One-Eyed Richmond Forum
Football => Richmond Rant => Topic started by: one-eyed on November 24, 2017, 07:37:36 PM
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Welcome to the premiers, Jack :)
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He gave the thumbs up when he got picked by us :thumbsup
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JACK HIGGINS
Player bio
Former club: Oakleigh Chargers
Age: 18
Height: 178cm
Weight: 77kg
Position: Forward
2017 U18 Stats
Games: 4
Goals: 6
Avg Kicks: 13.3
Avg Marks: 6
Avg Hballs: 14
Another forward/midfielder who won the Morrish medal and he played well at the national championships.
http://www.afl.com.au/draft/draft-tracker
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CJiCVSTUMAEoK1g.jpg)
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Is a gun
Rated top 5 at some clubs 😉
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VIDEOS:
Meet Jack Higgins: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N83L3qtiZDo
2017 vs SA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PovcHUHDgrA
2017 vs Vic Country: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0V5Pq7vTUcE
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Is a gun
Rated top 5 at some clubs 😉
I seem to recall he was considered the best player in the draft by champion data.
But do we really need another small forward. I realise he is likely to go into the middle, but gee, we seem to have a glut of these small forward types now.
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he is a battle dwarf, I take back my doubts, thought he was a small forward. Looks like a nuggety ball winner with a decent kick. Chases hard, likes a goal, thumbs up
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A steel if not really a need....
...more cover for Bolton's departure I guess.... :shh
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A lot like Sam Mitchell
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Higgins lands at Tigerland
richmondfc.com.au
November 24, 2017 7:35 PM
Richmond has used its first selection, No. 17 overall, in the 2017 National Draft to recruit Oakleigh small forward/midfielder Jack Higgins.
Here is a summary of what Richmond fans can expect to see from Higgins, in future seasons . . .
Jack Higgins profile
Date of birth: 19/3/1999
Height: 178cm
Weight: 77kg
Position: Small forward/midfielder
From: Oakleigh Chargers
Jack is a natural footballer with an impressive football IQ.
In a recent Champion Data statistical analysis, Jack was ranked the draft’s No. 1 player after averaging 145 Super Coach points in 33 rated games.
He averaged 24 disposals per match in his 14 TAC Cup games for the Oakleigh Chargers and an impressive 27 disposals in four appearances with Vic Metro at the under-18 national championships, subsequently being named in the All Australian team.
Jack’s TAC Cup season was very consistent, with the ability to kick goals and create opportunities for teammates a real feature of his game.
He scored 31 goals and 21 behinds in his 14 games for Oakleigh, at a conversion rate of 60 percent, with his best performance a seven-goal haul against the Bendigo Pioneers in Round 17. But he also registered 27 score assists for the season, which underlined his team values.
Jack realises the importance of defensive pressure in the modern game and averaged five tackles per match throughout the TAC Cup season.
He can win the football in uncontested situations, where he utilises his strong running capacity.
And, he relishes winning contested ball, too, as shown by the 18 contested possessions he gathered in a match against South Australia at Etihad Stadium during this year’s under-18 carnival.
http://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/2017-11-24/2017-draft-pick-17
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A lot like Sam Mitchell
Except he goes forward, takes marks and is quicker.... :shh
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Welcome Jack Higgins what a steal. :thumbsup
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Sounds like the best kid available at 17
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Check out his draft interview on the AFL website.
I am feeling a lot better about our draft now.
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Over the moon with this pick. Well done Tigers.
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Great pickup!
Toby Greene
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Great pickup!
Toby Greene
with a brain!
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Lets hope more like Brent Harvey, Greenes a turd
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Check out his draft interview on the AFL website.
I am feeling a lot better about our draft now.
Can someone post the link ?.
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Check out his draft interview on the AFL website.
I am feeling a lot better about our draft now.
Can someone post the link ?.
http://www.afl.com.au/video/2017-11-24/joining-the-tigers-ecstatic-and-unreal
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Absolute steal getting this guy!!! :clapping :clapping :clapping
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Holy hell stuffing gun and not far off best 22 already
the loins are moist
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Absolute steal getting this guy!!! :clapping :clapping :clapping
Amazing get at this pick :clapping will be considered one of the best in his draft year :gotigers
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he is a battle dwarf, I take back my doubts, thought he was a small forward. Looks like a nuggety ball winner with a decent kick. Chases hard, likes a goal, thumbs up
Battle dwarf. ;D
You're smacking them out of the park today Hoot.
Maybe Rimmer (star of Red Dwarf) as the nickname.
Starts by fighting with Castagna, Butler and Lloyd for the small forward spot then goes into the midfield when Edwards retires.
Very slick, smart handball in close early in one of the clips.
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(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DPYpig-V4AA5Lda.jpg)
https://twitter.com/Richmond_FC
Here's what we can expect to see from our pick 17, Jack Higgins
VIDEO: http://www.richmondfc.com.au/video/2017-11-24/rolandweeks2
Tomorrow's heroes: Jack Higgins
VIDEO: http://www.richmondfc.com.au/video/2017-11-24/tomorrows-heroes-jack-higgins
Watch as Ivan Maric speaks to Jack Higgins after last night’s #AFLDraft
VIDEO: http://www.richmondfc.com.au/video/2017-11-25/richmonds-first-pick
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Naish said he was thrilled to land at Richmond where his father played 143 matches and join forces with close mate Higgins.
“’Higgo’ and I always roomed together so I’m so happy for him,” Naish said.
“He played more midfield and I was on the wing, so he would always give it out to me, but since he moved forward we kicked it a lot to each other in the carnival.
“I think Higgo and I can add to that (Richmond’s) pressure and also add a bit of class to the group which is exciting coming off a premiership and then bringing in someone like Higgo.
“He is a superstar.”
Love it.
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Based on his highlights, I reckon we have drafted this kid to be an upgrade on Prestia.
Two human meatballs in the same side.
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guy looks like a jet and lets face it we just won the flag based on guys like him, so let the party continue i say.
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Pre-draft articles on Higgins:
jack-higgins-a-genuine-footy-nut-that-smashed-records-in-stunning-draft-year
November 3, 2017
Riley Beveridge
FOX SPORTS
YOU will struggle to find anyone more passionate about their football than Jack Higgins.
The diminutive Oakleigh Chargers youngster simply loves it.
He breathes footy. He sleeps footy. He lives footy.
Playing the game at the highest level has been a dream of Higgins’ for as long as he can remember. Ever since he started having a kick with his dad in the park, even before his Auskick days, he knew what he wanted to do.
Now, he’s on the cusp of what is, quite literally, a lifelong ambition.
“I really enjoy my football,” Higgins tells foxfooty.com.au.
“It makes my week, playing a game of footy. Even going to training, I love it. Every part of football — meetings, ice baths, games — I love it.”
He pauses, momentarily.
“Maybe I don’t love ice baths,” he laughs. “But I’ll get in one, I won’t complain.”
Higgins has taken his analysis of the game to the next level over the last 12 months.
Growing up idolising Sam Mitchell, he simply couldn’t miss the opportunity of a ‘Mitch Masterclass’ ahead of the Hawthorn champion’s 300th game midway through last year.
Higgins went to the Round 18 fixture, found himself a spot behind the goals, and analysed Mitchell’s running patterns to a tee. Only 178cm himself, he observed every movement.
(https://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/97d4e6dce62bb56566f7242d241d90b3)
Jack Higgins of the Oakleigh Chargers won the 2017 Morrish medal.Source: Supplied
But it wasn’t the only time Higgins has gone to AFL games with the specific intention to watch individual players. It’s something he does often. And it reflects his desire to improve.
“He just loves his footy,” Oakleigh talent manager Craig Notman tells foxfooty.com.au.
“He’s a fierce competitor. With everything he does in a footy capacity, it’s to make sure he improves and gets the best out of himself in that footy context.
“He’s a kid that’s genuinely in love with the game. He’s got a real willingness to succeed and that shows through.”
From an individual perspective, Higgins couldn’t have done much more across his draft year.
Having played predominantly forward in the TAC Cup with the Chargers, he moved into the midfield in order to spearhead Vic Metro’s successful National Championships campaign.
Higgins, 178cm, ended the carnival averaging 27 disposals, 13 contested possessions, six tackles and five clearances. That added to the work he did forward of centre, where he still managed to kick six goals and provide a further seven goal assists from just four games.
(https://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/618f1ce5d6ff7438adca0649a1a868f1)
Jack Higgins' TAC Cup stats for 2017.Source: Supplied
Such form carried through to the second half of the TAC Cup season, where Higgins was influential in helping Oakleigh finish the campaign as minor premiers.
Multiple 30-disposal games in the midfield were followed with huge hauls up forward, including an incredible seven-goal match against the Pioneers in August.
It saw Higgins end the TAC Cup season averaging 23 disposals and 2.3 goals per match.
The end product? In the 33 games Champion Data has covered Higgins throughout his junior career, he has averaged 145 ranking points — the best average figure ever recorded by the AFL’s official number crunchers, beating Tom Rockliff’s record of 144.
“I think it’s been pretty consistent,” Higgins says of his season.
“I’ve worked really hard to get to this point in time and I think it’s all coming together in place. I just can’t wait to get stuck into it.”
Higgins and his father have a saying: “Hard work beats talent.”
(https://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/b1337d0e974538044a571186a4526bca)
Jack Higgins impressed at the AFL Draft Combine at Etihad Stadium in October.Source: Supplied
It’s a quote Higgins admits he stole from Golden State superstar Kevin Durant. And it’s apt in the young draft hopeful’s case, given hardly anyone has worked harder than him this year.
But while he also admires Durant, his AFL influences are a little less high profile.
There’s Mitchell. Then there’s Michael Barlow.
“I love players who have done it the hard way,” Higgins says.
“Michael Barlow, Sam Mitchell — those types who have come through the VFL. I really admire those players and the journey they’ve taken.”
It’s unlikely Higgins himself will have to take a similar journey.
Described by one recruiting expert as the best player in this year’s draft crop, he appears a certain first-round selection. On talent alone, he should be in the Pick 1 debate.
However, such has been his dedication to footy this year — which has seen Higgins appoint a series of specialist coaches to develop his game — other recruiters are questioning the scope of improvement still left to come once the youngster does eventually enter an AFL system.
Higgins hardly listens to such criticisms.
“The pressure sits with me fine,” he says.
(https://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/f9ee2f329fba8ada39b6339208dc79ec)
Jack Higgins starred for Vic Metro.Source: Supplied
“It’s all outside noise, I don’t really listen to it. I just want to play my footy and see what comes at the end of the year.”
If he does slip, it will give plenty of clubs the opportunity to secure a player that could prove to be the steal of this year’s draft.
After all, it’s not often a Morrish Medal winner, a Vic Metro MVP and the best statistical junior Champion Data has ever covered falls into the latter stages of the first round.
“If he’s not the most determined player I’ve seen coming through the system, he’d be very close to the top,” Notman says of Higgins.
“He’s certainly got an end goal in mind and he’ll do everything in his power to get there.”
JACK HIGGINS
Clubs: Oakleigh/Vic Metro
Position: Midfield/Forward
Size: 178cm, 76kg
Draft Range: 8-20
https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-draft-2017-jack-higgins-a-genuine-footy-nut-that-smashed-records-in-stunning-draft-year/news-story/9e9fbfa2ee6fe21c445a0ce3ba69fc55
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Draft prospects: Jack Higgins
afl.com.au
2 November 2017
(http://s.afl.com.au/staticfile/Samples/527372-tlsnewslandscape.jpg)
There is not much more Jack Higgins could have done in his draft season. The Oakleigh Chargers prospect was named Vic Metro's most valuable player in its title-winning side, was picked in the under-18 All Australian side, and then claimed the Morrish Medal as the TAC Cup's best player.
It was all warranted. The small forward/midfielder pieced together an extremely productive and consistent season, on the back of a promising season last year as a bottom-ager and a standout under-16 carnival when he was named the best player in the championships.
None of it has happened by fluke. Higgins has been aiming towards an AFL career for some time, and has engaged a personal trainer, a speed coach and also a football mentor to develop his overall game and fitness.
Throughout this year he did extra touch, recovery and pilates sessions, and lived something of an AFL club's weekly program to be ready for what will come next season. He'll be ready.
Why They Should Pick Him
Higgins finds the goals with ease. In 14 games for the Oakleigh Chargers this season he kicked 32 goals, including a haul of seven against Bendigo. He averaged one a game in the four-match Vic Metro carnival, and also chipped in with a couple in the NAB AFL Academy exhibition game earlier this season. If you're a club looking for a goalkicker, his season makes for good reading.
This season has seen Higgins round off his game nicely, becoming more unselfish in attack and also setting teammates up regularly by hand. His skills on both feet are very good, he can mark strongly above his head and on the lead for a player his size, and he's clean at ground level.
He has also been able to step into the midfield at different stages, which was never on show more than in Vic Metro's first game of the division one carnival, when he had 30 disposals, nine marks, seven clearances and kicked two goals in a best-on-ground effort. He tends to step up when games matter most.
The Query
At 178cm there are always going to be queries about Higgins' height and whether that will stop him from having the same impact at AFL level as he's managed as an under-18. He's managed to improve his speed so that it isn't an issue, and at top pace he runs three seconds over 20m.
Due to his full-on footy mindset and dedication, some recruiters have wondered about how much growth there is left to come in his game. But he will be the type to lap up being in an AFL system and environment, which he did when he spent a week at Collingwood as part of his NAB AFL Academy program. Nathan Buckley was a big wrap for his work ethic and drive.
Plays Like ...
Think Toby Greene. That's the type of small forward that Higgins could develop into, and he could also be like Greene and be capable of pushing into the midfield for stints early in his career.
Draft Range
Higgins is an interesting one. On production and output he probably should be a top-five pick. But he seems more likely to be taken somewhere from pick No.8 to later in the first round.
The Bottom Line
Higgins is a pro already. Wherever he goes next year he seems likely to be playing a fair bit of senior footy. Of all the players in this year's pool, he's perhaps got the best footy IQ. He knows the game and loves it, and fans will enjoy watching him.
(http://s.afl.com.au/staticfile/AFL%20Tenant/Tomorrows%20Heroes%2009%20Jack%20Higgins.jpg)
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Jack’s jumping out of his new Tiger skin
richmondfc.com.au
27 November 2017
Joining the Tigers: 'ecstatic and unreal' Jack Higgins is over the moon to be drafted by Richmond.
Richmond’s first pick in the 2017 AFL national draft, Jack Higgins, caught up with AFL.com.au reporter Nat Edwards to discuss his draft-night delight at becoming a Tiger.
What was the emotion in your head when your name was called out?
“I was ecstatic. Richmond . . . oh, unreal. Couldn’t have had it any other way.”
Did you exceed your own expectations this year?
“A bit. I just go into each game to try and play well . . . I got a few rewards this year . . . I just try and win for the team, but they came along. I thought I had a pretty consistent season . . . It was good to win that (the Morrish Medal).”
Richmond’s list has a lot of small forwards. Do you think you’re going to be able to muscle your way into that line-up?
“Hopefully, but we better see when I get there. I can’t really say now . . . Hopefully when I get there I can learn off them.
Do you think you’re ready to play senior footy right now?
“Well, hopefully. I haven’t really played senior footy before, so hopefully I’m ready to go, but we’ve got to see what the coach says, and how my teammates play with me . . .
For Tiger fans, who don’t know you and haven’t seen you play, what are your attributes?
“I think I’ve got pretty good footy IQ. Sort of play a bit like a Toby Greene. Can take a pretty good mark for a small forward and got good footy IQ, so know where to get to the right spots, time my leads and stuff like that.
Would you like to eventually push into the midfield, or are you happy playing up forward?
“Wherever the coach wants me, but, yeah, I’d like to play in the midfield, when I get a bit older or a bit more developed.”
http://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/2017-11-27/jacks-jumping-out-of-his-new-tiger-skin
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I saw this on social media.
(https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1394402304l/2839870.jpg)
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Pre-draft article about Higgins from six months ago.
'I'm going to outwork them': Draft hopeful's creed
afl.com.au
1 June 2017
JACK Higgins was 10 when he put a proposal to his dad, Greg. "If I can learn to kick on my left foot, can you get me a PlayStation 3?" he asked. Greg agreed to the deal, but under a couple of provisos: Jack had to be able to guide the ball down with one hand and he had to be a good kick, not just an average one.
Greg then watched as his son spent two or three hours every night after school at the park, kicking on his non-preferred left foot. Within a month, the then grade four student had his new gaming console and in the process had become a dual-sided player. "He's always been incredibly self-motivated," said Greg.
Top draft contender set to prove his versatility
There can't be a more dedicated player in this year's AFL draft pool than Higgins, who identified a path towards the top years ago and has followed it meticulously. None of it has been by fluke.
Higgins has always been on the smaller side, so he long ago devised a plan to get ahead. "My saying has always been that they can be better than me, they can be taller, but I'm just going to outwork them no matter what. I've stuck by that," he told AFL.com.au ahead of the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships, which start next week.
It started as an under-13, when Higgins played for East Malvern in Melbourne's south-eastern suburbs. A member of the coaching panel there was leading AFL player agent Paul Connors, who sensed there was an inner determination in Higgins to improve. Connors suggested Higgins do some work with renowned sprint coach Bohdan Babijczuk, who Higgins has seen twice a week for the past few pre-seasons and who has helped him become sharper in movement.
In his early teens, Higgins started to ramp up his gym work, so signed up with Woodford Sports Science Consulting, where he has struck a great bond with personal trainer Christian Woodford.
The pieces to Higgins' game were quickly being put in place. Then he started with the Oakleigh Chargers' under-16s program, where he met coach Anthony Phillips. Phillips is the father of emerging Collingwood midfielder Tom and St Kilda's Ed, who was drafted last year. He has also become a father figure to Higgins.
In recent summers, Jack has often headed down to Rye for running and touch sessions with the Phillips clan, and every week during the season he catches up with Phillips – he calls him 'Ant Man' – to go over clipped vision of his games to seek feedback.
