Brandon Jack emerging from shadow of Kieren Jack at Sydney Swans

IT’S not easy living up to a famous surname but Brandon Jack is making a good fist of it as he emerges from the shadows of his brother and father.

It’s not easy living up to a famous surname but Brandon Jack is making a good fist of it as he emerges from the twin shadows of his brother and Swans captain Kieren and his even better known father Garry.

Today’s final regular-season game against the Gold Coast Suns will be Brandon’s eighth in a row, his longest continuous stretch since making his start in the AFL in 2013.

“I’m happy to be in the team and keep my spot every week but there’s definitely room for improvement,” Jack told the Daily Telegraph.

“I’m still learning the small forward role and I need to find ways to impact the scoreboard more, my marking and kicking is something I’ve always wanted to improve on.

“My pressure and tackling has always been my strength and now my fitness has improved as well.”

Jack put in a power of extra work in the pre-season teaming up with strong endurance players Lloyd Perris and Daniel Robinson and doing three extra running sessions each week.

Brandon Jack celebrates a goal with Isaac Heeney.

“They were really big sessions,” Jack said.

“They really set me up for the season and have helped me all the way through. I’m at the point where the coaches are comfortable leaving me on the field and my kicking has improved as well.”

The 21-year-old took a very impressive 20 seconds off his personal best for the 3km time trial and also managed to put another two kilograms on his frame.

His fitness and form have also allowed him to spend more time on the field with his older brother.

“To be able to play with your brother is something special,” Jack said.

“No matter how long my career goes for I’m going to look back and be pretty happy that I’ve been able to play games with Kieren and have fond memories of that.

Adam Goodes, Kurt Tippett and Kieren Jack celebrate a goal. Picture: Phil Hillyard

“It’s special when you run out alongside your brother, not many people get to experience that and I don’t take it for granted.”

Close observers of the Jack family say Brandon has very similar stature and athletic qualities as his father Garry which includes a blinding turn of pace. The leg speed is something coach John Longmire values highly along with his strong defensive work.

Today’s match against the Suns will be Brandon’s ninth for the season and 26th of his career. While he would have liked to have played a lot more he knows he’s playing at a very strong club where senior games aren’t given away.

“There are a lot of guys who get frustrated by that and I’m one of those players because I want to be in the team every week,” Jack said.

“The way I look at it is we’re in a really good football team and we’re a chance of winning a premiership and there aren’t many clubs around like that. If you want to play football to win premierships this is a good club to be at. You have to do what you need to in the reserves and become a really good player. At training I get to compete against Nick Smith who’s an All Australian defender and Dane Rampe who is a great defender as well.”