.
The teenager said he hoped to follow in Bolton’s footsteps and move from a forward role into the midfield in the coming years.
“The next few years I think I’m going to stay as that small forward-type role, but as I get a few more pre-seasons under my belt, I’d like to move into the midfield,” he said.
“I’d kind of like to do what Jude Bolton did.
“He told me the other day that he came in as a small forward and we all know what Jude did.”
After enjoying an off-season holiday to Bali, Jack will return to the club alongside the other one-to-three-year players on November 18 for pre-season training.