Phillips, who is also the head coach of Caulfield Grammar's first XVIII school side, has helped round off Higgins' game from being a highly attacking small forward/midfielder to someone who loves to hold the ball in and do the little things. Recently Phillips was chuffed to see Higgins had registered 15 tackles in a game for Oakleigh at TAC Cup level.
"I took him on as a bit of another son, really, because we just click really well. He's a very good listener and he learns," said Phillips. "He hooked onto seeing what Ed and Tom were doing and really saw them as role models. He's turned into a machine. He's the most readymade kid I've seen."
Catching up with Phillips is only part of Higgins' weekly assortment of extra activities to hone his game. The 18-year-old does four weight sessions and two core sessions a week, he sees Babijczuk once, goes to pilates once and also does a recovery session.
In between that are plenty of hours doing 'touch', often in the corridors of his Caulfield home, where there's rebound nets set up and football equipment at the ready. That's all on top of his scheduled training days with the Chargers or Vic Metro squads.
"I don't get sick of footy. I've always done it, I've always wanted to do it so I can't get enough," Higgins said.
Higgins has no qualms admitting footy is everything to him. When he has been on camp with the NAB AFL Academy, he has become known for waking at 5:30am and bouncing a footy against the wall in his room and kicking it to himself to get ready for the day. Often waking up his roommate in the process, he'd then leave the hotel and wander to the closest oval for some shots at goal before breakfast.
If he doesn't get drafted he'd like to be an AFL umpire (he's currently doing two days a week of work experience with the AFL's umpiring department), and even if he does get picked up for a club it's something he will keep in mind after his career. "I reckon I'd be fit enough," he said.
When he was studying at Caulfield Grammar one of the only projects he enjoyed was an IT assignment where he made the topic about football statistics. One time he also ducked out of class, printed off 10 pictures of former West Coast and Carlton champion (and Caulfield graduate) Chris Judd, and stuck them up around the school. "I was a bit bored so I thought I'd put them up and post them in some quirky spots. I didn't get caught," he says.
Higgins decided school wasn't for him at the end of last year, leaving Caulfield. He has been interviewed by all clubs and all have asked about that decision, and he knows plenty of them believe he's done it just to focus on being drafted. He said that's not the case.
"I'm not doing it at all just to focus on my footy. I was doing terribly at school and I wanted to do something out in the work force. Footy wasn't in the picture when I was making that decision," he said.
"I get asked a lot about it but it doesn't frustrate me. I don't really care. If I get drafted at pick 88 or whatever I'll still be happy. For me, getting drafted is like wanting to get 99.95 on my ATAR. That's how hard I'm working trying to get there."
Higgins couldn't have done much more. The 178cm prospect was named the best player at the under-16 national carnival in 2015, he played well for Vic Metro last year as a bottom-ager, and has averaged 25.7 disposals and kicked 10 goals this season in seven games at TAC Cup level.
He sees himself more as a small forward who can play in the midfield than the other way around, but it's rare he doesn't impact a game. His numbers are going to be hard to ignore at draft time as one of the best players in it.
"It's pretty exciting that one day soon my name might be called out in the draft and then I'll need to start from zero again," he said. "I think some people will get a shock going into the AFL system and how hard you have to work, but I don't think that's going to be me."
http://www.afl.com.au/news/2017-06-01/im-just-going-to-outwork-them-draft-hopefuls-creed
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A still can't smiling Higgins at training ...
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DQbpA81UQAEwjHT.jpg)
https://twitter.com/CameronEGrimes/status/938693790361051136
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Richmond draftee Jack Higgins aiming to learn off Dustin Martin & Trent Cotchin over summer
Chris Cavanagh,
Herald Sun
January 2, 2018
RICHMOND draftee Jack Higgins believes he is ready to impact at AFL level next year but says his focus for now is learning as much off the club’s senior players as possible.
The Tigers’ first selection in this year’s national draft at pick 17, Higgins said it had been “unreal” to join the reining premiers and live out a boyhood dream.
“I’ve always thought there’s no other way. It was AFL footy or bust,” Higgins told the Herald Sun.
“Just getting to know all the players, you see them on TV and stuff and now you’re teammates with them so I’m over the moon.
“I’ll probably just learn off all the great players at the club — Cotch (captain Trent Cotchin), Dusty (Dustin Martin) — just watch them train and learn off them over pre-season.”
Recruited from TAC Cup club Oakleigh Chargers, Higgins had primarily been a small forward during his junior playing days but pushed into the midfield last year with great effect.
The 18-year-old finished the TAC Cup season having averaged 23 disposals and 2.3 goals to win the competition’s Morrish Medal, following in the footsteps of Melbourne’s Clayton Oliver and Brisbane’s Hugh McCluggage who were the previous two winners of the award.
The 178cm Higgins — who idolised Hawthorn champion Sam Mitchell growing up — said he saw himself playing a combination of midfield and forward at AFL level and was determined to push his case for an early debut in 2018.
“Definitely, I feel my body’s ready. But then again it’s a bit of a different story playing against men to 18 year olds,” Higgins said.
“I’ve always been pretty fit but I’m working on my agility and speed and all that for stoppages.
“It’s a long way to Round 1. Hopefully if I play some games in the pre-season I can get in good form but you never know.”
Higgins will wear No. 28 on his back next year, the number left vacant after Taylor Hunt’s delisting in October.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/richmond/richmond-draftee-jack-higgins-aiming-to-learn-off-dustin-martin-trent-cotchin-over-summer/news-story/2128d978bca70f81c5d61cb6dc4eeee4
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Another tall :gotigers
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Another tall :gotigers
Will he ruck relieve like Grigg and Rioli?
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So we have Higgins and Graham for the next generation midfield. We'll add some more guns over the next few drafts
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Richmond draftee Jack Higgins being groomed as a midfielder
Chris Cavanagh,
Herald Sun
26 January 2018
RICHMOND is grooming prized draftee Jack Higgins to play a similar role to Kane Lambert but has urged fans to cool their expectations on the 18-year-old this year.
Snapped up by the Tigers at pick No.17 in the national draft, Higgins averaged 145 SuperCoach points in 33 junior games, ranking elite for disposals, contested possessions and score involvements.
The Oakleigh Chargers product had been seen by some as another small forward option for the reigning premier, a role he played throughout most of his junior career.
However, Higgins has been training with Richmond’s midfield group over summer, the Tigers believing his talent can be better used there.
“He’s an elite runner so you wouldn’t want to limit him to just the forward part of the ground,” Richmond assistant coach Justin Leppitsch said.
“We often have half-forwards who play through the midfield as well like Kane Lambert and players like that. We see him in that sort of light, where he can play forward but learning the midfield system in his first pre-season is probably the most important things.”
Higgins won the TAC Cup’s Morrish Medal last year, following in the footsteps of Melbourne’s Clayton Oliver and Brisbane’s Hugh McCluggage who played 13 and 18 games respectively in their first seasons in the AFL.
Leppitsch said while the Tigers would have a better indication of all their draftees once pre-season games begun, breaking into the premiership side would be a tough task.
“Whether he (Higgins) can find his way into a pretty good team regularly, that’s going to be a big challenge for him this year and we don’t expect him to regularly,” Leppitsch said.
“We don’t put that sort of pressure on him and nor should our fans. Hopefully he can get a few games this year and build his career nicely.”
Richmond meets Essendon in its first pre-season match in Wangaratta on February 24.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/richmond/richmond-draftee-jack-higgins-being-groomed-as-a-midfielder/news-story/cf50ab42a66ba25b7cf380806d6ea8da
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Higgins motivated for 2018
richmondfc.com.au
28 January 2018
New Richmond recruit Jack Higgins says competition for positions in the senior side has helped drive the intensity on the training track this pre-season.
Higgins was drafted to Richmond with the Club’s first pick, No. 17, overall, at the 2017 AFL National Draft.
The 18-year-old, who won the TAC Cup's Morrish Medal last year, said he was instantly impressed by the players’ training standards.
“It’s incredible the step up in AFL, everyone’s going for their spot,” Higgins said.
“It feels like a game out there, everyone goes hard at the footy, it’s so competitive out there. If you take your mind off the footy for one-second you’re going to get crunched.”
Speaking at the Tigers’ pre-season training camp on the Sunshine Coast, the former Oakleigh small forward/midfielder said it has been a demanding, yet rewarding week.
“I’ve really enjoyed it so far,” Higgins said.
“It’s really good because I’m always learning the drills and getting used to the heat up here. It’s been awesome because you don’t really get the heat and humidity as you do up here, so just learning off the coaches and being around the boys 24/7 is pretty good.”
“I’ve learnt the game plan, structure, just tidying up my skills a bit more under the AFL pressure. The thing I’ve taken away from the camp is just being around the boys even more…”
http://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/2018-01-26/higgins-at-home-at-tigerland
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Turbo Tiger: Jack Higgins brings the energy
Peter Ryan
The Age
17 Feb 2018
As a junior he kicked the winning goal in a grand final for East Malvern and since then the winning feeling has become a habit.
In 2017, he won the Morrish Medal and Vic Metro's MVP at the under-18 championships.
His acceptance speech at the Morrish Medal presentation had the crowd in stitches as the interviewer kept throwing curveball questions at Higgins when all he wanted to do was read out the short speech his mum, Lynn, had written for him in case he won.
"I thought I was just going to get up there and read off the piece of paper but [the MC] actually asked me questions, which screwed me up," Higgins said.
A raucous laugh immediately surfaces but when it comes to football, Higgins is not joking.
He guesses he has touched a football every day since he fell in love with the game as a Saints-supporting youngster.
At 13, Higgins began to do running sessions with acclaimed fitness and athletics coach Bohdan Babijczuk.
Related Article
At Malvern's Dairy Bell ground, Higgins, his father, Greg, and Babijczuk could often be seen refining his running mechanics, building pace, strength and resilience.
Babijczuk, who works with many young footballers, soon realised Higgins responded better to instructions when he was shown what he should do.
After an app that pole vaulters use was added to an iPad to help guide Higgins, Babijczuk saw the youngster's improvement skyrocket.
"I'm not the best learner when people talk at me so I have to learn off an iPad and then I get it straight away," Higgins said.
Richmond knew that characteristic before Higgins arrived, with the youngster praising the approach his forward-line coach Justin Leppitsch and teammate Jack Riewoldt have taken in teaching him the Tigers' way.
That he knows himself and how he learns best became clear when he decided school was not for him and he would be happier and achieve more if he entered the wide world ahead of time.
Leaving school was the best option regardless of whether football was on the horizon or not.
Having already spent time with elite athletes, such as legendary basketballers Kristi Harrower and David Andersen, people introduced to him through Babijczuk, he has gleaned ideas that will stand him in good stead.
"Train how you are going to play," Higgins said.
He has been seen heeding that simple message at Punt Road over summer as training has consisted of applying pressure, learning where to run, when to give off handballs and when to snag the odd cheeky goal.
He hopes he will be able to force his way into a premiership team at some point but he knows it won't be easy.
"It's just one step at a time ... just keep on training well [and] keep on playing well," Higgins said.
"You have got to trust the process and see where that takes you."
It's an attitude in keeping with the one the Tigers carried through their magical season and Higgins is poised to add to the frenzy if he is called upon.
Although the pre-draft sleepless nights are over the fascination with the game lingers.
When asked what Tiger fans can expect from him, his response mirrors the vibe he gives others when they encounter him.
"[I'm] like a turbo-type, always energetic," Higgins said.
PREMIER PICKS
First players selected in draft after a flag who have played in a premiership
(with pick number)
2011 Joel Hamling (Geelong) 32*
2008 Ryan Schoenmakers (Hawthorn) 15
2007 Harry Taylor (Geelong) 17
1992 Drew Banfield (West Coast) 1
1991 Shane Crawford (Hawthorn) 13
1989 Ben Allan (Hawthorn) 14
* Hamling played in the 2016 Western Bulldogs premiership
https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/turbo-tiger-jack-higgins-brings-the-energy-20180216-p4z0ll.html
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Preseason wrap
Most impactful draftee: While unlikely to be a round one starter given Richmond's depth, Morrish Medallist, Jack Higgins is ready-to-go and should receive senior opportunities in 2018. He averaged 23 disposals, five tackles and two goals per game in 2017 as a midfielder/forward.
http://kwese.espn.com/afl/story/_/id/22717282/afl-jlt-series-christoper-doerre-draftee-wrap
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Richmond VFL development coach Xavier Clarke provides ‘Roar Vision’ with an insight into the pre-season progress of the Tigers’ first pick in last year’s AFL national draft, exciting, young small forward/midfielder Jack Higgins.
VIDEO: http://www.richmondfc.com.au/video/2018-04-03/coaches-corner-higgins
His first pre-season at Tigerland
“He ran a 10.10 3km time trial, which is elite midfield running. If you can up to your first pre-season running those times, you’re only going to get better. His strength stuff in the gym’s been pretty good, too. And he’s been able to understand our game plan pretty quickly and pick that up.”
Key on-field attributes
“His ability to win the ball and use the ball. And in traffic he’s really good. He reminds me a lot of Jack Graham the way he runs between stoppages. His run and ability to be able to get back in defence, and then also join in the attack, is certainly one of his biggest strengths. He’s really good in the contest and making tackles . . . And he gets a really good balance between contested and outside possession as well. The other good thing about Jack is he’s really dangerous when it goes forward. He knows where the goals are, and he loves a goal . . .
Turbo-charged Tiger
I think he’s got the nickname ‘Turbo’ now because he’s always just flat out the whole time . . . His second and third efforts, staying in the contest, is something that he’s really brought to the VFL . . .”
Innate front-and-square ability
“He is dangerous when he goes forward because he just knows where to get to the right spots . . . He has good running ability to get forward and he generally gets there one-out, front and centre as well.”
Marking ability
“It’s pretty good for a small guy. Jack’s not a massive midfielder, but he can be really strong overhead. We saw before (highlights package) him one-out in the goal-square, being able to use his body, get off and take a mark. So he’s good at that. He sees the game really well.”
Likely role in the senior side
“It’s a tough one because he can play as a ‘mid’, he could play high half-forward, he could even play a bit similar to the way a (Kane) Lambert plays, as well, at some point. So he’s got an ability to play different types of roles for us. Is he ready for AFL football? At the moment, we’re not sure, but he’s certainly shown really good signs in the pre-season . . . Hopefully, Tigers fans will see him playing senior footy soon.”
http://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/2018-04-03/coaches-corner-jack-higgins
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Best of luck in his first AFL game :clapping.
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Hopefully he can have an impact
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4. Jack in the box
Debutant Jack Higgins brought the Richmond faithful to their feet with an electric first goal in the second term. Standing 177cm, Higgins marked before trailing Hawthorn ruckman Ben McEvoy and snapped truly with his first touch in his career. He then took off on a run of celebration in front of the Richmond members in the Olympic Stand. Both arms raised, he could've been mistaken for the pose of club champion Kevin Bartlett's statue outside the MCG. He then mirrored great Cristiano Ronaldo with a mid-air soccer in the third term and saluting to the Ponsford Stand. Higgins made up an inexperienced small forward trio with Dan Butler (25 games) and Jason Castagna (33 games) and will give coach Damien Hardwick a headache when Daniel Rioli (43 games) is ready to return.
http://www.afl.com.au/news/2018-04-08/five-talking-points-richmond-v-hawthorn
-------------------------------
The performance of debutant Jack Higgins is sure to give Hardwick a selection headache, after two goals operating in a small forward trio alongside Dan Butler and Jason Castagna, with Dan Rioli closing in on a return.
"He's still learning the way we play but he looks an AFL player with his decision making, his ability to create contest," Hardwick said.
"My bloody recruiters keep drafting them and they're good players so I keep playing them.
"Jack will move eventually into the midfield once he develops his tank and his style of play."
AFL website (http://www.afl.com.au/news/2018-04-08/tigers-lacked-late-composure-says-hardwick)
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Video game inspires Tiger debutant's genius
Mitch Cleary
afl.com.au
Apr 8, 2018 7:23PM
A FIFA game with friends and watching Cristiano Ronaldo inspired debutant Jack Higgins' mid-air soccer goal in Richmond's win over Hawthorn on Sunday.
The livewire became an instant fan-favourite at the MCG, kicking two goals that came with two massive celebrations as he was swamped by teammates.
After he joined the first kick, first goal club, Higgins had the soccer video game and Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo to thank for a quick-thinking mid-air effort in the third term.
"I play a lot of FIFA with my mates, (I) kicked a nice goal during the week when I was playing, and it sort of came in the moment and I kicked it," Higgins said post-game.
"I just got my boot on it and luckily enough it went in, I hit it so sweet, it was unreal."
Higgins quit school last year to focus all his efforts on being drafted, and four months after achieving the first step, he found himself breaking into a premiership team after two matches.
"It was absolutely unreal. When I walked out there for the first time I was getting shakes and stuff like that," he said.
"I missed a few set shots when I was warming up but when you get your first touch, you're all good."
The first touch was more than good. Higgins, the second shortest player on the ground at 177cm, marked in front of Hawthorn ruckman Ben McEvoy before snapping quickly.
"I heard it was touched, no one else heard it was touched and then everyone stopped still and I just snapped it around my body."
"The boys got around me which was an unreal moment, I'll never forget it.
"I saw a few blokes (in the crowd) I knew which is always handy and they were getting around me so it gave me an extra leg."
And while many think Melbourne's traffic is bad, try being a 19-year-old draftee summoned back to the football club immediately by your senior coach in peak hour.
That's what Higgins experienced on Wednesday night, the hour-long journey from Caulfield to Punt Road worth it, even after coach Damien Hardwick tried to delay the news.
"I was driving away and then one of the ticket ladies said 'Dimma' (Hardwick) wants to see you," Higgins said.
"I sort of had a bit of an idea and then I drove back all the way into the club, was stuck in traffic for about 45 minutes, an hour, just getting mad as, blasting the tunes.
"Then I got to the club and Dimma's like 'Oh, I can't really see you getting a spot this week' and then he just sort of screwed me around and then he's like 'Nah mate you're playing this week' and I was over the moon.
"I had the biggest strut going down Punt Road."
Higgins' youthful exuberance was on show in the rooms after the Tigers' win, doused in Gatorade by teammates.
