Hunter Jack becomes the hunted
Sydney Swan Kieren Jack is starting to get used to increased attention now he is becoming more damaging in attack
Already an excellent run-with player, the 23-year-old has averaged 26 disposals, five tackles and almost two goals in the Swans' four-game winning streak that earned them a home elimination final against Carlton at ANZ Stadium on Sunday.
Jack said he was learning to cope with increased attention from opposing teams as his influence was realised.
"I had someone come to me for a bit on the weekend as well and it's probably the next sort of phase in my career now," he said.
"If I'm continuing to play the way I am, I probably might get a little more attention. We've spoken about that and it's a challenge, and it's something that I'm looking forward to."
Jack lined up on Judd when the Swans met the Blues in round 16 and he expected to sidle up to the Carlton star again on Sunday.
He acknowledged the role that learning from the game's best midfielders had played in his development.
"The things that you pick up playing on those sorts of players week in, week out has been amazing," Jack said.
"I've played nearly 70 games now so I've definitely got a lot of knowledge and now I'm starting to use that the other way. As a young kid playing on those sorts of players, they take you to the footy and they teach you a few tricks.
"Now it's all sort of coming together; I can read the play a bit more and try to hurt the opposition."
Jack said the pain of a heavy loss to Geelong in round 18, when the Cats' midfield blew the Swans away in a dominant third term to set up a 53-point win, had hardened his resolve.
"It was a bit of an eye-opener for me against Geelong. The hardness and the contested side of footy, I wasn't happy with after that game," he said.
"I sat down with the coaches and went through a lot of vision and pretty much, for me, just narrowed it down to wanting to be hard and be a two-way player. It just seems to be coming off the last four or five weeks."
Jack booted three goals in his first final against North Melbourne back in 2008 and said his relative inexperience helped him to thrive in the intensity of September.
He hoped a similar attitude would help the likes of finals debutants Lewis Jetta, Trent Dennis-Lane, Dan Hannebery and Mike Pyke to produce their best on Sunday.
"The first time I played a final, I was just a young kid running around. I think I kicked three goals so I might take that same philosophy I think; just run around and not know much about what I'm doing," he said.
"It's going to be a different game, a final, but the reasons why we've got there is because they're doing those sorts of things and we won't be asking them to change too much."
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