‘It was a s**t week’: AFL star comes clean on the bitter rift with his parents that runs so deep he cut them out of attending his 200th game
- AFL star Kieren Jack, 31, has come clean on the bitter rift with his mum and dad
- Sportsman describes the days leading up to his 200th game as a ‘sh*t week’
- The Sydney Swans player says he was emotional and shed tears prior to a game
- It was previously reported Jack had been giving his parents cash handouts
AFL star Kieren Jack has come clean about his bitter rift with his parents and touched on why they didn’t attend his milestone 200th game.
The Sydney Swans player’s bitter feud with his parents was first exposed when his mother Donna took to Twitter claiming she was banned from attending his 200th match in July 2016.
‘So sad … you 200 AFL & you don’t want us there, your parents. No appreciation for all the [years] helping you get there,’ Donna wrote in a post that was later deleted.
The 31-year-old star has now revealed how he prepared for his 200th game amid speculation and growing media attention about his strained relationship with his parents.
Kieren Jack (pictured alongside his wife Charlotte Goodlet) has discussed his bitter rift with his parents
‘It was a sh*t week, to state the obvious… you know, the reality is, and I’m not going to get caught up in too much private stuff here, but it was a week that sort of tested me, tested Charlotte [Jack’s wife] tested Brandon [Jack’s younger brother],’ Jack told Sydney Swans podcast.
‘But I think it also highlighted how good football clubs can be… everything blew up … but you guys and “Horse” [Sydney Swans coach John Longmire] and the club were just incredible in support.’
In the immediate lead-up to the game Jack admits at one point he removed the match from his mind and instead spent time trying to get his ‘head right’ and looking after his loved ones.
Despite being overly emotional before he went on the field, once he started playing it was ‘back to business’.
Jack’s mother Donna (pictured left) made their family feud public when she tweeted her disappointment that she and her husband Garry (pictured right) had been snubbed in favour of Miss Goodlet’s family
The Sydney Swans player’s (pictured right alongside his wife Charlotte) famous feud with his parents was first exposed in 2016
‘It was the most emotional I’ve been prior to a game and there were a couple of tears at one point. It was emotionally driven and really emotionally invested in it and the boys were too,’ he said.
But Jack said he was helped by the support of his teammates and the team went on to have a triumphant win.
‘It was pretty awesome to be part of,’ he added.
Jack (pictured) said he was helped by the support of his teammates and the team went on to have a triumphant win
It was previously reported that Jack’s parents had been receiving cash from their successful son and his younger brother Brandon, who also plays for Sydney Swans.
But the handouts are believed to have dwindled when Jack became more serious with his now wife Charlotte Goodlet.
At the time, friends of the sportsmen reportedly dubbed the couple ‘The Hungry Jacks’ because they expected to be given money by their sons.
Further reports suggested tensions began when Ms Goodlet’s parents were given tickets to the 2014 grand final between the Swans and Hawthorn.
It was also said his parents disapproved of his relationship with Ms Goodlet.
Jack married his long-term girlfriend in November 2018, surrounded by family and friends at Allview Escape in the Blue Mountains after a two-year engagement.
While it is unclear if Jack’s parents were in attendance, the pair didn’t appear in a series of photos shared by guests under the Instagram hashtag #pairofjacks.
Jack and Ms Goodlet tied the knot surrounded by family and friends at Allview Escape, in the Blue Mountains