Jacks gears up for incredible 100th game milestone

And the 30-year-old said as he runs out, he knows he will be flooded with memories from his impressive and long career.

“It’s obviously a special achievement,” Jacks said.

“I’ve been thinking a lot about those 100 games this week and will have all the memories with me on Sunday. My debut was in 2014 so it’s been a long time, a lot of games, a lot of different people along the way.

“There’s a lot of highlights in there and that’s what I’ll be thinking about this week and for this game.

“Wherever you go in Cup, everyone has stories from the fields they played at, the teams they versed… every team or every ground, they have those stories behind them.

“The poor young fellas at the club have to listen to all those stories from me now.”

There are a number of those moments that stand out for Jacks during his career.

Of course there’s his debut in Round 1 of the 2014 season up in Mackay. He remembers suiting up alongside Storm players and debuting under one of his most influential coaches, Craig ‘Trigger’ Ingebrigtsen.

But two of his other highlights include the first time he played in front of Wynnum Manly’s famous ‘Chook Pen’ at BMD Kougari Oval and the 2016 elimination final between the Falcons and the PNG Hunters in Papua New Guinea.

“The first time I played at the Chook Pen, I was playing for Burleigh against Wynnum Manly,” Jacks said.

“You could still throw punches back then… I started when that was all getting phased out. It was quite an intense game and there was an all-in right in front of the Chook Pen. That’s how old school it was when I started.

“Getting to experience that, it was a good thing. That day at the Chook Pen was a real welcome to Cup in Queensland.

“Then there was the time we played our semi-final over in PNG in 2016. To get the win over there, I’d put that up as one of the best wins I’ve been part of.

“The circumstances and what we had to go through to win that game… they’re the moments you definitely think of.”

Then aside from the memories, Jacks has a lot of special people who have helped him along the way.

There is his dad Terry Jacks and brother Rhys, who captains the Ipswich Jets.

But outside of that, there are two people that instantly come to mind when Jacks thinks back on his career.

“You do get a lot of special people,” he said.

“John Newton was the old strapper at Burleigh and there’s people you meet like that along the way that aren’t your head coach but you learn a lot from them.

“John was the wise man around the club. I like those types of characters. You get to pick their brains and learn a bit about the competition and the clubs.

“He probably doesn’t realise how important he was to me but picking his brain while he straps your ankles, he’d give you little pointers. I like hanging around that type of person with all the knowledge in the world.

“The other major one was Trigger. What he did for me… I wasn’t wanted at Burleigh anymore and didn’t have a club so to get me to the Falcs, it changed my whole life in football. He was massive in getting me there.

“Once I got up there, he made me believe I was the best half in the comp. I probably wasn’t at the start of the year but he filled me with that confidence.

“Anyone coached by Trigger knows that. He makes his players believe. That year in 2016, we changed the Falcons up there.

“He just made me believe and didn’t overcomplicate it at all. It was just about backing yourself and letting me take control of the team and getting to run my own race.

“He left it up to the players and gave you that ownership. That’s Trigger’s best quality, is making you believe in yourself.”

With at least another two years left in the game, Jacks still has plenty he wants to achieve beyond this 100th game milestone.

He wants to win a premiership – find “success” in Cup – and he wants to leave his mark on a few younger players if possible and help them in their quest to make the NRL, just like what people like Ingebrigtsen did for him.

But mostly he’s just happy to ride the wave, especially being back at the Tigers.

He knows he only has a few more years left in him and he wants to make the most of them.

“Cup is at times harder than the NRL,” Jacks said.

“What we do with working all day and having to train at night time, you’re getting the same (expectations) as an NRL team but having to work on top of it. Physically it’s a lot tougher.

“I really respect all the players in the comp and what they do and the sacrifices they give up. It’s a very strong competition and has all the history behind it.

“I still remember watching the coverage on the ABC as it was back then and that really stuck with me growing up is how good the comp is and learning the history of all the clubs.

“Obviously I want be successful at this club. You’d like to leave on that note. I think we can be this year and next year.

“That’s what I’d like to do before hanging the boots up, that and help out the younger guys. I was lucky to have people that did it for me and I’d like to it for one or two boys at the club, if not more, and help them on their careers.

“I don’t know when I’ll hang up the boots… I’ll save that decision for next year. I have two young ones now and this is a really tough competition where you have to work fulltime and train and you give up a lot and that’s what I’ll think about next year, if I want to go again or if I’m happy as is.

“I’ll save that one for next year though. Right now, I’m loving it, enjoying it. I feel like we’re going to have a really good year this year.”