Kieren’s Blog
By Kieren Jack
The life of a professional footballer is a full-time job and during the AFL season we generally just get one day off a week, but even then we have to make sure we do a recovery session.
Our days off are usually a Wednesday or Thursday so I like to get physio or a massage out of the way in the morning or get down to the beach for recovery and then it’s just doing the things that I don’t get to do during the week.
To relax and get away from footy I like to just sit at home in the backyard and play with my dog (pictured) or take him for a walk. I’ve got an English Bulldog who is only seven or eight months old so he’s a bit of a handful!
Sometimes I might play golf – I’m not very good at it but I do enjoy getting out there for maybe nine holes. A lot of the boys actually play a bit of golf and we’ve got some surfers in the side. I’m not a big surfer, I’m not that good at it so I don’t venture down that path very often.
I’m studying a Commerce Degree at Sydney Uni with Josh Kennedy and Jude Bolton so we generally do that on a Wednesday afternoon. It was tough last year when we were leading into finals and had to go to classes during the week and then travel to a final over in Adelaide to play footy.
But you’d be surprised by how much I enjoy studying, it’s a good thing to get away from footy, it’s a bit of a mental change-up. We study football and think football and train it all the time when we’re at the club so it’s something a bit different that stimulates the mind a bit differently. A lot of the boys are studying or doing TAFE courses as well.
I’m lucky that I’ve got my Dad to look at. He’s probably someone who wishes he had of done some study when he played Rugby League so both Mum and Dad are always onto me to make sure I have something to fall back on. I’m probably the same way too, I don’t want to finish in the game and have nothing to show for it.
My brother Rhys, who stopped playing Rugby League last year, is onto his second degree and really enjoying that side of life and my youngest brother Brandon obviously did very well in his HSC and he wants to get into it and start studying.
To have Dad there as an example is good for all of us.We do live in a bubble playing football but there is a bigger life out there that’s really exciting.