He'll be waiting by the phone for the next call from Hardwick ahead of the Tigers' clash with Brisbane on Saturday.
With premiership trio Nathan Broad, Dion Prestia and Josh Caddy in line to return, Higgins is looking to lock down a spot in a forward line alongside Jason Castagna and Dan Butler.
Longer term, he will have to contend with Daniel Rioli returning from ankle surgery and the dropped Shai Bolton waiting in the wings.
http://www.afl.com.au/news/2018-04-08/video-game-inspires-tiger-debutants-genius-higgins
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Smart player
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Got himself a cuppla snags he did.... :clapping
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nice kid too, will be a champ of the rfc :shh
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New Jack on the block.
Really like the look of this young man, gotta feelin he's gonna do some real nice things down at Tigerland. :thumbsup
Good luck forcin him out of the side.
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Jack Higgins stamps himself as new Richmond cult hero in 13-point win against Hawthorn
Jon Ralph,
Herald Sun
April 9, 2018
JACK Higgins had only been at Richmond a number of weeks when Justin Leppitsch tagged him as one to watch.
“He’s got high energy, he’s a real busy bee,” said Tigers assistant Leppitsch, an expert on energiser bunnies after a decade with Jason Akermanis.
Don’t look now, but Higgins might still be running around the MCG celebrating.
Why not, either, after he announced himself as both a rampant over-celebrator and a budding star to watch in the same game.
We had gone into the contest wondering who might cause more damage.
Death by a thousand cuts through Tom Mitchell, or the blunt force trauma caused by Dustin Martin’s forward sorties?
Even after a starring performance in the VFL last week, no one expected much out of first-gamer Higgins, Richmond’s No. 19 pick in last year’s draft.
But you get the feeling this kid just might not be denied.
Both of his goals were right out of the top drawer, only eclipsed by his emphatic and exuberant celebrations.
First he soared to mark an incoming ball acrobatically, played on with a quick snap, then took off on a boundary-line victory lap.
Then as Richmond pushed hard in the third term for no reward, unable to break Hawthorn, the question was whether the Hawks had another final surge.
As the ball tumbled into the Richmond goalsquare, Higgins darted in between Blake Hardwick and James Frawley and threw his boot at the ball.
Somehow his audacious checkside soccer kick not only made contact, it split the sticks and Richmond was 33 points to the good.
This time his teammates gang-tackled him before he took off on another celebratory surge.
It wasn’t even the best soccer kick of the season after Luke Parker’s Perth stunner, with Dan Butler’s goalsquare sideheeled major another late highlight.
Not since Kevin Bartlett carried on like a pork chop after his goal heroics have we seen the likes of it.
The Tigers have a new cult hero.
He joked afterwards that after watching clips of Ronaldo on his FIFA computer game he had been able to replicate some of those heroics.
“I play a lot of FIFA and kicked a couple of nice goals this week and when I kicked it I thought about that.
“When I walked out there for the first time I was getting shakes.
“I got that boot in and I hit it so sweet, it was unreal.
“(The first goal) Dusty kicked it in and I heard it was touched and snapped it around my body and the boys got around me, it was an unreal moment. I will never forget it.”
It capped a huge week after he was driving home to Caulfield on Wednesday before being called back to Punt Rd and told coach Damien Hardwick wanted to talk to him.
“I was stuck in traffic for about 45 minutes or an hour, getting mad as, blasting the tunes.
“And I got the club and Dimma said I can’t see you getting a spot this week, then he said I was playing and it was unreal.
“I had the biggest strut walking down Punt Rd.”
Richmond might have some pep in its step, too, after a mature performance in beating Hawthorn for the fifth time in eight contests.
Even when the Hawks tried to roar home with a flurry of late goals, the Tigers took enough time off the clock to ice the win.
Hawthorn’s Mitchell was superb again with 42 possessions and could easily add to his Brownlow tally.
The Tigers ran several players with him including Jack Graham but preferred to cut off Hawthorn around him.
It worked, especially as Alex Rance and David Astbury were mostly impassable across half-back.
Of course, the ducking controversy proved a flashpoint, as Paul Puopolo’s arm shrugging and knee dropping won two contentious free kicks.
But every time Hawthorn pushed within reach another premiership star bobbed up, with Jack Riewoldt’s fourth goal the sealer.
Cyril Rioli also did his bit for the low-possession, high-impact lobby by picking the pocket of two Tigers to set up early goals.
Hawthorn kicked five of the final six goals, but a Richmond team which might have once wilted instead steadied to show it is made of sterner stuff.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/richmond/jack-higgins-stamps-himself-as-new-richmond-cult-hero-in-13point-win-against-hawthorn/news-story/f907930479476459f48a70f9402903ac
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Cotch on the ABC talking about Higgins:
“The goals are the end result of what he does before that,” Cotchin told ‘ABC AFL Grandstand’ in the Richmond rooms post-match.
“His work ethic is elite for a young kid coming in, and probably the reason he got his opportunity today.
“He’s one of those kids that just loves the game.
“He told me he was here before I got here, and I got here pretty early. And he told me he slept here.
“So that’s the kind of kid he is . . . he was born ready to play AFL.
“We’re looking forward to seeing him grow as the year goes on.”
http://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/2018-04-10/higgins-reaps-rewards-of-hard-work
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Let's hope doesn't turn out to be the type of cult hero that S Jurica, J Plapp and M McGrath were...
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Reminds me of Rioli, great attitude and a good work ethic.
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Reminds me of Rioli, great attitude and a good work ethic.
:shh
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Boomer Higgins :shh
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Boomer Higgins :shh
Please NO :banghead
We don't need a Boomer Harvey type
Selfish snippers are not required >:(
Very happy with Jack the "Snagman" Higgins
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Boomer Higgins :shh
Please NO :banghead
We don't need a Boomer Harvey type
Selfish snippers are not required >:(
Very happy with Jack the "Snagman" Higgins
“Snagman” :lol :lol :lol
Sounds like some kind of Bunnings Groupie :lol
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We could do with a few more selfish players, especially in front of goal..... :shh
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We could do with a few more selfish players, especially in front of goal..... :shh
But i prefer 30m handballs :shh
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We could do with a few more selfish players, especially in front of goal..... :shh
Selfish? Or players who want the responsibility to convert.
I sometimes wonder if our players hide behind that "unselfish" rhetoric
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How funny was that? Grouse to see a kid speak naturally and not speak like a robot.
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Yeah, it was pretty good.
I laughed out loud at the end where he told the interview panel to look after themselves.
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Yep
So real
Just loved it
Club has to make sure he never loses it, don't try and change him
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What a breath of fresh air not hearing a bunch of scripted answers.
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Jake Higgins WTF....unreal
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Can’t drop him after that performance. No way.
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Here's the interview: http://www.richmondfc.com.au/video/2018-04-24/round-5-higgins-postmatch
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After watching the highlights reel the AFL produced of the game and the lack of highlights therein, they should have just showed this interview.
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Ditching year 12 pays off for Richmond Tigers cult hero Jack Higgins
The West Australian
Wednesday, 25 April 2018
Richmond youngster Jack Higgins has already become a cult figure, just two games into his career. Here's why.
When it comes to interviews, Jack Higgins is still a little rough around the edges.
But most footy fans will be hoping that’s exactly the way he stays.
The Richmond goalsneak has surged to cult hero status despite having played only two games, with his footy skills and on-field exuberance doing the talking.
Higgins booted three goals in just his second game last night, emerging as a key figure in the win over Melbourne at the MCG.
Speaking to Seven post-game, the 19-year-old spoke about his decision to give away the final year of his studies to focus on bettering his chances of being picked up in the AFL Draft.
“I wasn’t doing that well at school, as you can probably see,” Higgins said.
“It wasn’t worth me going through year 12.
“I’m happy with my decision and I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
Higgins had the Seven calling team in stitches with some of his answers, coupled with an already trademark smile and candour.
“My year 11 marks weren’t too flash,” he said.
“I was mainly getting Fs... too busy on the iPad and YouTube and stuff like that.
“So I made the right decision.”
https://thewest.com.au/sport/afl/ditching-year-12-pays-off-for-richmond-tigers-cult-hero-jack-higgins-ng-b88816571z
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Apparently had a lot of sessions with Bohdan Babijczuk.
How does one arrange this? Is it free or does it cost money? If so are his parents rich?
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Does he sound like his parents are rich?
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Does he sound like his parents are rich?
Then How does one afford to have private sessions with Babijczuk?
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Does he sound like his parents are rich?
Then How does one afford to have private sessions with Babijczuk?
Compromising photos?
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Does he sound like his parents are rich?
Nouveau riche
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SEN has redone last year's draft and has Higgins going in the top 5.
1. Jaidyn Stephenson (Collingwood) – pick 6
2. Tim Kelly (Geelong) – pick 24
3. Ed Richards (Western Bulldogs) – pick 16
4. Bayley Fritsch (Melbourne) – pick 31
5. Jack Higgins (Richmond) – pick 17
Breaking into the reigning premier’s outfit is no easy task, but Jack Higgins has managed nine games so far in 2018. The lively 177cm forward has provided a spark for the Tigers, kicking seven goals in his first three games as he burst onto the scene. Higgins has gathered between 12 and 16 disposals each week, consistently playing his role and adding to Richmond’s forward pressure with 23 tackles.
6. Adam Cerra (Fremantle) – pick 5
7. Aaron Naughton (Western Bulldogs) – pick 9
8. Andrew Brayshaw (Fremantle) – pick 2
9. Cameron Rayner (Brisbane) – pick 1
10. Matt Guelfi (Essendon) – pick 76
https://www.sen.com.au/news/2018/06/19/top-10-from-the-2017-national-draft-re-selected/
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Playing in the guts now more and doing really well.
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Ahead of Cerra, Brayshaw & Rayner? Yeah righteo....
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Playing in the guts now more and doing really well.
Yep - seems like a pure mid who is involved in the game and can rest forward at times. Would like him to refine his kicking but it will come in time. Best game he has played no doubt :clapping
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Plenty of laughs during Higgins' rev-up
Riley Beveridge
afl.com.au
Jun 28, 2018
HOLDING a slender half-time lead over the Swans on Thursday night, the Tigers players grouped together in their usual circle as they prepared for the second half.
Only this time, it wasn't skipper Trent Cotchin or vice-captains Jack Riewoldt and Alex Rance delivering the motivational speech to get the Tigers prepared for a crucial half of footy.
It was 19-year-old Jack Higgins.
The excitable Higgins' rev-ups have become a tradition for Richmond in recent weeks, with the first-year Tiger not afraid to dish out some words of wisdom for his teammates.
It has provided the reigning premiers not only with a burst of energy as they prepare for big moments in important games, but also a means of settling any lingering nerves.
And according to Tigers star Shane Edwards, Higgins' speeches are almost becoming a Richmond ritual.
"He just gives us an extra rev-up," Edwards told AFL.com.au.
"He's done it the last few weeks. Nothing relaxes the boys and gets them up more than a Higgo speech. There's a lot of mumbles and a lot of stumbles, but we love it."
Whatever the teenager said to his teammate before the second half, Higgins himself certainly led by example as the game reached a critical point in the third quarter.
Providing run and dash with the footy, Higgins finished with 20 disposals and two goal assists to provide the Tigers with a spark in their hard-fought 26-point win.
Such a performance was enough to earn the praise of his coach Damien Hardwick.
"He's like everyone's kid brother," Hardwick said after the game.
"He's an incredible lad. He's just one of those guys you love having around your footy club. We're privileged to have a lot of those guys in our system.
"He's not backwards in coming forwards, he's not shy. He's playing some good footy, too. He's only going to get better.
"He just adds so much run. When the game started to slow down, he started to come into it. We've been trying to get him more midfield time, so that will probably happen as of next week with Reece (Conca) missing a period of time.
"But he's only going to get better and better. He's a funny kid."
http://www.afl.com.au/news/2018-06-28/how-higgins-revved-up-the-tigers
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Love that speech alot of the boys were cracking up.Dusty was the worse :snidegrin.
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“This is so against the grain”: Lyon weighs in on Higgins’ half-time address
By SEN
29 June 2018
Former Melbourne captain Garry Lyon says that Richmond youngster Jack Higgins’ half-time address was “fascinating”.
Higgins caused a stir midway through the Tigers’ 26-point win over Sydney on Thursday night with a speech just minutes before the third quarter that left teammates chuckling.
While the address has only enhanced Higgins’ status as a cult hero among Tiger fans and neutral supporters alike, Lyon says the scene would have been looked at very differently in the past.
“If you didn’t charge down the race at one stage and have froth coming out of your mouth you were seen to have not have prepared properly,” he said on SEN Breakfast.
“I watched that five times last night, and I just thought, this is so against the grain.”
Respected football journalist Mike Sheahan agreed, saying Higgins’ speech reflects the changing face of preparation for AFL players.
“It does make a mockery of all this stuff about you’ve got to be serious,” he said.
“That was natural, the response of the Richmond blokes. No one thought it was out of place.”
“The Higgins stuff was really intriguing. He’s a nine-game player, isn’t he?”
The Tigers’ win over the second-placed Swans sees them tighten their grip on top spot on the AFL ladder.
https://www.sen.com.au/news/2018/06/29/this-is-so-against-the-grain-lyon-weighs-in-on-higgins'-half-time-address/
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Love that speech alot of the boys were cracking up.Dusty was the worse :snidegrin.
I doubt anyone understood anything he said.
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Love that speech alot of the boys were cracking up.Dusty was the worse :snidegrin.
I doubt anyone understood anything he said.
You mentoring him? :lol
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Love that speech alot of the boys were cracking up.Dusty was the worse :snidegrin.
I doubt anyone understood anything he said.
You mentoring him? :lol
Yeh I talk Englandish real good! :shh
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Not so long ago there would have been senior players that would never had allowed a 19 year old to give the team a rev-up.
Good to see :lol
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Not so long ago there would have been senior players that would never had allowed a 19 year old to give the team a rev-up.
Good to see :lol
Hello Brett Deledio
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Love that speech alot of the boys were cracking up.Dusty was the worse :snidegrin.
I doubt anyone understood anything he said.
You mentoring him? :lol
:clapping
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RICHMOND’S Jack Higgins will soon join the flood of first-year draftees extending deals within their first seasons, as will and Fremantle’s Adam Cerra.
Paywall: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/richmond/tigers-set-to-lock-in-promising-cub-jack-higgins-adam-cerra-to-extend-with-fremantle/news-story/ecaf68c84c1a992642dfc60d0ea8b3b0
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No.17 pick of the draft, Higgins, is an exciting player to watch as the running midfielder/forward has become a fan favourite in his first year.
It is believed that he wants to commit to the club as well as Richmond’s second rounder, Noah Balta.
Balta has looked dangerous in the VFL, as the key defender has a good kick and blistering speed.
But, the players that most clubs will be looking at is Cats midfielder Tim Kelly and Tigers small forward Shai Bolton.
Bolton has been shown interest from a few clubs as he continues to show patches of brilliance in the VFL.
https://www.zerohanger.com/tigers-dockers-and-blues-youngsters-all-set-for-contract-extensions-21592/
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Chatty Tiger snags two more years at Punt Road
Jennifer Phelan
afl.com.au
Jul 13, 2018
RICHMOND livewire Jack Higgins is locked in as a Tiger until at least the end of 2021 after signing a contract extension this week.
AFL.com.au understands the deal was confirmed on Thursday, the same day Richmond announced the re-signing of four-time All Australian defender Alex Rance.
Higgins, 19, has played 11 games in his first season since making his AFL debut in round three against Hawthorn.
His new deal has been in the works for some time, with Higgins following the trend of draftees extending their base two-year contract in their first season.
The exciting midfielder/forward is already a fan favourite for his exuberant personality, goal celebrations and contagious energy.
And the players are also entrenched in the Higgins camp, with his famous half-time rev-ups having them in hysterics before they've broken from their huddle for the start of the third quarter.
While his speeches, according to teammate Shane Edwards, aren't consistently concise, they've become significant for the Tigers in recent weeks.
"He just gives us an extra rev-up," Edwards told AFL.com.au after their round 15 win over Sydney.
"He's done it the last few weeks. Nothing relaxes the boys and gets them up more than a 'Higgo' speech. There's a lot of mumbles and a lot of stumbles, but we love it."
They now have the opportunity to enjoy Higgins' sermons for at least another three seasons, with the No.17 draft pick joining the likes of Cam Rayner, Andrew Brayshaw, Paddy Dow, Luke Davies-Uniacke and Jaidyn Stephenson to ink extensions in their debut years.
Richmond football manager Neil Balme said Higgins had already made a big impact in the short time he'd been at Punt Road.
"Jack has made an exciting start to his football career and is settling into the club very well for a young man," Balme said.
"We're looking forward to him continuing his development both on and off the field, he's a great talent and addition to our club."
http://www.afl.com.au/news/2018-07-13/chatty-tiger-snags-two-more-years-at-punt-road
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Richmond wary of protecting Jack Higgins from media exploitation
By Alex Zaia
SEN
13 July 2018
Richmond footy boss Neil Balme says the club are wary of the media potentially taking advantage of young small forward Jack Higgins.
Higgins has been a breath of fresh air in his debut season for both the Tigers and the AFL fraternity with his entertaining interviews and his general youthful exuberance.
The 19-year-old inked a two-year contract extension after an energetic start to his Richmond career, and while the club wants the teenager to continue to be himself, Balme is cautious of not exploiting Higgins to too many media commitments.
“A couple of his teammates keep saying: ‘are you ok with this? Be careful of what you do’. That’s the best control you can have,” Balme told SEN Mornings.
“We have to protect him because he’s such an easy mark for TV and radio because they think: ‘oh this bloke will say something’.
“Which is fine, but we just have to control it a little bit so he’s not seen to be as soon as we want someone to say something stupid we’ll go and talk to him. We have to be a little bit careful of that.
“He’s bright enough to work that out. He’s happy to be seen that way, but we do protect him a little bit.
“Everyone kind of knows him, so immediately we worry about that and how do we protect him. He really does bring another dimension. He’s a terrific kid; really enthusiastic and wears his heart on his sleeve."
Balme revealed the club delayed the announcment of Higgins' re-signing, as he was recieivng a lot of media attention at the time.
