AHEAD of his 250th game against Richmond this weekend, Sydney veteran Kieren Jack doubts club recruiters would give him much attention if he were a draft hopeful looking to make his way in today's game.
Jack's story has been one of remarkable persistence, with the Sydney local transforming himself from a kid with a rugby league background and little natural footy ability into a Swans favourite son.
The 31-year-old has co-captained the club, played a key role in its 2012 premiership, won a best and fairest, and was named in the Virgin Australia All Australian team in 2013, despite the fact that he arrived as a rookie and spent a couple of seasons playing reserves footy.
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Jack said his awkward kicking style and lack of footy smarts took years to improve with the help of Sydney's development coaches, but he's proud of the career he's carved out over the past 14 seasons.
"I was small in stature and I could hardly kick, but I could tackle, so back pocket was pretty much the position I was limited to," he said.
"It took me two years to fast-track my kicking to get it to a level where it was consistent (enough for senior footy).
"Whether I would have been given an opportunity who knows, because it would have taken time and persistence.
"You look at the systems and the academies in place these days, and the kids coming through are well and truly ready to go.
"You'd be hard-pressed to find a coach or recruiter back then who would have thought I'd play five games, but while I didn't have the talent, I had a relentless attitude to work hard and improve my game.
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"It would have been a wild, wild dream to think that I could get this far, so it's really special."
While Jack's milestone will be an important night on a personal note, the experienced forward knows his team's performance against the Tigers carries far more significance for this season.
The Swans sit 15th on the ladder with just one win from the first four rounds and face Richmond at Marvel Stadium on Saturday night, with games against Greater Western Sydney (SCG) and Brisbane (Gabba) to come.
Sydney's renowned hard-nosed style has failed them this season, with the club ranked 15th in the competition for contested possessions and 10th for clearances.
Jack said the Tigers will be a massive challenge this week, but he's confident the Swans' trademark style can still win them games of footy if they can find some form.
"We haven't been at our best in what the Swans have always been known for, but the conversations have been had (within the group)," he said.
"As a midfield we all know what we need to do, and contested ball and clearances and stoppages has been part of our DNA, and that hasn't changed.
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"We just need to make sure we deliver on it.
"Richmond were exceptional last week, their hunt around the ball and work rate is really good, and that’s something we've been quite inconsistent at the last couple of weeks.
"I certainly know we're capable – we just need to be switched on, because if you switch off like we have, you get found out.
"When we get some momentum, we need to really take advantage of it."
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