Sydney Swans coach John Longmire has thrown his support behind co-captain Kieren Jack ahead of his 200th match.
Praising Jack’s response to the family drama that unfolded publicly this week, Longmire told The Sydney Morning Herald, ‘Kieren will be fine. We obviously support Kieren, Brandon and Charlotte, they’ve handled it very well this week and they’ll be fine.’
The coach’s words, and notable lack of support for his parents, is ‘the biggest indicator yet that the parents of Kieren Jack are persona-non-grata at the club,’ reports the paper.
As for his private life interfering with the game on Friday, Longmire isn’t worried.
‘He’s an experienced player. He plays his 200th game this week, that’s fantastic. I remember coaching him in the reserves when he was a little back pocket player and there was a lot of questions marks on him as a young player coming through and he’s been able to defy those critics and have a wonderful career to this point.’
When questioned by reporters about the feud, Longmire said, ‘I think we can all move on from it to be honest, we’ve got a game this week.’
‘It’s had plenty of airplay, those matters should be kept private. They weren’t but from the perspective of the football club, Kieren and Brandon have handled it really well.’
In a press conference on Wednesday, Jack, 29, cleared up rumours that his parents were banned from his milestone match, saying, ‘It’s his [Garry Jack’s] decision.’
The family rift is reportedly over Jack’s girlfriend, Charlotte Goodlet, whom Jack says is where his ‘priorities’ lie.
‘She’s more than just a model,’ said Jack. ‘She’s strong, she’s an independent woman.
‘I can tell you that. I love her very much and I’m very proud of her.’
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