“We’re really pleased that he’s re-signed," he said.
"He signed a little while ago, but we didn’t make it a big thing because he was getting so much press.
“We’re really pleased to have him.”
Last season’s Morris Medallist has played 11 games, booting eight goals, and recorded a career high 25 disposals in last week’s win over Adelaide.
https://www.sen.com.au/news/2018/07/13/richmond-wary-of-protecting-higgins-from-media-exploitation/
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Beautifully said from Balme we have such maestro in charge.
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He's the 'I didn't do it' boy
Don't you want to ask about my game?
No, just say snags.
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I can see him getting caught with foot in mouth disease on a Mic one day. Sometimes better to say too little.
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Higgins’ progress pleases Tigers
richmondfc.com.au
18 July 2018
The impressive development of talented, young Richmond midfielder/small forward Jack Higgins in his 2018 debut season of AFL football comes as no surprise to the Tigers’ recruiting manager Matt Clarke.
Higgins, who was Richmond’s first pick (No. 17 overall) in last year’s national draft, has played 12 senior games, is averaging 15.5 disposals and ranks second among the competition’s Rising Star contenders for goal assists, third for score involvements per match, fourth for contested possessions per match and fourth for tackles inside 50.
“We always expected that he’d play this year, whether that was really early or late in the season,” Clarke told AFL.com.au’s ‘Road to the Draft’ podcast.
“Jack is a pretty focused individual on his footy, so he was always going to come in and work really hard.
“What Jack had was his running power.
“It was already there, so he’s been able to come in and show a lot of our guys and our coaches, wow, this kid can really run . . .
“So, if he’s not touching the footy, he’s still actually having an impact due to his running ability.
“He’s gone through the centre bounce a number of times as well.
“Our coaches are more than happy for him to go in there because he’s actually got quick reaction with his hands.
“He can actually get out of the stoppage, too, when we win it, and close out defensively.”
While other AFL clubs pre-draft may have questioned whether Higgins had already reached the ceiling of what he could produce on-field, and had concerns over his lack of size, the Richmond recruiters saw significant upside in him.
“We thought, having watched him a number of times from (under) 16s level all the way through, and heard about all the other competitions he’d played at junior level, he’d done the same thing at every level,” Clarke said.
“We thought his athletic ability and his running power was always going to give him a chance to play (AFL football) and play early.
“So we weren’t so worried about his shape, or what he’d been able to do and not be able to translate to AFL level.
“We thought he had the skills set.
“He’s just been desperate to play AFL footy. And he’s shown that through all his work and all those little things that he needed to do and people had suggested to him that he had to do . . . He went and did it.”
http://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/2018-07-18/higgins-progress-pleases-tigers
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Just announced now on Talking Footy. Well done Higgo! :thumbsup.
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Gotta love this kid.
:cheers
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Deserves the nom. Looks like a really solid pick, considering we had last crack at the draft last year. Seems to improve every week. Keep goin Jacky boy!
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Jack Higgins is the Round 18 Rising Star and Dimma absolutely loves how he's tracking. 🔥 #TalkingFooty
VIDEO: https://twitter.com/7AFL/status/1021335549859192832
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Why Gaz owes R18 Rising Star a handshake
Marc McGowan
afl.com.au
Jul 23, 2018 8:00PM
GARY Ablett, you owe Jack Higgins a handshake.
Richmond's first-year sensation – owing as much to his refreshingly raw persona as his football – pinpoints one moment in his rookie season when reality sunk in.
Higgins, the round 18 NAB AFL Rising Star nominee, was playing his ninth match for the Tigers against Ablett's Geelong and they were running alongside each other on the wing.
The 19-year-old picks up the story.
"The ball was down the other end and I did a double-take and was like, 'S---, I'm playing on Gary Ablett, he's a Brownlow medallist, I loved this bloke when I was a kid'," Higgins told AFL.com.au.
"You know how everyone shakes hands after the game?
"I really wanted to shake his hand and was going to make a special effort to shake his hand, but he already went off by then, so I was a bit cut (annoyed) – but it's all good."
And that's Higgins in a nutshell, complete with the infectious laugh that rounds out most of his sentences.
He's the wide-eyed kid who wanted nothing but to play AFL football and now finds himself part of the reigning premiers' midfield after a brief apprenticeship up forward.
Higgins acknowledges his media training and takes some of it on board, but prefers to offer a healthy dose of the real Jack.
He let out a hearty laugh when, at one stage in this interview, after being asked about the prospect of becoming a premiership player, he suggested they were "taking it one week at a time".
At the same time, Higgins cringes hearing himself speak on the radio or TV – to the point he walks into another room – and avoids watching his matches other than with his coaches.
His semi-regular half- and three-quarter time speeches to teammates have already become the stuff of legends, sealed once cameras caught Dustin Martin walking away in fits of laughter one night.
"I just squirt out words really fast," Higgins said.
"It's a little bit of a joke, but in a way it's not. Like, I wouldn't find it funny if someone just came up to me in the street (and said what I say).
"But because I say it really fast and probably a bit of my character, they find it funny.
Behind Higgins' one-liners and free spirit is a seriously talented footballer hellbent on becoming an on-field star.
He slotted eight goals in his first four games, won a career-high 25 disposals against Adelaide a fortnight ago then backed up with 18 more in Richmond's 54-point thumping of St Kilda on Friday night.
Higgins also had 10 contested possessions, nine score involvements, four clearances and four tackles in a stuff-the-stat-sheet performance.
The next step, he says, is taking on more responsibility with his decision-making on the ground. In other words, kicking the goal instead of dishing a pass off.
Collingwood awaits on Saturday in a contest set to draw more than 90,000 fans.
"I'm loving playing for Richmond and playing at the MCG each week. It's a dream come true, especially playing for one of the biggest clubs in Australia," he said.
"When you dream of it as a kid, you don't think of an empty MCG – you think of it packed and you're playing in a Grand Final or playing on a big occasion, which it is this weekend.
"I pinch myself when I'm playing out there – I wouldn't have my life any other way."
Speaking of life, just how much has it changed, Jack?
"It's definitely changed. It's changed heaps," he said, drowning in laughter.
"I've always loved walking around Chadstone and going to the shops, but people give you that weird look now. I'm being watched.
"Twelve months ago, I was just a kid playing for Oakleigh Chargers playing my role and now it's all a bit different, but I like that sort of stuff. Don't get me wrong, I like it."
http://www.afl.com.au/news/2018-07-23/why-gaz-owes-r18-rising-star-higgins-a-handshake
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‘Life couldn’t get any better’ for Round 18 Rising Star nominee Jack Higgins
SAM LANDSBERGER,
Herald Sun
July 24, 2018
RICHMOND fan favourite Jack Higgins said last night that “life couldn’t get any better” as the Round 18 Rising Star prepares to line up against Collingwood in Saturday’s top-four blockbuster at the MCG.
Higgins, 19, became the Tigers’ fourth small forward to earn a Rising Star nomination in the past two years, after premiership players Daniel Rioli, Dan Butler and Jason Castagna.
Superstar Jack Riewoldt announced Higgins’ recognition at yesterday’s game review of Friday night’s 54-point win against St Kilda.
“I thought (Riewoldt) was going to say something about Maddie’s Match, like how much they raised, and then he’s like, ‘Oh, we’ve got a new Rising Star — well done, Higgo’,” Higgins said.
“They wanted me to make a speech but I didn’t make a speech, I sat down quickly. I don’t like doing speeches.
“I can’t believe it, I’m playing AFL for Richmond. It’s so surreal and my life couldn’t be any better at the moment.
“Playing in front of 90,000 people on a Saturday afternoon, I don’t think life gets much better. I’m so excited for it — can’t wait. I am loving it.”
Higgins booted 1.1 from 18 disposals against the Saints after he was drafted at pick No.17 last year.
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/richmond/life-couldnt-get-any-better-for-round-18-rising-star-nominee-jack-higgins/news-story/7b32a09966eb789b68bba624f97b51c9?nk=9b4b5e5508885fb9f24d2d060720769a-1532392698
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Hawthorn tears....
https://twitter.com/HawthornFC/status/1021529165957279744
....official tears no less..... :shh
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Hawthorn tears....
https://twitter.com/HawthornFC/status/1021529165957279744
....official tears no less..... :shh
Haha,
Who is Worpel??
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No idea who this Wally Walpamur stuffer is but apparently he deserves the nomination for getting 32 touches against a bunch of blue witches hats.... :spudnikbackflip
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Why the Tigers love Jack Higgins
By Robert Beaton
aflplayers.com.au
25 July 2018
Jack Higgins knows how to make an impact on those around him.
Be it on or off the field, the Round 18 Rising Star nominee took no time revealing himself to teammates and footy fans alike.
While the majority of first-year players show their personalities slowly in an unfamiliar environment, Higgins was immersed within the Tiger playing group long before he graced the MCG for the first time.
“The first time I met him, we were going on a training camp to Tasmania,” teammate Kane Lambert told AFLPlayers.com.au.
“We picked him up at four o’clock in the morning to go for five days and the first thing he said was that he once faked a sickie to get out of school camp — he absolutely hated camping.
“He had his moments out there and on the third day he started questioning what we were doing, ‘we’re here to play footy so what are we doing this for?’ but he was laughing by the end.
“He was very scared of possums, who come out late at night, which nearly led to the nickname of possum sticking on day one because he was so petrified of them.”
Higgins has already become a fan favourite, with his goal celebrations, post-match interviews and telling teammates jokes at half-time almost catapulting him into cult-hero status.
The 19-year-old is a popular figure among his teammates and Lambert is enjoying having a first-year player be so relaxed immediately.
“It’s been really refreshing. He’s been himself from the start and fitted in really well,” Lambert said.
“He is the same behind closed doors. He doesn’t change anything in front of a camera — that’s just the way he is all the time and that’s why we love him. It’s just Jack Higgins.
“He’s full of energy, can’t sit still and will say a few words and move onto the next thing. I don’t think I’ve seen him not like that.”
You can hear the joy in Lambert’s voice when speaking about Higgins, such is the peculiar character of the young Tiger.
But, on a serious note, Lambert believes Higgins’ football abilities have been overlooked. In his debut season, the former Oakleigh Charger has played 13 games so far and shown great aptitude around goals. And, above all else, he’s bought into the Richmond ethos.
“I don’t think I’ve seen a work rate as high as his from a first-year player,” Lambert said.
“To come out of the TAC Cup system, where it’s predominately about promoting yourself, and to buy into the way we expect him to play and that’s not necessarily him getting the ball but putting himself in positions that benefits the team, he embraces that.
“He knows his time will come and he has a few spurts through the midfield every now and then but he accepts that he predominantly spends his time forward and plays his role.”
As far as quirks and superstitions go, Higgins is particular with his footy gear and considers it almost bad luck if things aren’t placed appropriately, although he’s more relaxed now.
But it’s the things he does around the club that entertain his teammates most and he’s become a shining light in an environment that helps all personalities prosper.
“The things he says, it takes you a few minutes to actually work out and believe what he said,” Lambert added.
“He’s full of laughs. I’ve never seen a first-year player stand up, stop the whole room and make them laugh.
“He has so much confidence in that regard and his best quality is being himself, Jack Higgins. There’s no fuss to him and he doesn’t try to be someone else — that’s why we love him.”
http://www.aflplayers.com.au/article/why-the-tigers-love-jack-higgins/
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Jack Higgins quit school after driving teachers nuts, but he’s a very smart footballer
SAM LANDSBERGER,
Herald Sun
27 July 2018
SEATED at the front of Richmond team meetings this year, Jack Higgins’s mind was starting to stray.
It shouldn’t surprise. Higgins gave Caulfield Grammar the boot after Year 11, classrooms struggling to contain his boundless energy.
One day Higgins crept out of class, printed off about 10 pictures of Caulfield Grammar alumni Chris Judd and stuck them around the school.
But at the Tigers he needed to concentrate. Perhaps the lyrics to the club’s theme song — risking head and shin — played a role in his approach.
“Sometimes my mind does just wander off,” Higgins told the Herald Sun this week.
“So I’ve got to refocus. I sort of just kick my shin. So I sit at the front and I kick my shin if I feel my mind wandering.”
It is a tactic Higgins’ school teachers could’ve done with.
“I wish I’d known that seven years ago — I would’ve given him a kick myself!” Cadell Duke, who taught Higgins in Grade 6 at Malvern Primary School, laughed this week.
“Keeping him in the classroom for more than four seconds after the bell had gone to start recess was a struggle, and getting him back in the classroom was a challenge as well.
“His mind would wander, but he was never destructive. As he jokes about, he’s not the most studious kid in the world — but he was by no means a ratbag.
“The classroom environment is not for everyone, and you have to try your best to make it work for everybody.”
Higgins has grinned that a string of “Fs” in Year 11 helped him make the easy decision to quit school.
“I couldn’t really sit straight and was bored,” he said.
“If I did (Year 12) I’d probably get a bad score, so what’s the point in me going through?”
But when the Tigers drafted the firecracker forward at pick No.17 last year, it was partly because of his football brain.
“He’s got a really strong footy IQ,” Richmond recruiter Matthew Clarke said.
“Jack really knows where the ball’s going. He knows when to get forward, he knows when to get out the back, and to be lateral as well. He’s a very smart player.”
It’s a consistent theme. In Grade 6, Duke said Higgins was “maybe not the sharpest” when it came to punctuation, spelling and grammar. But step outdoors and he would ace any physical test.
“He was an excellent runner, and a real tactician in a race,” Duke said.
“So in a 1500m he knew not to go out and burn. Everything with sport he was incredibly intelligent. And he was always incredibly fit — you’d already see the tone in his arms as a 12-year-old.”
Especially after games, when I’m so hyped up, I don’t even know what the next word I’m saying is, sometimes.
That was Higgins the 12-year-old. Higgins the 13-year-old was completing speed and endurance training with fitness guru Bohdan Babijczuk.
Higgins the teenager then enlisted the help of Oakleigh Under-16 coach Anthony Phillips (father of Collingwood’s Tom) and strength trainer Valeri Stoimenov, who has coached China’s Olympic swimming team.
That posse of professionals helps explain why Higgins said after his second game that he was born to play AFL.
“It’s been a dream ever since I came out of the womb,” he said.
This 177cm dynamo busted his gut to get to Tigerland. Champion Data ranked him No.1 in last year’s draft because he averaged a record 145 SuperCoach points across 33 junior matches.
About 4am on draft day, Higgins woke up to go for one more kick of the footy in Caulfield.
“I’ve watched the vision back a few times of me getting drafted, and you dream about that stuff,” he said.
“I was over the moon. I was so happy for the next two weeks. When I got to the club I’m like, ‘How good is this?’.”
With a teenage support network like that, Higgins always seemed destined to make the grade.
In fact, Higgins had his AFL retirement plans mapped out before he was even recruited.
“I’d love to become an umpire,” he said at last year’s draft camp.
“I reckon it’d be sick behind the whistle. I’d really enjoy it and it gives you another perspective on the game.”
There is a fascination with Higgins and it is easy to see why. He is the boy who speaks as quickly as Usain Bolt runs while smiling as wide as Brad Johnson.
He is the kid who cannot help but incessantly cackle in conversation. The loveable larrikin who had Brownlow winner Dustin Martin in stitches with that bizarre Round 15 halftime address, in just his 10th game.
Higgins said captain Trent Cotchin asked him that night: “Higgo, mate, got any words for us?”
“Everyone just looked at me, and I’m like ‘s---’. So I just said something like really quickly off the top of my head.
“The thing was, it wasn’t even that funny — it was probably that I said it, and I said it so quickly.”
About 200 mates sent Higgins that clip — and he is sick of it.
“I hate the sound of my own voice, so I hate people showing me,” he said.
“I’m like, ‘Mate, I don’t want to see it’ or if people ask me about it and I’m like, ‘I don’t care’.”
But he “enjoys the media stuff”. Remember when Higgins stole the show in a TV interview after his spirited debut?
“To get the win and kick two snags — it was unreal,” he said on the MCG.
Asked a follow-up question about an overzealous goal celebration, Higgins replied at top speed: “It was heat of the moment — I looked like a bit of a tosser”.
Now when Higgins walks down the street he has random people walking up to say the word “snags” to him.
The next week, coach Damien Hardwick copped an abusive message from his son, BJ, for dropping Higgins.
By the time Jonathan Brown finished interviewing Higgins post-game on Fox Footy, the Brisbane Lions champion had one piece of advice for the raw youngster — don’t ever change.
Good news, Browny.
“I’m not going to be someone else because someone else wants me to be,” Higgins said.
“I’m a bit different to the average AFL player, who’s … not clichéd, but I just say the stuff that’s on top of my head.
“Especially after games, when I’m so hyped up. I don’t even know what the next word I’m saying is, sometimes.
“I don’t even think what I say. It sounds pretty stupid, but anyway. We’ve done a bit of media training. But they always say to me to just be yourself.”
In other words, he won’t be straying from his true self.
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/richmond/jack-higgins-quit-school-after-driving-teachers-nuts-but-hes-a-very-smart-footballer/news-story/fd9cef0469fa70299a958b3a97b06c5c
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Higgins' star keeps rising
Is Jack Higgins getting enough credit as a NAB AFL Rising Star contender? The Richmond forward seems unlikely to win the award, with Collingwood forward Jaidyn Stephenson, Adelaide defender Tom Doedee and Brisbane half-back Alex Witherden considered the favourites. But Higgins' form as a first-year player in Richmond's formidable line-up should not be overlooked. His brilliantly quick-minded goal last week against Collingwood caught attention, but Higgins is much more than that: he's a powerful runner who has added plenty of drive and class to the Tigers this season. His goal against Geelong – a clean shot from 45 metres off two steps – showed his skill and he finished with 18 disposals (pushing his average to 19 disposals a game the past six weeks).
http://www.afl.com.au/news/2018-08-03/five-talking-points-richmond-v-geelong
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Keeps getting better and has definitely earned his spot I think.
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Going really well
But...
Really needs to tidy his set shot goal kicking. Currently, a major weakness
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Goomg really well
But...
