IN LESS than 12 months, exciting young midfielder Lewis Jetta has rocketed himself from fringe Sydney Swans selection to All Australian status.
That is the opinion of one of the Swans' all-time greats, Michael O'Loughlin.
A lack of fitness and stamina meant Jetta struggled to cement a permanent place in coach John Longmire's side in 2011, used regularly as a substitute and missing out on their two finals altogether.
But he has been a revelation this season, playing every game and sitting fifth in the AFL with 27 goals, behind only key forwards Lance Franklin, Nick Riewoldt, Jack Riewoldt and Taylor Walker.
"I think he would be in the majority of people's [All Australian] team at the moment," O'Loughlin said.
"He's fifth in the goalkicking as a midfielder.
"He's gone to another level. He's been tagged a couple of times, but he's come back, and with his chase and his tackling, he's improved leaps and bounds over the last two years.
"The consistency is starting to come as well. I love the way he's going about it. It's taken a lot of hard work. It's no coincidence he's playing well now, over the summer he had a red hot crack.
"Speaking to Goodesy (Adam Goodes), he loved the way he went about his pre-season, and it's paying dividends."
Jetta has been a key figure in the Swans' excellent start to 2012.
Following a five-game winning streak to start the year, the club has reached the break with a very healthy 8-3 record ahead of next week's clash with Geelong at the SCG.
In a wide open season, O'Loughlin - a key figure in the Swans' 2005 premiership campaign - believes they could be in the running for another flag at season's end.
"You just have to put yourself in the mix and when finals come around and you get yourself in that top four position, you give yourself a real chance of having a crack at it," he said.
"Injuries play a big part and there's still a long way to go until the end of the year, but all signs are pointing to a big tick next to their name at the moment.
"They're just playing so well and some guys are playing some outstanding footy."
O'Loughlin is also anxiously awaiting the return of his great mate Goodes, who has missed the past five games with a torn quad and is pushing for a return against the Cats.
"He comes in and it's a bonus," O'Loughlin said. "I just hope the others don’t decrease their work-load when he comes back.
"He'll do what he does, he just needs the others to keep playing their role.
"When everyone plays their role, nine times out of 10 they have a win.
"Adam will be jumping out of his shoes to play and I know he's itching to come back. He doesn't like sitting on the sideline, the great man."
James Dampney covers Sydney AFL news for AFL.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_JD
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily of the AFL or the clubs
