AFL Bitter betrayal
✓ BETRAYAL ✓ GREED ✓ ENVY ✓ RUMOURS
Sydney Swans c0-captain Kieren Jack is at the centre of a family scandal
It has all the hallmarks of a classic soap opera, with accusations of betrayal, golddigging and a jealousy burning so bright it’s threatened to rip the heart out of one of Australia’s most famous sporting families.
But as Sydney Swans cocaptain Kieren Jack’s family feud – which came to light with a spat over his 200th game – is cracked wide open, there’s one woman who is at the centre of it all: his mother Donna Jack.
Kieren’s decision to give club-issued tickets and airfares to his 200th game last week to the parents of his partner, Nine associate producer and model Charlotte Goodlet, rather than to his own, was said to be the last straw for Donna, who reacted by lashing out at her son on Twitter.
Poison past
The feud has been more than two years in the making, with friends revealing Donna – the wife of NRL great Garry Jack and mum to Kieren, Rhys and Brandon, is not a fan of Kieren’s girlfriend, even issuing her son an ultimatum: “It’s me or her”.
“They loved her at the start,” reveals a close family friend, who says the couple started dating after Charlotte moved to Sydney from Perth to pursue her media career in 2013, landing a job with Ten before moving onto the ABC and then Nine.
“I think Donna wanted Charlotte to be her best friend – she was always calling and texting her, she really liked her. Charlotte’s parents even had dinner with Kieren’s. Everyone was getting along, everything was great,” the friend says.
But when Kieren organised for Charlotte’s parents to have his complimentary flights and accommodation for the Grand Final two years ago, things started to unravel.
“Donna made a remark to [Charlotte’s mum] Meredith at the game, accusing her of taking the free accommodation. Poor Kieren was just trying to impress the parents of his new girlfriend, but it backfired,” says the friend, revealing Donna became increasingly upset about the amount of time Kieren was spending with Charlotte’s family.
The sporting matriarch – who brought up three talented sports stars – felt she was playing second fiddle to Charlotte, which friends say she didn’t like.
“It sounds weird given the way she’s behaved, but she loves her boys – it’s just that nobody is good enough for them,” says another source, who’s known Donna for years.
“It actually comes from a good place. She’s just way too overprotective and jealous of any woman taking attention away from her.”
As Charlotte reaped the rewards of dating the Swans co-captain, Donna felt she was sidelined, adds the friend.
“She was like, ‘Charlotte
‘She loves her boys – it’s just nobody’s good enough for them’
didn’t take you to footy games when you were young, why is she getting treated better than us? We’re the ones who did all the hard work, we’re the reason you’re here,’” tells our source.
Devastating absence
The friend reveals that Donna and Garry made a stand by deciding to boycott the 2014 final – missing the chance to support both Kieren and his younger brother, Brandon, who’s also a Swans player.
“It devastated Kieren and it devastated his little brother, who until that point hadn’t got involved or taken a side – but that was the turning point.”
“Then Donna began tweeting – making pointed remarks about missing games,” says Charlotte’s friend. “She started sending the boys messages about Charlotte, before issuing both her sons with an ultimatum that they
had to choose between them.
“Charlotte didn’t know what to do. She didn’t have a problem with Donna, and of course she wanted Kieren to have a good relationship with his parents. It was Donna’s behaviour that was driving a wedge between them in the first place.”
Putting a stop to it
“Kieran confronted his mum and said, ‘ You’ve got to stop doing this. I’m really angry, and until you understand your behaviour and accept it, I can’t have you around,’” says the friend.
Now it seems that the toxic situation has become so bad Kieren will no longer invite his parents to his games, leaving Donna to resort to writing letters to her son and sending them to the Swans – including pictures of what he’s missed from their family events.
Dad Garry has admitted to feeling desperately sad at missing his son’s 200th game, as well as being estranged from Brandon for over a year.
“We have been trying to fix this for more than 12 months,” the 55-year-old said in a recent interview. “We’ve been aware of the problem but it’s fallen on deaf ears. They’re your kids and they can do what they want but, as parents, it hurts. It hurts us as a family, it cuts to your heart – it really does.”
Moving forward
Meanwhile, Charlotte has been forced to defend herself against scurrilous rumours about her character – rumours that both her work colleagues and friends are quick to dismiss.
“If my son grows up and falls in love with someone like Charlotte, I’ll be a very happy dad,” says the couple’s close friend and radio personality Ben Fordham.
“She’s smart, respectful, gracious, and has a sensational work ethic,” Ben continues.
“I played a small role in helping Charlotte get a start at Nine, and the bosses can’t stop singing her praises.
“I’ve got enormous respect for both her and Kieren, and I’m proud to count them as friends. They’re two dedicated and respectful young adults who are clearly in love. What’s wrong with that?”
‘She’s respectful, gracious, and has a sensational work ethic’