Really needs to tidy his set shot goal kicking. Currently, a major weakness
Yup looks like he gets under it too like Bolton.
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He has been very good the last month. Coming along nicely.
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Talented young Richmond midfielder/small forward Jack Higgins surely now must be in contention for the AFL’s Rising Star award.
• He’s played 15 games for the reigning premiers, who are on top of the ladder.
• He’s averaging 16.1 disposals per game.
• He’s kicked a total of 12 goals, including the outstanding, red-hot favourite for Goal of the Year against Collingwood in Round 19.
• He’s ranked second among Rising Star contenders for score involvements per game.
• He’s ranked third among Rising Star contenders for contested possessions per game.
• He’s ranked third among Rising Star contenders for tackles inside 50.
• He’s ranked fourth among Rising Star contenders for goal assists.
• He’s ranked fourth among Rising Star contenders for stoppage clearances.
Higgins again was among Richmond’s best, in last Friday night’s victory over Geelong. He finished the match with 18 disposals, including 13 contested possessions, four clearances, three inside-50s, one goal and five score involvements.
Full article: http://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/2018-08-06/higgins-a-serious-rising-star-contender
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From Barrett's 'Sliding Doors' column:
IF ...there's such a thing as the best handball of the year ...
THEN ... it was Higgins' awkward, bouncing one to Riewoldt last week, which resulted in his 10th goal. He just gets it, Higgins. Gets the theatre, the naughtiness, the unconventional, the moment.
http://www.afl.com.au/news/2018-08-17/sliding-doors-round-22
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20 possies and a goal by a first year player in his first final. Great game from Higgo tonight especially after half-time. A natural footballer :clapping.
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20 possies and a goal by a first year player in his first final. Great game from Higgo tonight especially after half-time. A natural footballer :clapping.
Occasion did not get to him at all. Threw his body at everything and very clean.
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Has x factor this kid and made for finals.
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Loved his pressure work tonight. A couple of great smothers really stopped the Hawks.
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One of his best games for the club came in his first final. Bravo! :clapping
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A natural
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A natural
(https://im.ezgif.com/tmp/ezgif-1-870da24c0e.gif)
:yep
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This kid just gets better every week. Was really good.
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I hope he gets Goal of the Year. Great 1st year player to have and looks primed to play well on the big stage
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How did this kid slip to pick 17. It's all happening for us .
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How often do you see players (a lot of experienced players don't) use their opposite leg? First year player, left foot hits tit! Was very good last night!
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How often do you see players (a lot of experienced players don't) use their opposite leg? First year player, left foot hits tit! Was very good last night!
The kick to setup caddys goal in the 4th? Sensational!
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Thats the one! Unbalanced and on his left. Cheeeeerrrrsss
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Simply steps up at every level he's ever played and has done so from an early age. The greater the stakes, the better he plays
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The hawks were demanding he be tested for red cordial
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Was impressed with "snags"
A natural on the big stage. :thumbsup
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Also that smother in the fwd pocket in the first qtr :clapping
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He must be pinching himself.
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This bloke's mid-air snatch of that Hawk's handball was just pure intelligence.
Gun footballer this kid. Has already gone well past Butler, and now Castagna. Him and Rioli are our two most damaging small forwards. Will be very hard for Butler to get back in unless we play 4 small fowards, or any of Stengle, Bolton or Baker for that matter...
Admittedly Higgins can play more roles tho. Not bad covering the ground, surprisingly solid overhead etc. His work rate is brilliant.
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This bloke's mid-air snatch of that Hawk's handball was just pure intelligence.
The way he anticipated where Morrison's handball was going rather than attacking the man with the ball would put him in the top 10% in terms of football I.Q.
You simply cannot teach that. Ever. It's instinct.
You add running ability and work rate and voila! You have a potential gun on our hands
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Butler very underrated, we are a better team with him in it. For me the 3 amigos and higgins rotating between forward and midfield is our best side. Think time has run out for butler though unfortunately. I guess theres a chance they could throw him in to a prelim so there is small hope left for him but if he misses that then theres no way he would be named for the grand final should we make it.
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Jack Higgins plays like a fourth-year player
🎧https://www.acast.com/agerealfooty
🍏https://apple.co/2uoeEVV
https://twitter.com/agerealfooty/status/1039339986644942854
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Was excellent against the hawks. Pick 18 after a premiership season. A great selection and looking like a 150 to 200 game player in the future.
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(https://screenshotscdn.firefoxusercontent.com/images/f8c4a12c-be22-4c25-a4f0-b421d02a0572.png)
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Champion Data has identified the best relative rating for a player under 23 from every club — and some may just take you by surprise. The only prerequisite is players must have played at least five matches in 2018.
RICHMOND - JACK HIGGINS
Tigers fans now have another reason (not that they needed one) to love Jack Higgins. The effervescent general forward recorded a massive +50% relative rating in 2018, meaning that he performed one and a half times as well as his peers in his position. The 19-year-old kicked 15 goals in 20 games in his debut AFL season.
https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/exceeding-expectations-your-clubs-best-relative-rated-player-under-23/news-story/d1ae71a8b8ca64ea9391b31d71536506
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jackohiggins: Learning from YODA 🐐 🐜 👨
(https://instagram.fmel2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/vp/c86c7c5c1f338487d8407a5eb739cc01/5CD2751C/t51.2885-15/e35/49704407_2093499000685175_676057538742352595_n.jpg?_nc_ht=instagram.fmel2-1.fna.fbcdn.net)
https://www.instagram.com/jackohiggins/
Anthony Phillips is a professional coach who is focussed on growing and evolving his clients’ AFL football skills.
He worked extensively with first round pick and Morrish medallist Jack Higgins ...
http://www.phillipscoaching.com.au/about-2/our-coaches/
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Richmond return to training tomorrow with unfinished business after their shock preliminary final loss last year. And while plenty of AFL players were relaxing on the beach this summer, Jack Higgins was going the extra mile.
@SeanSowerby7 #7News
VIDEO: https://twitter.com/7NewsMelbourne/status/1084350866344206336
:thumbsup
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Gotta love this kid! I know its just more media beat up in the off-season, but Jack is doing everything right to make it to the top. That is what I love about him! :thumbsup :clapping
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What position should Jack Higgins play this year?
Higgins captured the imagination of footy fans with his exuberant on-field play and entertaining off-field interviews in his first year. Played predominantly as a small forward in Richmond's mosquito fleet. The addition of Tom Lynch will force a reshuffle of the forward line, and Higgins has already spent brief periods of time in the midfield in 2018.
Verdict: Forward flank rotating through middle.
- Sarah Black
https://www.afl.com.au/news/2019-02-16/coach-conundrums-we-solve-your-position-puzzlers
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The Tiger bringing the fun back to footy
Glenn McFarlane,
Herald Sun
2 March 2019
The first thing you notice when chatting to Richmond young gun Jack Higgins is the wide smile that breaks so naturally across his face.
Higgins is having fun on and off the field, and isn’t afraid to show it, or to say so.
That smile has been such a fixture around Punt Rd since he was drafted in late 2017 that it seems fitting it now features on the front of the club’s 2019 Gold Members card, accompanying stars Dustin Martin, Trent Cotchin, Jack Riewoldt, Shane Edwards and Daniel Rioli.
The other five are all premiership players; Higgins is not. Yet.
But after one season and 20 AFL games — complete with a few jaw-dropping on-field moments — he has made such an impression on Tigers’ fans the club has had no hesitation in marketing him as one of its faces of the future.
Importantly, Richmond also realised it was in no one’s interest to try to change him, or reel in his excitable nature and infectious personality.
Aside from the trademark Higgins smile, another thing that sets him apart is his rapid-fire speech, to the point where he likens it to a racecaller — except if he was, he would keep on talking long beyond the end of any race.
He likes to talk, and he has fast become good listening material.
“I speak really quickly, but that’s OK,” Higgins says. “It’s what I’ve always done.”
The combination of quick speech and beaming smile gave rise to one of the post-game interviews of the season last year after he kicked two goals on debut against Hawthorn in Round 3.
As he came from the field that day, he breathlessly told Fox Footy that he was “over the moon just to get the win and to kick two snags”, instantly endearing himself to footy fans of all persuasions, who swiftly dubbed him “Snags”.
His teammates, too, couldn’t help but be swept up in his exuberance, most notably when he gave them a humorous rev-up soon after halftime when the Tigers took to the field against Sydney in Round 15.
Their response was priceless.
“They got a bit of a laugh out of it,” says Higgins, who will turn 20 two days before Richmond takes on Carlton in the Round 1 season opener.
“I’m not sure what I said was funny, but I said it pretty quickly.
“I just try to lighten the mood a bit sometimes.
“Everyone is so serious when they come back on the ground. I couldn’t really care until the siren sounds, but as soon as it goes, I am switched on again.”
In many ways, Higgins has provided a refreshing antidote to the homogenised production line of teenagers being churned out each and every AFL draft — most of them media-trained to within an inch of their lives.
Higgins stresses that he does not feel the need to be something he is not.
It’s partly because he’s the same excitable kid who has always dreamt of playing football at the elite level, acknowledging what others wouldn’t — that school was simply a means to his seemingly inevitable pathway into the AFL.
His energy and enthusiasm — highlighted by his freakish goal against the Magpies in Round 19 when he improvised on the goal-line to flip the ball in the air and around the goalpost before getting his foot to it at the last second — made him compelling viewing in 2018.
So did his refreshingly honest, natural media appearances.
That carried through to his acceptance speech when he won the AFL’s Goal of the Year — and a $10,000 prize — telling the Brownlow Medal audience that “my heart’s pumping a thousand minutes per second, so if I screw it up, don’t hate on me”.
No one did. They loved him even more.
Higgins says in this interview that he wouldn’t change his personality or his approach for anything in the world.
“I’ve always dreamt of playing AFL since I was a kid and I’ve loved every minute of it,” he says. “I would never change in a million years, even if someone gave me $10 million.”
Hang on a minute, we quizzed him, you wouldn’t change for $10 million?
Really?
As soon as the question is thrown back at him, a smile appears. He admits he would think about it for a second or two, but would turn down the offer.
“If I changed the way I went about it, and changed my attitude, I wouldn’t be myself,” Higgins says with a laugh. “I couldn’t do that.
“I thought about it during the year. If I changed, it may have hindered my football. I just wouldn’t be able to do it. I play to my instincts and that won’t change.”
Richmond doesn’t want him to change, either.
While the Tigers have assisted him in almost seamlessly settling into his AFL career, and have provided him with the training on and off the field that comes with being a 21st Century footballer, thankfully they haven’t wanted to stifle his raw enthusiasm or his natural streak.
That’s because they know he leaves nothing to chance in his preparation.
For as fun, engaging and at times lighthearted Higgins can be when the situations allows, he works as hard as anyone else in yellow and black.
The young forward who aims to turn himself into a midfielder this year and beyond worked even harder this pre-season, mindful that his strong debut season can only be looked at as an entree to what promises to be a long and sustainable AFL career.
“I train hard because it makes me feel good,” he says. “You train how you play. If I just went through the motions (at training), I wouldn’t feel good when I am out on the MCG.”
Higgins relied on teammates, coaches and some long-time mentors to help him through his first season of league football, which ended with the club’s shock preliminary final loss to Collingwood.
“If I didn’t have those mentors, I wouldn’t say I would have gone off the rails, but I don’t really know where I might have ended up,” he says.
One of those mentors has been Anthony Phillips — the father of Magpie Tom and Saint Ed — with whom he still has a few private training sessions.
“I caught up with him in December, and we did some skills work,” Higgins says. “We had a few coffees afterwards.
“I was speaking to him about last season and he said no one could ever have dreamt of the year that I had, but then he said: ‘But I’m not surprised you did’.”
Higgins was about eight when his dad, Greg, enrolled him in one of Kevin Sheedy’s footy camps in the mid-2000s. He didn’t enjoy it at first, but performed well enough to not only win an autographed footy but a free ticket to the following year’s camp.
“I shook (Sheedy’s) hand, but I didn’t really know him,” he says. “I do remember he had a pretty cool signature with a smiley face on it.”
The autographed footy still exists, though the family dog has sunk its teeth into it a bit over the years.
Now, Higgins is keen to establish his own specialist coaching clinics for kids of the future, while also considering taking on a trade — potentially carpentry — to sit alongside his football career.
“I am thinking of running an outside business, which does footy skills for kids,” he says. “I love working with kids.
“I know I’m not going to be a teacher or anything like that, but if I can help kids do sessions of footy one-on-one, then I could maybe be a bit of a mentor to them.”
For the moment, though, his attention is fixed on ensuring he does everything he can to help the Tigers progress further in the finals this year.
That includes a plan to spend more time in the midfield, as well as making sure nothing is left to chance as he aims to avoid the second-year blues.
“I have no idea what to expect from this year, but I do feel more comfortable (at Richmond and in the AFL) now,” he says.
“Sometimes your first year is a bit of a free hit, but hopefully it just means that the second year is something I can build on. That’s what I want to do.”
Whatever he achieves this year and beyond, the certainty is his trademark smile will not be far away.
JACK HIGGINS ON …
THAT GOAL, IN ROUND 19
“I still don’t know how I did it. I don’t even know how I thought of (doing) it. Then they went to the score review. I thought they would call it a throw, even though I knew under the rules it wasn’t a throw. I didn’t really care about winning Goal of the Year, or the money. I just wanted to get an invite to the Brownlow.”
DUSTIN MARTIN
“This time last year I was nervous around Dusty Martin. It wasn’t so much that he was good at football. It was his tatts. I didn’t really know anyone who had as many tatts as he has. None of my friends have got tatts. But Dusty’s a great fella. At the start, you have to earn his trust a bit, and that’s OK. He’s just a normal bloke, but outside the club, he’s like a rock star. The question everyone asks is, ‘What’s Dusty like?’.”
ON BEING AN ONLY CHILD
“I’m still living at home (with parents Greg and Lynn). I love being an only child, and getting everything to myself (laughs).”
JACK RIEWOLDT
“Jack is very tough but he helped me set up and taught me a lot of things. ‘Leppa’ (Justin Leppitsch) and the forwards group were great. Being my first year, you always make mistakes, but Jack was great for me.”
NEW TEAMMATE TOM LYNCH
“When he came into the club, I thought he would be pretty talkative because he came from the Gold Coast, but he is pretty quiet. He has settled in really well. I like the ‘T-Stick’, at least that’s what I call him.”
MIDFIELD DREAMING
“Playing forward is good for kicking goals, but I think my best position will be in the midfield. I did play bits and pieces in the midfield last year, but I want to do more of that in 2019. I remember starting in the midfield in a game against Geelong. There were four Brownlow medallists in there (Dustin Martin, Trent Cotchin, Gary Ablett and Patrick Dangerfield) as well as Joel Selwood. I was like, ‘Wow’. I got the first touch of the game, too (laughs).”
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/richmond/why-no-one-can-wipe-the-smile-of-tiger-jack-higgins-face/news-story/9ef27c8890824837539da23e5ca48940
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No signs of 2nd year blues from Higgo which is good to see.
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Yes I thought he did some good things and can see him as a genuine midfield option.
Has that footballers brain.
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Looks capable to one day fill the captains midfield role
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Just a natural footballer. Not always pretty but gets the job done. Very good 2nd half tonight.
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Clean hands, smart and can find the ball. He's a little star.
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One of our best tonight. Love the way he goes about it.
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Jack Higgins - All Australian?
HB Meyers
themongrelpunt.com
17 March 2019
This Thursday night, the bright lights of the MCG shine down on the season opener. The Blues and the Tigers square off in a contest that will often give an indication of what is to come for each team. Running through the middle, and deep into the forward line will be a young man with exuberance to burn, but also with a year’s experience under his belt, a wiser Jack Higgins may be the player to make the biggest statement on the night.
It would come as no surprise to any who have read The Mongrel Punt over the past year – I watch a lot of football. Other than going to work, chatting with my family and sleeping way too little, watching footy, talking about footy and writing about footy is what I do.
As such, when i hear or read of people making grandiose statements and observations about the game in the pre-season, I roll my eyes a little and wait for the expected, and desired responses. A lot of stuff is simply said to get a reaction - I try to steer clear of that stuff.
But once in a while something jumps out and becomes a little too apparent to ignore, and over the course of the JLT series, I found myself wondering more and more just how good Jack Higgins could be? And could 2019 be the year he goes from being that funny, goofy kid with talent, to elite player?
A debut season that saw him average 16.2 disposals and 0.75 goals per game was impressive, but as Richmond stuttered and stumbled through the majority of their JLT contests (be honest Tiger fans – the team was not switched on for long periods), Jack Higgins was the one Richmond player who looked like he had not missed a beat.
He had 21 disposals, eight marks, and pumped the Tigers inside 50 on five occasions against the Demons, and backed that performance up with a stellar 19 disposals, seven marks and three goals against the Hawks. In the latter game, the Tigers trailed by 40 points at half time, and it would’ve been significantly more if not for the efforts of Higgins.
As the Tigers squandered opportunities, Higgins was the exception. He took overhead marks, kicked truly when his opportunities presented, and when forced to win his own ball, that’s exactly what he did. But it wasn’t just the offensive side of the game that Higgins excelled in; his efforts to curtail the elusive Luke Breust in a one-on-one contest in the heated (heated for a JLT match) last quarter were excellent. As Breust zigged, Higgins zagged, and the normally evasive Breust was unable to shake Higgins. It was something I hadn’t seen before from the youngster – he was evolving right before my eyes.
As the Tigers ran out winners, capping a remarkable comeback, the performance of Higgins was one of the very few that was consistent for four quarters. Trent Cotchin made his game-breaking cameo in the last quarter, and Jack Riewoldt woke from a first half slumber, induced by wayward kicking and terrible midfield decisions, to kick three goals in the third quarter, bringing the Tigers back in the process. But it was Jack Higgins providing a couple of goals of his own in that third quarter that kept the Tigers rolling along nicely.
So, as the Tiger Train gains momentum into 2019, what can the little engine named Jack Higgins produce along the way to help that train roll onto its desired destination? And who are some of the players he’ll need to pass on this journey to not only win a flag, but to become an All-Australian forward in the process?
