Pressure builds as Jack returns

KIEREN Jack is back from injury but he returns to the Swans’ fold as a man under immense pressure.

With Sydney’s season well and truly on the brink, Jack finds his decorated AFL career at a similar crossroads.

The Swans’ 2017 campaign will go on the line in a deadly grand final rematch against the Bulldogs on Thursday night at the SCG.

A hip injury has sidelined Jack for the past five matches but he can ill afford his form to slump to the levels it was lagging at in the early rounds.

If the Swans’ finals hopes were to be dashed by the Bulldogs, the incentive for coach John Longmire to push the barrow of his young guns in the midfield for the rest of the year will be hard to ignore.

Jack is 29 and contracted to the Swans until the end of 2018 but the past few months have served as a wake-up call as to how quickly a middle-aged AFL star can fall.

From losing the Swans captaincy, to a nosedive in form, to a long injury lay-off, it’s up to Jack to turn the tide on his fortunes at a time when his team most needs him to come to the fore.