Swans chat Kieren Jack retires

[Go Swannies]

Swans tweet:
Premiership player, All-Australian and former Sydney Swans co-captain @kjack_15
will bid farewell to football after 14 seasons in red and white.

[AnnieH]

So good to see the son of rugby league royalty completely smash it at AFL.
Onya Kiz.

[707]

A great story, son of a NRL legend chooses AFL as his sport and becomes a most important player in a great era for us.

Don't let the past couple of injury plagued seasons cloud your memory, KJ was a weapon in our great midfield.

All the best to him in whatever he is doing in the future, Haven't heard if he'll still be involved with the club but a locally bred ex captain must surely find a role in the Swans future growth.

[liz]

A great story, son of a NRL legend chooses AFL as his sport and becomes a most important player in a great era for us.

Don't let the past couple of injury plagued seasons cloud your memory, KJ was a weapon in our great midfield.

All the best to him in whatever he is doing in the future, Haven't heard if he'll still be involved with the club but a locally bred ex captain must surely find a role in the Swans future growth.

I think it's a shame that his last few. injury-curtailed, seasons have taken away somewhat from just how good he was in his prime. He added that zip and bite around the packs that our otherwise plodding midfield couldn't. His side-step was something to behold, as was his ability to duck under tackles, not to win a free kick for high contact, but as a genuine (and successful) evasive tactic.

He transformed himself from an undersized back pocket who couldn't kick, through a tagging role whereby he shut down some of the best midfielders in the game, to one of the hardest running two-way midfielders in the competition. In the early years of this decade, he was the midfielder opposition clubs usually tried to shut down.

Truly a career to be proud of for a man told by junior coaches he was too small, too unskilled, to make it at the top level.

[Go Swannies]

He also tells the story that, in his young League days he'd always be made fullback "because I was the only one who could reliably catch the ball". Great tackler, too - and who will every forget his great run in goal in the 2012 GF?

[royboy42]

Really early in his career, we were at Geelong and Kizza played on Ablett.
Ablett ran him into the ground, while thrashing him.
The coach aftermatch told us that he deliberately left Jacky on him, cos he'd learn more in that one day than in a normal year....And he did!
Fantastic career, Kieren.
Congratulations...and thank you.

[neilfws]

I've always liked the "rugby league mannerisms" that never left him. Like the little feet-together jump when taking a mark in defence, or the wheel-and-kick that looks for a second like it's going to be a drop kick.

Always enjoyed watching him. A fine career and I agree, let's not allow the last couple of seasons to overshadow those great prime years.

Only Reid and Parker left from 2012 I believe? Big changes but a bright future.

[liz]

Only Reid and Parker left from 2012 I believe? Big changes but a bright future.

Now you've retired JPK!

[neilfws]

Now you've retired JPK!

Oh! Did not engage brain for that sentence

actually I read it in this story and didn't take the next step of thinking "but is that true":

Swans great Jack joins the club's retirement queue


update - pointed out the error to the journo on Twitter and he fixed it, good on him!

[Go Swannies]

Now you've retired JPK!

I saw Josh was missing in the SMH article and wrote a comment but it wasn't published or the article changed.

[neilfws]

I saw Josh was missing in the SMH article and wrote a comment but it wasn't published or the article changed.

I found the writer on Twitter, let him know and he fixed it. Almost restored my faith in journalism

[Go Swannies]

I found the writer on Twitter, let him know and he fixed it. Almost restored my faith in journalism

Thanks - I saw the original article posting time wasn't changed but see that Joey has been added to the team. I'd struggle to remember who was and wasn't in that team but so clearly remember Josh's grandfather's face with all those conflicting emotions. I hope we haven't lost too much experience too fast.

[stevoswan]

Kizza is a great story.....great career from a foreign sporting background, son of a legend who made the most of his talent and became a Swans legend in the process. All the best for the future Kieren......hope you sort things out with your family too.

[Sandrevan]

Great AFL career Kieren. He got the best out of himself and yes, I'll always remember his goal in the 2012 gf. If I remember correctly, his goal levelled the scores.

With KJ retiring it really is the end on an era at the Swans. Grundy, Smith, McVeigh and KJ. All stalwarts of the last decade.

Good luck with your next move KJ.

[bloodspirit]

I join the chorus of congratulations for Kizza who absolutely got the most out of himself. Glad to hear people recalling his glory days and remind us not to linger on the last couple of years.

Kizza has a bit of special relevance for me because I grew up with rugby league and was a Balmain supporter. Kieran's dad, Gary, was our star fullback (went on to play for NSW in Origin and for the Kangaroos internationally) and just about my favourite player. So, when Kieran was drafted it was like a good omen and gave me an added sense of connection with the club. As an aside, another parallel I have enjoyed is that the club's unofficial (quasi-official?) mascot is Kenny, who reminds me of Balmain's memorable fan, Laurie Nicholls. Personality-wise not quite the same - Laurie had a bit more of a tough guy image (always wore a singlet, regardless of the weather, memorably including one freezing night in Canberra and used to walk up and down the touchlines, where permitted, shadow boxing) - but both devoted, older fans who showed up to every game and wore their hear on their sleeve and were/are recognisably part of the club.