We went through Higgins’ basic stats earlier, and an increase in output in both disposals and goals per game is imperative if he is to make the All-Australian team in 2019. With 15 goals to his name in 2018, Higgins will have to make a serious improvement in that regard.
An AA forward slot will either go to an elite goal-kicker (Breust, Betts leap to mind) or a player who splits time between the forward line and midfield, and still manages over a goal per game (Chad Wingard in 2013, Robbie Gray most years).
Wingard blazed the trail for Higgins to follow. In 2012, Wingard averaged 12.5 touches and 0.47 goals per game in his rookie season. His ascension in the next 12 months was remarkable, leaping to 21.21 touches and 1.79 goals per game in his All-Australian second year. It is a difficult trek for Higgins to follow, but it is one I don’t doubt he is capable of.
The ideal stat line for Higgins this season is somewhere around the 20 disposals, and one and a half goals per game mark, with a total of around 35-38 goals for the season. It’s quite a leap from the 15 goals he ‘snagged’ last season, but as demonstrated in the JLT series, his ability to bob up and kick multiple goals in short order could see him end up with days where he wreaks havoc on opposition defences and goes home with a bag of four or five.
The other factor is whether he has worked on his defensive pressure inside 50. With Riewoldt, Lynch, and Caddy patrolling the forward 50, goals may not be as easy to come by at times, so Higgins has to add something else to that Richmond forward line.
With just 2.45 tackles per game to his name in 2018, Higgins was not the most defensive small in the game. When you compare that stat to other small forwards who work up the ground, you start to get a picture of what’s required.
Orazio Fantasia averaged 4.9 tackles in 2018, whilst Brandan Parfitt and Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti sat right at 4.5 per contest. Luke Breust had Higgins comfortably covered in both goals (54 for the season) and tackles (4.1 per game), so the gauntlet is well and truly laid at Higgins’ feet.
Whether Higgins can pick it up and run with it this season may go a long way to telling us whether the Tigers can pick themselves up and dust themselves off after a disastrous ending to their 2018 campaign.
Long-term readers will know I am a massive fan of organic improvement over topping up externally, and I am willing to bet that an improvement in the conditioning and output of Jack Higgins will have more of an effect on the Tigers in 2019 than the recruitment of Tom Lynch. He’ll be faster, stronger and able to run out games better. A weapon in 2018, we should be getting ready to see a supercharged version of the kid who became one of the most sought after post-game interview subjects last season.
So, who are Higgins’ greatest threats to becoming an All-Australian this season?
Eddie Betts looks like he’s jumping out of his skin to get the 2019 season started. His JLT form was electrifying, and he seems to have the agility back that was sorely lacking last season. His 2018 saw him return his second lowest goals per game average in the last ten years. He’ll be looking to leave 2018 behind as nothing more than a painful memory, as will most of his teammates.
Luke Breust is the incumbent in the role. With 54 goals and 16 touches per game, he is the benchmark.
The Collingwood quartet of Jordan de Goey, Jaidyn Stephenson, Josh Thomas and Will Hoskin-Elliott work well as a combination, and had 156 goals between them last year.
Higgins’ own teammate, Josh Caddy finished with 46 goals in 2018, and was a powerhouse around goal. It will be interesting to see how the arrival of Lynch impacts his game in the forward 50.
Then you have 4x All Australian, Robbie Gray, who can be picked in either the pocket, or at half forward. Jade Gresham is starting to push his case, and I’d be keeping a close eye on the performances of both Jake Stringer and Willie Rioli this season as well.
The competition is stiff, but Higgins has so much natural talent, and appears to have returned this season in fantastic nick. He strikes me as the kind of young man that, when given a challenge, takes it very seriously.
Sixteen teams bypassed Jack Higgins before the Tigers took him in the 2017 AFL draft. There’d be a good dozen teams already who would like to have their time over again right about now. That number may increase as the 2019 season goes on.
He may still be that young, exuberant kid, but there is so much more to Jack Higgins. If 2018 was his coming out party, 2019 might be the year he takes the competition by storm.
https://themongrelpunt.com/afl/2019/03/17/higginsaa
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Higgo good again tonight. 17 possies and 3 goals.
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Higgo good again tonight. 17 possies and 3 goals.
Agreed :thumbsup
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Kid is a jet. Thought he’d play more mid though.
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Going to be an elite footballer.
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Footy IQ is off the charts....hard to believe he actually plays for us.... :shh
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Footy IQ is off the charts....hard to believe he actually plays for us.... :shh
Unfortunately starting to match his off-field IQ atm... :shh :shh
Anway - wonder if this might be a current distraction:
https://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/higgins-cops-whack-in-social-media-by-prominent-fitness-coach-in-victoria.1219856/#post-61133244
:shh :shh :shh
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i think it says more about the guy who wrote it than higgins himself.
That post is exactly what is wrong with society.
I see your point though, he is playing poorly
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RE that article... Bloke writing it sounds like a jealous nufty.
Truth be told if you got drafted you'd probably end a trainer relationship from your teen years because you have professional trainers supplied at the club for free anyway lol. Most trainers would know that. Elsewise he doesn't really say anything of substance, just stuffing his own pockets with salt...
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From Robbo's "The Tackle" column today:
Jack Higgins is a worry
His form in the first six weeks was strong, but his form over the past six weeks has dropped away alarmingly. He kicked six goals in the first three weeks and then three goals in the next nine games, but it’s not just about goals. He’s found the pill (25 touches in Rounds 5 and 6), but largely is not dangerous. It’s a tantalising mix the Richmond small and mid-sized forward brigade, yet tantalising is not good enough. Higgins is a worry, Castagna is a worry, Dan Rioli is just playing, Shai Bolton is in the twos and Dan Butler is just going. The one playing dangerous footy is Liam Baker.
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/more-news/mark-robinsons-likes-and-dislikes-for-round-12-of-the-afl-season/news-story/ef36b9ec55dff2c6ac06c153121ab5c2
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From Robbo's "The Tackle" column today:
Jack Higgins is a worry
His form in the first six weeks was strong, but his form over the past six weeks has dropped away alarmingly. He kicked six goals in the first three weeks and then three goals in the next nine games, but it’s not just about goals. He’s found the pill (25 touches in Rounds 5 and 6), but largely is not dangerous. It’s a tantalising mix the Richmond small and mid-sized forward brigade, yet tantalising is not good enough. Higgins is a worry, Castagna is a worry, Dan Rioli is just playing, Shai Bolton is in the twos and Dan Butler is just going. The one playing dangerous footy is Liam Baker.
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/more-news/mark-robinsons-likes-and-dislikes-for-round-12-of-the-afl-season/news-story/ef36b9ec55dff2c6ac06c153121ab5c2
Fair call all round
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Drop his arse already.... :shh
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Finally on the drop Higgins bandwagon and fair enough too. He's not going hard enough or being accountable.
Baker is playing well, Bolton should be in the team, Castagna has some runs on the board for me.
Butler, Rioli and Higgins need to sort themselves out...
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He put in a great sustained effort last year and probably needs rest, happens with young blokes, give him a spell, won't hurt him and he will get the jitters about getting the call up again and pull his digit out.
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i dont think this season all that different to last season in many ways.I think the problem is he was so hyped up as a player by so many rightly or wrongly.
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No ifs or buts. Jacks sorry arse should have been dropped a long time ago.
Rioli is not far behind but helped us when we needed him most. Higgins is playing like a small version of Levi Casboult.
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He put in a great sustained effort last year and probably needs rest, happens with young blokes, give him a spell, won't hurt him and he will get the jitters about getting the call up again and pull his digit out.
He can have next week off
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Second year player honestly guys get a grip moved to the midfield to with little support.
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no one is saying he's a dud. we just think he's been playing poorly and should be replaced with bolton for now....:shh
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He put in a great sustained effort last year and probably needs rest, happens with young blokes, give him a spell, won't hurt him and he will get the jitters about getting the call up again and pull his digit out.
He can have next week off
lol correct weight
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He needs to get back on the red cordial because he’s lost his mojo and he plays too safe which ends in the detriment to the team.
It’s like we have two Ellis’ our there.
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Be happy to not see him again this year after what he has produced this year
Tonight must be the final straw. That was the worst game of football I’ve seen him play, and up there with the worst by a player in a very long time
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Posted in the game thread
But for his own sake Higgins needs to go back to the VFL to find form
Every week it is getting worse,. They've been small steps backwards all season but tonight it was a leap backwards
No confidence which is resulting in fumbles, poor disposals and poor decisions
***bloody auto correct
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But for his own sake Higgins needs to go back to the VFLW to find form
:lol
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Yep, putrid.
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If a young player is badly out of form a spell in the VFL can be good for them.
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Absolutely has to be given a month in vfl to find his ticker again
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Yep, funny that his development has been stalled by the inability to be able to drop him to VFL.
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Higgins has won groundball-gets inside forward 50 this season, ranked equal-seventh in the competition.
https://www.afl.com.au/match-centre/2019/13/adel-v-rich
Must be the only reason he's kept his place in the side so far.
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..and does stuff all with them... :shh
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Higgins and Baker should be competing for the same spot, not in the side together..... :shh
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Hardwick explains why he dumped livewire forward
AFL.com.au
Sarah Black
Jun 28, 2019
YOUNG Richmond livewire Jack Higgins set the AFL world alight with his exuberance in his debut 2018 season, and Tigers coach Damien Hardwick says he needs to bring the fun back to his game.
Higgins has been dropped after 28 straight games dating back to round nine last year after struggling in an injury-depleted side in recent weeks.
The 20-year-old has averaged 13 touches and has not kicked a goal over his past three games.
"He's probably the first to say he hasn't been at his best form. He's probably a little bit reflective of our side, he hasn't had the benefit of the connection of play we normally have," Hardwick said.
"He was probably a little bit fumbly last week, but Jack knows how important he is to our side. If we want to get to where we need to go, he certainly needs to be a part of that.
"He'll go back and [has] got to learn how to enjoy his footy a little bit when he goes back, not put so much pressure on himself. I think he's such a guy that wants to achieve such great heights, I think sometimes he can become his own worst enemy.
"If Richmond's playing its best footy, Jack Higgins is certainly part of our side. I'm looking forward to watching him play and seeing him back in the seniors very soon."
https://www.afl.com.au/news/2019-06-28/hardwick-wants-dumped-tiger-to-find-the-fun-factor
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stuff stuff stuff
Higgins in deep poo.
https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/richmond-s-higgins-hospitalised-with-brain-bleed-20190716-p527uo.html (https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/richmond-s-higgins-hospitalised-with-brain-bleed-20190716-p527uo.html)
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stuff stuff stuff
Higgins in deep poo.
https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/richmond-s-higgins-hospitalised-with-brain-bleed-20190716-p527uo.html (https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/richmond-s-higgins-hospitalised-with-brain-bleed-20190716-p527uo.html)
Sorry. Too quote the Age
Richmond small forward Jack Higgins is in hospital and facing an indefinite period on the sidelines after scans showed he had suffered a brain bleed.
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stuff stuff stuff
Higgins in deep poo.
https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/richmond-s-higgins-hospitalised-with-brain-bleed-20190716-p527uo.html (https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/richmond-s-higgins-hospitalised-with-brain-bleed-20190716-p527uo.html)
bloody hell, he is OK
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Out for the year :'(
https://m.afl.com.au/news/2019-07-17/young-tiger-stars-season-in-doubt-after-bleeding-on-brain
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Must be minor given that he is still relatively well, but what's most concerning is the lack of a critical incident to initiate the bleeding. Will probably need some haem investigations to check out some aspects of his blood, coagulation profile, red cell structure etc, as well as neurosurgeon input blah blah. Will takes weeks...
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Cherny told SEN’s The Sporting Capital that the severity of the issue is as yet unknown.
“Richmond’s Jack Higgins was hospitalised I believe today, he’s certainly in hospital tonight with a brain bleed,” Cherny said.
“There’s quite a bit of uncertainty about this, he was suffering some headaches and he had scans and it’s been revealed to be a brain bleed which is obviously inherently serious, any brain bleed is serious.
“Just how serious it is remains to be seen. The club’s not sure how it’s happened so there’s a fair bit of uncertainty around this and more to play out here.
“As I understand they don’t think it’s related to any head knock or Richmond aren’t aware of any head knock he’s suffered that has led to this, so it is a bit of a mystery in that sense.”
https://www.sen.com.au/news/2019/07/16/report-tigers-youngster-hospitalised-with-brain-bleed/
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Jack Higgins continues to be treated in hospital for a brain bleed. He’s in good spirits and we will provide more accurate information when possible.
All our thoughts are with Jack, his family, and the whole team at this time 💛🖤
https://twitter.com/Richmond_FC
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Get well Higgo :pray :pray :pray
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stuff poor Jack. Wishing him, his family and his girlfriend all the best
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'Totally unexpected': Young Tiger in hospital after bleeding on brain
AFL.com.au
Nat Edwards
Jul 17, 2019
RICHMOND is yet to rule out young gun Jack Higgins for the rest of the season, with the Tiger forward to spend a couple of more days in hospital to have further tests on a brain bleed.
The 20-year-old experienced headaches and was admitted to hospital on Tuesday to have brain scans.
Richmond football boss Neil Balme said Higgins would need extra tests over the coming days to find out the origin of the bleed, and what steps needed to be taken next to treat it.
"He had a bad headache the night before," Balme said on Wednesday morning.
"His dad rang the doc and [Jack] came in and saw him, and [the doctor] thought [Jack] better get a scan to have a look at him and it turns out he had a bleed on the brain which was totally unexpected from us.
"There was no serious incident that we were concerned about, so it's a worry, and we're concerned about him, but the feedback is that it's not terribly dangerous.
"But obviously it's pretty serious that it needs more tests, and we'll find out over the next couple of days what the prognosis is."
Higgins has spent the past three weeks playing in the VFL after being sent back to rediscover his best form.
Higgins burst onto the scene last year after being selected at pick No.17 in the 2017 NAB AFL Draft, kicking the 2018 Coates Hire Goal of the Year against Collingwood in round 19.
Richmond hasn't ruled out the energetic Tiger returning to football in 2019, but Balme said the club was still waiting on more information before making a call.
"If you know Jack he's so committed to his footy so the fact that he won't be able to play for a while won't be easy for him or for us," Balme said.
"It's all part of the journey. Hopefully it's not 'serious serious' and he can get over it and get back to playing footy really soon, but we honestly don't know that as yet."
https://www.afl.com.au/news/2019-07-17/young-tiger-stars-season-in-doubt-after-bleeding-on-brain
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All the best wishes, Higgo.
For personal/family reasons, when I first heard he had a bleed on the brain I just felt plain sick. Brought back horrible memories. Anyway, by the sound of it, it's not like that for Higgo and he is fully conscious and in good spirits. Being young, fit and healthy also makes a huge difference. As much as Higgo lives and loves footy, the main thing now is he is okay to live a normal life. Hopefully, like Harris Andrews, Higgo makes a full recovery and can come back to footy even if it means it's next year.
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Peter Jess mouthing off yesterday while not knowing what he is talking about ::).
But player agent and concussion advocate Peter Jess said this is another example of "catastrophic diagnostic failure".
"This is simply unacceptable in this era of advanced screening technologies that the clubs and AFL refuse to adopt," Jess said.
https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/higgins-brain-bleed-treatment-continues-20190717-p527yb.html
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(https://scontent-syd2-1.cdninstagram.com/vp/6cd10e59ada7417da5d9a7ad2dc1ffda/5DB5E76C/t51.2885-15/e35/p1080x1080/67085217_1300398556804747_2070411333176335665_n.jpg?_nc_ht=scontent-syd2-1.cdninstagram.com)
https://www.instagram.com/jackohiggins/
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Jack Higgins officially out for the year, will be released from hospital today. An “abnormality” he’s had since birth has caused the brain bleed. Will play again next year, which is great news!
More to come on @AFLcomau
https://twitter.com/_sjblack
Fantastic news that he will make a full recovery :).
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poor bastard, hope he comes good
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Dimma's update on Higgo:
VIDEO: https://www.richmondfc.com.au/video/2019-07-18/hardwick-provides-higgins-update
---------------------------------
"Without being a medico by nature, he has had an abnormality since birth, which has reared its head. It's a chance to pop up its head between the ages of 10 and 30, so obviously Jack falls into that time frame," coach Damien Hardwick said.
"He's got a group of blood vessels that aren't strong and naturally bleed. Obviously, he's had a bigger bleed that's caused the issue. He won't play again this year.
"In 4-6 weeks he'll have another scan once the blood has subsided, then he'll probably have a procedure to rectify the result.
"He'll play footy again, which is really exciting for us and great for Jack. We're rapt. Our medicos did a terrific job detecting it and sending for scans. Now we know the solution, we just have to be patient and wait till that occurs."
"Anytime you sort of hear of a brain bleed you think the worst. But it wasn’t a trauma event, it was something he’s had since he was born.
"And so for anything you hear of the significance of a brain bleed you obviously fear the worst.
"So it’s a real positive for us and a real positive for Jack."
https://www.afl.com.au/news/2019-07-18/tiger-out-for-season-abnormality-in-blood-vessels-causes-brain-bleed
https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/higgins-brain-bleed-caused-by-abnormality-20190718-p528co.html
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A bit more from Dimma:
Hardwick said the playing group was continually kept informed after Higgins was hospitalised on Tuesday night, and the lively 20-year-old was in a typically upbeat mood.
"He was meant to have no visitors in hospital, and the doc rocks up and he's got 8-10 of his mates in the room with him," Hardwick said.
"He's one of those guys – and it's what we love about this kid – you wouldn't know he's got a significant injury.
"So he's in good spirits and he's pumped to get out of hospital today. I think he would have been driving the staff in there insane with his questions, but the great thing for us is he's on the mend."
https://www.afl.com.au/news/2019-07-18/tiger-out-for-season-abnormality-in-blood-vessels-causes-brain-bleed
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Richmond Club Doctor, Greg Hickey has provided an update on the condition of Jack Higgins:
“Jack’s Neurosurgeon has decided the best course of action is for Jack to have surgery next week to repair the area of abnormal blood vessels responsible for the bleeding on his brain.
“Following the surgery, there will be a period of recovery and rehabilitation for some months, but we certainly expect Jack to resume playing football next season.”
https://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/2019-07-18/jack-higgins-to-have-surgery-next-week
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That's what I was worried about.I read a book by neurosurgeon once called You're never the same once the air hits your brain. No brain surgery is easy or good. I wish him the best.
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That's what I was worried about.I read a book by neurosurgeon once called You're never the same once the air hits your brain. No brain surgery is easy or good. I wish him the best.
Sorry but that’s just bs. :thumbsdown
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Arteriovenous Malformation
Normally, arteries carry blood containing oxygen from the heart to the brain, and veins carry blood with less oxygen away from the brain and back to the heart. When an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) occurs, a tangle of blood vessels in the brain bypasses normal brain tissue and directly diverts blood from the arteries to the veins.
Read more here: https://www.strokeassociation.org/en/about-stroke/types-of-stroke/hemorrhagic-strokes-bleeds/what-is-an-arteriovenous-malformation
and here: https://brainfoundation.org.au/disorders/arteriovenous-malformation/
(https://www.mayoclinic.org/-/media/kcms/gbs/patient-consumer/images/2014/03/20/15/47/mcdc7_arteriovenous_malformation.gif) (https://www.mayoclinic.org/-/media/kcms/gbs/patient-consumer/images/2013/08/26/10/15/ds01126_im03707_bn7_avm_blood_vesselsthu_jpg.jpg)
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/brain-avm/symptoms-causes/syc-20350260
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:huh Can we have that again in English? :huh3 :huh3
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(https://i.chzbgr.com/full/443009792/hE6FDEC5C/)
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Cyclop's pic looks like some Chinese nosh I had on Tuesday for lunch
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It's an abnormal growth of blood vessels that are clumped together. They usually have weaker walls and thus are more prone to rupturing and that leads to bleeding. Higgins had a small bleed. If it is a large bleed you can easily die, hence the need for surgery. Sometimes you can coil the AVM via radiological approaches but it looks like that they've gone for the old fashion craniotomy!
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A message from Higgo:
VIDEO: https://twitter.com/Richmond_FC/status/1152123663186927616
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Benny Gale on 3aw just now said Higgo will have his surgery and then rest. They asked if Higgo's footy future is at risk and Benny replied Higgo is expected to make a full recovery.
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Benny Gale on 3aw just now said Higgo will have his surgery and then rest. They asked if Higgo's footy future is at risk and Benny replied Higgo is expected to make a full recovery.
This sort of surgery can be life threatening. One tiny complication can destroy his career. We wish him all the best.
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Benny Gale on 3aw just now said Higgo will have his surgery and then rest. They asked if Higgo's footy future is at risk and Benny replied Higgo is expected to make a full recovery.
This sort of surgery can be life threatening. One tiny complication can destroy his career. We wish him all the best.
To be fair to Benny, he did say there's always risks involved with this (re: surgery). If all goes well then Higgo is expected to make a full recovery.
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Prestia on the Sunday Footy Show said Higgo caught up with the boys last Thursday and he will be having his surgery this Wednesday.
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Emerging star Jack Higgins has been ruled out for the remainder of this year’s campaign after suffering bleeding on his brain earlier this year.
Houli said the 20-year-old was recovering well.
“It’s better than expected,” Houli said.
“Initially there was going to be a serious surgery but I think, through a bit of research, it’s come out a little bit better.
“He’ll miss the rest of this season but our heart and thoughts go with him and his family.
“It’s a very tough time.
“He came into the club two or three days ago. He was upbeat and it’s good to see him up and about.”
Source: Ch 7 & West Australian (https://thewest.com.au/sport/richmond-tigers/alex-rance-looms-as-wildcard-for-richmonds-flag-push-ng-b881281184z)
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Has to have another op....will be out for most of next year as well...
https://www.afl.com.au/news/2019-09-04/barrett-jack-higgins-update
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Sounds like he had a coiling procedure which would have avoided a craniotomy. Now he needs the proper open surgery which would involve a much bigger period off....
Good luck Jack.
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In English please YBB :banghead
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In English please YBB :banghead
https://youtu.be/_jl4iL6hCqs
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Lol. I'll dumb it down a shade then.....
The first procedure may have been done in Radiology by going up an artery from the groin and navigating a catheter up to the problem area in the brain. Once there the radiologist would have deployed these little coils to block off the abnormal vessels causing the problem. However there are many of them and they may not have got a satisfactory result. Now they have to open the head and go in and physically clip off the remaining abnormal vessels. It's a much bigger procedure and your skull has to heal up. More dangerous too.
I'm not sure if that's what has happened but it sounds like it.
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Very unfortunate for the young man. Spent his life Dedicating all his time to footy so hopefully he can make it back
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Good luck to the young man but this isnt looking great. He will miss alot of football and that in itself will inhibit his development as a player.
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may God bless him and his fam....he is nothing if not a determined little bugger...he'll be back!!
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While footy has been his life, right now we've got to hope the surgery goes well so Higgo can live a long normal life. That's more important than playing footy. All the best wishes, Higgo.
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Tigers rallying around Higgins: Riewoldt
Jon Pierik
The Age
September 5, 2019
Jack Riewoldt says Richmond is rallying around teammate Jack Higgins, as the young Tiger prepares for brain surgery later this month.
Higgins, an exciting small forward, has not played since July because a brain bleed related to an abnormality he has had since birth. This is not related to concussion or a head knock.
The Tigers had hoped less invasive treatment would have eased the problem but doctors have now opted for more surgery.
As the Tigers prepare for Saturday night's qualifying final against the Brisbane Lions, Riewoldt said Higgins' enthusiasm had been missed.
"The club has been reaching out to him. We have to keep our contact to a minimum, just because he is a pretty excitable, character, Jack. If you get around him too much, the blood pressure goes up," he said on Thursday.
"It's a really trying time for him and his family. And he is such a great young man, such a great character of this football club and this industry and this game. He has been sorely missed. We have missed him around the change rooms. We miss his enthusiasm but, at the moment, we are, obviously, rallying around him, as the whole football community is."
The Tigers are rallying around Jack Higgins, who will have more brain surgery.Credit:Eddie Jim
Higgins, 20, had been admitted to hospital earlier this year complaining of headaches. He has not played since, and will require six months on the sidelines after surgery.
The Tigers expect that he will be able to resume playing late next season.
"It is a pretty serious procedure he has got to have. We were hopeful that first procedure would be the one that would see him through the line but, unfortunately, it's not that way," Riewoldt said.
"But, as we see with a lot of trauma and tragedies that happen in AFL football, there is no better place to be around, than a football club and a football industry because the amount of support he will receive going forward will be second to none. No doubt, every player in this football club will be leading that charge."
Higgins was taken with the No.17 pick in the 2017 national draft. He played in 20 matches last season, including both finals. He played in the opening 13 matches this season, his pressure and intensity inside attacking 50 a major threat for opponents.
He took to social media this week to reveal the "pretty bad news" that his brain "is still bleeding after the first surgery".
"However, I will be back in action in 2020," Higgins wrote.
https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/tigers-rallying-around-higgins-riewoldt-20190905-p52o6t.html
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From Barrett's 'Sliding Doors' column:
IF ... you take your mind back to this time last year, Jack Higgins was about to be officially awarded the Coates Hire Goal of the Year in his debut season, where upon acceptance he would make his beautifully innocent, nervous-in-the-moment "my heart's pumping a thousand minutes per second" comment ...
THEN ... bring yourself back to the now, where Higgins is booked for serious brain surgery and faces an uncertain life and football path beyond that … and a game of football, albeit a qualifying final, against Brisbane at the Gabba just isn't that important.
https://www.afl.com.au/news/2019-09-06/sliding-doors-finals-week-one
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::)
Who said he had an uncertain life and football future? No one except Damo. It’s tricky surgery but let’s not make more of the story please
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That's what I was worried about.I read a book by neurosurgeon once called You're never the same once the air hits your brain. No brain surgery is easy or good. I wish him the best.
Sorry but that’s just bs. :thumbsdown
It's a catchy phrase though, which is probably why he titled his book that.
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Turns out it's a bit of a classic in the field.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2432179/
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Higgins to have his surgery on Thursday.
Best of wishes, Higgo.
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Higgins has had his surgery and the doctors have said they are pleased with how it went.
All the best Higgo :).
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Higgins out of sight, not mind for Tigers
Sam Landsberger
Herald Sun
September 18, 2019
Jack Higgins is out of sight but not out of mind at Richmond with Tiger teammates sending their love to the popular youngster who underwent a second bout of brain surgery last week.
Early medical feedback relayed to the Tigers points to a positive start to the goalkicker’s recovery from the serious operation.
Superstar Shane Edwards said that while teammates had been unable to see or speak to Higgins recently, the 20-year-old was in their thoughts as the Tigers chased their second premiership in three seasons.
“It’s crazy … he’s had a real tough time,” Edwards told the Herald Sun.
“It’s hard to get in contact with him, because obviously he’s been in hospital and he hasn’t been able to use his phone.
“It’s made us feel kind of disconnected from it. But he’s got all the support from everyone at Richmond.”
Higgins has just been discharged from hospital and will watch Friday night’s preliminary final blockbuster against Geelong from the comfort of his home.
Higgins booted two goals in last year’s preliminary final loss to Collingwood.
The bubbly youngster suffered a brain bleed earlier this year and underwent a procedure to fix it in July.
Higgins was able to make a couple of trips to Punt Rd after that.
But when the treatment did not stop Higgins’ brain from bleeding he returned to hospital and was booked for more intrusive surgery.
“It’s sort of a bit unbelievable how serious the things he’s going through are,” Edwards said.
“Seeing some of the scars that he’s got, it’s just terrifying. We really miss him around the club and we’re just hoping he gets better for his personal life and footy comes later.”
Higgins last played at AFL level in Round 13 and is expected to miss the start of next season.
While the little goalkicker only joined the Tigers after the 2017 premiership, he quickly became an adored figure as well as swiftly securing a place in the best 22.
Higgins won the AFL’s goal of the year in 2018 and placed fourth in the Rising Star in a brilliant debut season.
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/richmond/richmond-forward-jack-higgins-has-made-a-positive-start-to-his-recovery-from-brain-surgery/news-story/12f56db4057cbaffea8c1565db3c13fb
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The most important thing is Higgo is okay but it would a special moment if he was well enough to attend the Granny if we make it that far. Do it for Higgo, boys :thumbsup.
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There's footage of a young Higgo barracking for the Saints at the 2009 PF.
Nick Riewoldt: Jack Higgins sent me a message with a clip of a goal in the last quarter of the '09 prelim final. The camera flashes to a young St Kilda kid going nuts in the crowd, it was Jack Higgins!
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EEyN0uDU0AAKAeY?format=jpg&name=900x900)
https://www.sen.com.au/news/2019/09/19/tigers-youngster-steals-limelight-from-saints-hero/
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Richmond star forward Tom Lynch said the players were desperate to get around Higgins after his second brain surgery but had been told to give him his space.
“Jack is going through a really tough time,” he said.
“We want to see him back, that bubbly person he is and will be once he gets fully fit.
“He had that operation a couple of weeks ago and we are being told to let him be. It’s easier to text him. I can’t wait to have him back at this footy club. It’s a pretty tough time for him.”
Source: Herald-Sun (https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/richmond/richmond-star-alex-rance-urged-to-take-extended-break-after-heartbreak-of-missing-grand-final/news-story/c173f4d0f103e0059fcd30e99ad0a6cc)
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Seems ok...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=luVs2r6VnZk
:shh
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Tom Browne @TomBrowne7
In a really nice touch, Jack Higgins is joining tigers training this morning. Heart and soul of this group.
https://twitter.com/TomBrowne7
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Higgins at training today :).
(https://www.aflphotos.com.au/images/thumbs/800/2019/09/26/718564.jpg)
(https://www.aflphotos.com.au/images/thumbs/800/2019/09/26/718565.jpg)
(https://www.aflphotos.com.au/images/thumbs/800/2019/09/26/718538.jpg)
(https://www.aflphotos.com.au/images/thumbs/800/2019/09/26/718535.jpg)
(https://www.aflphotos.com.au/images/thumbs/800/2019/09/26/718511.jpg)
(https://www.aflphotos.com.au/images/thumbs/800/2019/09/26/718513.jpg)
(https://www.aflphotos.com.au/images/thumbs/800/2019/09/26/718515.jpg)
https://www.aflphotos.com.au/galleries/results/?q=collection:AFL%202019%20Training%20-%20Richmond%20260919
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Tiger takes big step in comeback from brain surgery
Alistair Paton,
Herald Sun
October 28, 2019 9:35am
Richmond forward Jack Higgins has taken a significant step in his comeback from brain surgery.
Higgins has started pre-season training in a bid to return to the field early in the 2020 season.
The livewire was expected to miss most of next season after returning for a second bout of surgery to fix a brain bleed that was discovered after a VFL game in July.
He posted a photo from Central Park in Malvern on Instagram yesterday with the caption: “From all the ups and downs. And now we are back.”
The post was liked by more than 11,000 people including Richmond teammates and former Tiger Brandon Ellis, who replied: “Love this”.
Higgins played 13 games in his debut season in 2018, winning Goal of the Year for a freak scissor kick against Collingwood and inspiring teammates with hilarious halftime rev-ups.
In Grand Final week he provided a different kind of inspiration by returning to Punt Rd for the first time since his shocking injury was revealed.
Richmond is set to hit the ground running in its premiership defence with midfielder Jack Graham (shoulder surgery) the only major injury concern.
After a nightmare injury run in the first half of the 2019 season by Grand Final week Graham, Higgins and superstar defender Alex Rance were the only players unavailable from the best 22.
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/richmond/jack-higgins-starts-preseason-training-in-comeback-from-brain-surgery/news-story/ee07639cfab70e00c17abd6644f49f1a
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Tiger plots shock brain surgery comeback
Jon Ralph
Herald Sun
November 18, 2019
Jack Higgins will earmark a Round 1 return from multiple brain surgeries.
Higgins’ second bout of brain surgery at one stage made the club so conservative about his prognosis they suggested he would return to footy only late in 2020.
But he has made exceptional progress after the second surgery, with the headaches and side effects of the first surgery to stop a brain bleed gone.
Richmond football boss Neil Balme said today the club is in no hurry to push Higgins, but he has already started his own fitness program ahead of his third pre-season.
“We are really pleased. We were always optimistic he would be back to normal but they are very confident now. He should be relatively free to (be in full training) post Christmas. With brain surgery you are always cautious but we are very confident he can have a full season,” he said.
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/richmond/jack-higgins-could-be-available-for-round-1-after-brain-sugery/news-story/b7d450a180b542607f0695628adb31cf
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Tigers confident recovering young gun will feature heavily in 2020
AFL.com.au
Nov 25, 2019 7:42PM
RICHMOND young gun Jack Higgins could return to light training later this week, with the Tigers confident he will feature heavily next season.
Higgins suffered a brain bleed in July and hasn't played football at any level since, but following brain surgery in September, the 20-year-old has progressed strongly.
Footy boss Neil Balme said while the club didn't want to put expectations on Higgins, he backed him to increase his loads after Christmas and get back to playing footy in 2020.
"(Higgins is going) pretty well actually," Balme said.
"He had some really good news on his condition a couple of weeks ago, that he's virtually back to square one – which is what we were hoping for
"So he's just got to now just get himself together and I think he'll be at training on Friday – but we're just letting him have plenty of time.
"He's more than likely to be much more serious (training-wise) after Christmas than he is before but we're really confident that he'll get back to the Jack Higgins that we knew when he first started.
"We're trying not to put any (expectations) on him but I'd be surprised if he doesn't play a hell of a lot of footy next year, if not all the season – but that's what we're hoping for but there's no pressure on him doing that."
https://www.afl.com.au/news/2019-11-25/tigers-confident-recovering-young-gun-will-feature-heavily-in-2020
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Jack Higgins in Uber car crash scare as he recovers from brain surgery
7NEWS
Monday, 25 November 2019 6:59 pm
Richmond fan favourite Jack Higgins has had a close call as a passenger as he recovers from brain surgery.
The 20-year-old is expected to take part in a significant pre-season program after Christmas but a car accident threatened to delay those plans.
He was travelling to Chadstone shopping centre on Thursday morning when his Uber was hit by another vehicle and rammed into a pole.
Higgins was understandably shaken but, after being checked out by doctors, he was given the all clear.
The youngster has undergone two rounds of surgery since a brain bleed – unrelated to football – was discovered following a VFL game midway through the year.
Due to his condition, he isn't allowed to drive for 12 months.
While youngsters Daniel Rioli, Sydney Stack and Marlion Pickett joined veteran defenders Alex Rance and Dylan Grimes on the track at Punt Road Oval on Monday, Higgins trained away from the club.
He's making good progress from his second round of brain surgery and hasn't been ruled out of a stunning return to senior footy in round one next year.
"Some really good news on his condition, he should be back to square one and really 100 per cent," Richmond footy boss Neil Balme said.
"It's just a matter of getting into training and getting himself going again. I'll be surprised if he's not full bore after Christmas."
https://7news.com.au/sport/afl/jack-higgins-in-uber-car-crash-scare-as-he-recovers-from-brain-surgery-c-574090
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How can he be banned from driving for 12 months due to his condition but be allowed back on a football field well before that??
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Presumably it's a liability/insurance issue. He's 'only' risking himself on the footy field and he would be covered by the AFLPA workplace agreement. It's a different story driving on public roads.
He's a lucky boy to be okay after such a crash by the way. All the best wishes to him.
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:thumbsup Glad he's doing ok
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friggen hell, what he do step on a leprachaun?
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Which players at your club could emerge as a Supercoach star in 2020
Herald-Sun
20 January 2020
Richmond - Jack Higgins $358,800, FWD
Higgins broke all kinds of records before being drafted, averaging 145 points per game in all junior matches covered by Champion Data. He received greater midfield minutes last season before suffering a brain bleed, but is back training and is confident of an early 2020 return. Another to monitor in the Marsh Community Series if he is 100 per cent.
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/supercoach-news/which-player-at-your-club-could-emerge-as-a-supercoach-star-in-2020/news-story/b54fa5a42838b17c23814e8664ad0406
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Higgo interviewed by Ch7.
He said he was at risk of paralysis and even death.
Still has blurry vision but is training and hopes to play this year.
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Tiger’s terrifying brain surgery warning
Jon Ralph and Chris Cavanagh
Herald Sun
1 Feb 2020
Jack Higgins was told he could be paralysed or even lose his life if dangerous brain surgery last year went wrong.
The Tigers livewire is back in contact training with Richmond wearing head gear that he will likely use during the season.
It is a giant leap forward from Higgins’ first bout of brain surgery, with another operation needed to rectify the symptoms that did not abate after he initially went under the knife.
Higgins has spoken on the club’s website for the first time about the ordeal, revealing how dangerous the operations were.
He believed he would never play football again after 33 games in two years full of exciting moments including the AFL’s goal of the year in 2018.
“I cried a bit when I heard the news, it was really disappointing and really scary when the neurosurgeon said there were a lot of risks with the surgery. I could be paralysed if he touches the wrong thing or never player footy again or even die,” Higgins said.
“I had an unbelievable neurosurgeon and they cut my head open (with a) massive scar and (I spent) two weeks in hospital.
“At the time there were some pretty bad things going through my head and thought I would never play footy again, would never walk again and have to have a carer for the rest of my life.
“So to be out there training from three months ago when I could hardly walk, hardly eat, hurt when I opened and closed my mouth, it’s pretty crazy.”
Higgins had initially suffered headaches during the 2019 season but was quickly rushed to hospital after his symptoms worsened.
“I was playing last year with headaches through matches which was a bit of a hassle but I wasn’t getting any head knocks so I didn’t think it was concussion.
“One time after a match I just felt really bad and couldn’t drive home at night and felt absolutely terrible
“I went to the club the next day and felt decent and then the next day after that got scans.”
He woke up from the MRI to find five doctors surrounding him.
“Five docs said we need to get to hospital ASAP, we need to get something out of your brain.”
Higgins battled to read or watch TV but a second bout of surgery dramatically improved his prognosis, with the young star every chance of playing against Carlton in Round 1.
“Hopefully I am doing all right. I am doing all right at training, slowly building myself back up.
“I don’t know if I will wear (the helmet) in matches, but the doctor wants me to so I probably will. But if he says no it will be the first thing that comes off.”
Teammate Kane Lambert said Higgins’ return was a boost for every Tiger.
“It’s great to have Higgo back just around the group and he’s integrating back into some contact training as well,” Lambert said.
“He’s a vibrant character and brings a lot of energy.
“You can take perspective from what he’s been through. He was a kid who had the world at his feet and unfortunately had a brain injury that was no fault of his own and his world flipped around.
“He’s got a long road ahead but we’re right behind him.”
Richmond has been buoyed by Jack Higgins return from a pair of brain surgeries, with the busy Tigers forward making strong progress on the track.
He has been in contract drills but wearing protective head gear in training this week.
Toby Nankervis is easing into training after off-season groin surgery, while Jack Graham had off-season shoulder reconstruction after a finals injury that saw him miss the Grand Final.
Midfielder Kane Lambert said yesterday the Tigers were thrilled with Higgins’ progress.
“He’s a kid who had the world at his feet and just unfortunately had a brain injury that was no fault of his own and his world flips around,” Lambert said.
“That’s great perspective.
“He’s learned a lot from the experience and he’s learnt who his close mates are, where his supports are and he’s got a long road ahead but we’re all here behind him.”
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/richmond/premiership-tiger-kamdyn-mcintosh-sent-in-for-scans-after-being-carried-off-on-stretcher-from-training/news-story/582aca14afe77c7b91641e500255201e
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'He looks as good as he's ever looked': Higgins builds to Tiger return
By Riley Beveridge
afl.com.au
17 February 2020
RICHMOND is growing in confidence that gun youngster Jack Higgins will put himself in the club's selection mix for round one following a miraculous recovery from brain surgery midway through last year.
Higgins has returned to contact training just months after he was diagnosed with a brain bleed, having reported blurred vision and headaches while playing for the club's VFL side last July.
There were fears for Higgins' playing future in the wake of his operation, with the club initially reluctant to put a timeframe on his expected return to action.
However, the lively and versatile Higgins was among the standouts in match simulation drills last week to firmly put himself in the frame for a return in the early stages of the upcoming season.
"It's been incredibly tough to go through what he's had to go through," Richmond coach Damien Hardwick told AFL.com.au.
"Two significant operations, his skull being ripped open, fusing blood vessels and to come back through some blurred vision and a little bit of discomfort, to see his week on the training track … it doesn't look like he's missed a beat.
"I remember speaking to Paul Connors, his manager, and saying he looks as good as he's ever looked. We're really excited about what he's going to bring this year.
Is it for round one? We're not sure. But he's doing everything right at the moment.
- Damien Hardwick on Jack Higgins
Speaking last month, the charismatic Higgins said he was warned he "could be paralysed … could never play footy again or … could die" as a result of the significant operation, which left him hospitalised for two weeks.
However, he has made a strong recovery and appears destined to make his return to the playing field in the opening weeks of the upcoming season after an impressive training block this summer.
"He's dominating match practice," Hardwick said.
"He was flying last Thursday. It's a credit to him. It was really tough for him, for our footy club and for his family. They weren't quite sure which way he'd go or whether he'd play again, but he's doing everything right. We can't wait to see him back on the field."
https://www.afl.com.au/news/374095/-he-looks-as-good-as-he-s-ever-looked-higgins-builds-to-tiger-return
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Higgo sent home with flu symptons as a precaution.
source: Mark Stevens Ch7.
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Higgo's 21st birthday today :birthday.
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'My head's stronger than anyone else's': Higgins eyes return after brain surgery
By Callum Twomey
afl.com.au
23 April 2020
RICHMOND youngster Jack Higgins has a newfound perspective on football following the brain surgery that threatened his career last year.
After bursting onto the scene in 2018, the hard-working small forward played the Tigers' first 13 games last year before experiencing headaches and blurred vision in matches in the middle of the season.
Scans showed he a brain bleed that required urgent surgery, which Higgins revealed this year was so delicate that he could have been paralysed or died if things had not gone successfully.
However, after spending two weeks recovering in hospital and being concerned he would never play football at any level again, Higgins enjoyed a strong pre-season and narrowly missed selection for a triumphant return in the Tigers' round one win over Carlton.
The 21-year-old said he was hoping to face the Blues but knew it would be difficult breaking into the reigning premiers' line-up.
"Of course it is [disappointing to have missed round one] but I'm coming off a very long run-up. I had the big setback last year and to be honest I'm just happy to be playing footy again," he told AFL.com.au.
"I'm pretty hungry. When I did miss out in round one I knew there's bigger stuff happening in the world. Obviously I want to play footy at the highest level I can.
"Sometimes you have to wait your time and I know the side is coming off a premiership so it's not going to be an easy team to break in."
Higgins' dedication to getting drafted was famous before he stepped into Punt Road, but he said last year's shock injury battle had altered his mindset.
"I thought 'Oh I'm never playing footy again' and footy has been my whole life. But looking back on it I'm just happy that I came out of it all right. I think I've got this new approach in my head that knows other stuff is happening in the world now," he said.
"It would have been huge if I'd missed out on football, because it's my career gone in one instant. But I've definitely learned a lot of things out of it.
"I still try to work the hardest I can to be the best footballer I can. But I reckon my perspective's changed. But in the past if I'd played a bad game I would have been so down on myself now I can get over it quicker.
"I just play it week-to-week now, whereas before I was always thinking too far in the future."
Higgins will have to bide his time for his AFL comeback while in the game's shutdown period due to the coronavirus outbreak, but when he does play it will be without a helmet.
"I saw a photo and I thought it looked terrible, so I gave it the flick," he said.
"My head is very, very strong now. I've got 11 screws and plates in there, so my head's stronger than anyone else's. About six weeks after surgery I could have played again but the main worry was if I got a knock to the head but now it's really strong."
His time in the age of isolation has included training and following Richmond's fitness regime, as well as some gaming, which is a favourite pastime for Higgins.
So much so that he has joined the AFL Gamers Network, which will see stars from around the competition battle each other in the online world. The dedicated hub of AFL guns will stream their gaming online, with fans able to tune in and interact with their favourite players.
Higgins said he is looking forward to battling it out – but maybe not on FIFA.
"I love Call of Duty so I'll definitely be playing that. But I haven't played much FIFA recently and when you haven't played a lot of FIFA and you go back to it, you just get smacked. And you can't be getting smacked when it's going out for everyone to watch," he said.
"I've been playing PlayStation since I was out of the womb.
"I got the PlayStation and Xbox 4 on the day they came out and I'm going to do the same for the Xbox and PlayStation 5 when they drop later in the year. I've always loved gaming, it's awesome."
https://www.afl.com.au/news/391806/-my-head-s-stronger-than-anyone-else-s-higgins-eyes-return-after-brain-surgery
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Richmond tyro Jack Higgins will play his first AFL match this season on Thursday night against Collingwood.
There were fears the 21-year-old might never fully recover - let alone play football at the highest level again - after he underwent brain surgery last year.
But his return shapes as one of the feel-good stories of 2020 as the full-strength Tigers reboot their premiership defence at the MCG. It will be Higgins’ first game at senior level in 364 days.
‘‘It’s a great story, Jack, he’ll play his first game back since that significant injury last year,’’ Richmond coach Damien Hardwick said. ‘‘It’s a testament to the lad. His professionalism and his dedication to his craft is incredible.
‘‘One thing he’s done is gone away and improved some facets of his game that we love as well.’’
Hardwick said Higgins’ return had lifted the Tigers when they were told the news on Wednesday morning.
‘‘Any brain injury is significant and quite scary in nature and there was a chance that he might not have been able to play again,’’ Hardwick said.
‘‘But his doctors and surgeons have done a wonderful job... and Jack himself has done a wonderful job in rehab to make sure he’s given himself every chance. The smile on his face when he found out he was playing was a great highlight for our playing group.’’
https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/higgins-cleared-for-afl-return-bennell-confirmed-for-demons-20200610-p5517h.html
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Should he wear a helmet?
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Should he wear a helmet?
Depends on the medical advice and if wearing one makes him feel more confident. It wasn't a concussion or skull structural issue, so given he has made a full recovery and the surgery fixed the problem then the advice could be he doesn't require a helmet. I don't know if that's the case but I didn't him wearing a helmet in any training pics since they've returned to full contact training.
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Tigers young gun makes significant impact in AFL return following brain surgery
June 12, 2020
Matt Balmer
FOX SPORTS
Higgins missed the majority of the 2019 season after a bleed on the brain, forcing the small forward to have multiple surgeries before he could return to the field.
The 21-year-old played a crucial role in Damien Hardwick’s Round 2 side, booting a controversial goal from 13 disposals.
Speaking to Fox Footy following the 36-all draw against Collingwood, Higgins declared he wasn’t feeling “too bad” following the MCG contest.
“(I’ve) got a few scratches, got a big one from Chris Mayne on the back of head. It was all good,” he said.
“When I went down with the brain injury last year, I thought I wouldn’t play again or walk or anything like that.
“To be playing tonight I’ve got to commend all the people that supported me. The coaches they gave me heaps of feedback and stuff to get back, I’m glad to get back.”
Higgins is now sporting a massive scare on his head, with the youngster joking he tells non-football followers a shark attacked him in Western Australia.
“I couldn’t really see or I couldn’t do much (last year),” he reflected.
“I remember watching the Grand Final last year and I could hardly see that game going on, I was just going off what the crowd was. Richmond had a lot of fans there, it was blurry but I’m glad to be back.”
https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-2020-collingwood-vs-richmond-draw-jack-higgins-brain-surgery-mark-goal/news-story/25bdfb94d74d96bc638d35fb3652c09b
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‘SERIOUSLY’: HIGGINS’ INCREDIBLE COMEBACK
There are few stories out there like Richmond Tigers 21-year-old Jack Higgins, who returned to top flight footy for the first time in a year after going through two brain surgeries last year.
There were fears that Higgins may never fully recover after a brain bleed and previously undiagnosed blood vessel weakness were identified and he went under the knife.
But back in senior footy, Higgins even kicked a goal, albeit in controversial circumstances.
With the ball called a mark by the review system, despite appearances to the contrary with the goal umpire calling it a behind, fans blew up over the decision.
“You can clearly see the ball was marked before the line,” the score review official said.
Few else agreed although many seemed to give Higgins the benefit of the doubt as he went back and slotted the goal.
Post-game, Higgins told Triple M Footy that he wasn’t sure about the mark.
“As they say in cricket, you always got to go with the batsman,” he said. “I couldn’t see cause it was right in the light of the thing, and yeah I couldn’t see it, so we’ll claim it.”
With a goal, a behind, 12 disposals and eight marks, it was a great return to the AFL for Higgins.
https://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/afl-2020-talking-points-after-103year-draw-first-between-collingwood-magpies-and-richmond-tigers/news-story/437d7597c59085da15ea064b7610e3e2
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Gillon McLachlan says the right call was made in awarding Jack Higgins a controversial mark at a pivotal moment in Thursday night's draw between Collingwood and Richmond but admits it was a "courageous" decision.
"I thought it was a courageous decision by the match reviewer and I thought it was correct," he said on 3AW.
"It was a big call but I have looked at it again this morning and I reckon I was right."
https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/all-clear-but-courageous-afl-boss-backs-controversial-higgins-mark-20200612-p551xh.html
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It was actually the right call! The whole ball has to be over the line for a score to count (even when going for a behind because its the same line). We see it all the time on the goal line when defenders are are trying to touch the ball to rush a behind - the whole ball has to be over the line for it be paid a goal, so when Higgins marks on the behind line then the mark has to be paid.
The only thing outrageous in the whole incident was BT trying to take it off us because he thought he 'saw something'! ::)
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AFL officially approves contentious goal-line mark paid to Richmond forward Jack Higgins.
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/more-news/afl-officially-approves-contentious-goalline-mark-paid-to-richmond-forward-jack-higgins/news-story/992b0662efd7fded3e801ff3600cecbe
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THE STAR PLAYER WHO JACK HIGGINS WANTS TO EMULATE
BY LAURENCE ROSEN A DAY AGO
Jack Higgins says he’s keen to develop his game to eventually mirror Port Adelaide star Robbie Gray’s role across the midfield and forward line.
The 21-year-old has played every game for Richmond since the season restart, working his way back from brain surgery which restricted him to 13 games in 2019.
While Higgins says he sees himself more as a midfielder rather than a forward, he said he is enjoying the new role coach Damien Hardwick has him playing this year.
“I see myself as a better midfielder than a forward,” Higgins said on SEN’s Tiger Time.
“Just for my running ability and I think I can sneak forward. If I could be half as good as Robbie Gray … I’d like to (emulate him) in the future.
“I’m playing a more high half forward role at the moment so I’m sort of getting used to that, I haven’t really played it in the last two years.
“It’s more getting up in to the midfield, not so much a midfielder but getting around the midfielder and doing heaps of stoppages so that’s pretty new for me.
“Getting the ball forward is my role, it’s really interesting as I’ve never really played it before but I’m enjoying it so far.”
Higgins is averaging 17 disposals from six matches in 2020, while he has also kicked three goals.
https://www.sen.com.au/news/2020/07/21/the-star-player-who-jack-higgins-wants-to-emulate/
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If he could be half the player Gray is I would be happy.
Don't rate Higgins this year. Bit of a hack but at least he's having a go.
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Hasn't been our worst but he panics a lot.
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Given that it's only been ten months since his last surgery I dare say he's probably still not quite 100% yet... :shh
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If he could be half the player Gray is I would be happy.
Don't rate Higgins this year. Bit of a hack but at least he's having a go.
Oh man Robbie gray is an absolute jet. I actually rate him as port’s best player ever and as per your sentiments if Higgins could be half the player he is that would be epic.
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If he could be half the player Gray is I would be happy.
Don't rate Higgins this year. Bit of a hack but at least he's having a go.
Oh man Robbie gray is an absolute jet. I actually rate him as port’s best player ever and as per your sentiments if Higgins could be half the player he is that would be epic.
Not sure if you're taking the mick but personally I reckon Gray was robbed of a Brownlow somewhere between 2014-2016. Twilight now but jet is a good word for him.
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Not sarcastic at all. Gray is a jet. It was a year or two ago there was that game where they were down by less than a goal and how he took the tap from Ryder and put it through, he’s the only person in his club who could do that. That goal after the siren from the boundary was pretty great as well.
He would definitely get more press if he was playing for a Vic club.
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Has a go but his kicking has been and is his biggest weakness. Must improve his poor technique me thinks...
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Has a pass this year...will start to worry if he doesn't improve next....still the only bloke who's put in 100% every game though... :shh
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Not a big wrap for Higgins. A long way to go with his kicking and decision making, but he's showed signs.
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Kicking is not AFL standard. Needs to turn into a handball king or may not make it
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Has a pass this year...will start to worry if he doesn't improve next....still the only bloke who's put in 100% every game though... :shh
Just to add to this...he's not a midfielder and never will be, he's a forward... :shh :shh
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How did we all see Higgo's return to the seniors?
12 disposals (7k, 5h, 7c, 6u, 66.7% eff.)
4 marks
2 tackles (1 tackle in50)
3 inside 50s
238 metres gained
2 score involvements
1 goal
1 behind
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If I had to rate our small forwards for the night as bad as they all were id rate him above both Rioli and Castagna. Only Aarts had a slightly better game than him even though all of them should be ashamed of how they played overall.
Only 2 more games left I hope they find form and play our way leading into finals.
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None of our small forwards are dangerous around goals lately.
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Unless your Deisel or Sam Mitchell you can't be that small and slow... :shh
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Not a fan of Higgins game. Not in our best 22. Panics, poor decision making, slow. Hes basically castagna without the pace and the sometimes pressure.
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Not a fan.
Poor decision making, disposal, and very selfish.
Don't want him in the team personally.
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Its a no for me.
1 F50 tackle
see you later
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Last quarter was good?
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Its a no for me.
1 F50 tackle
see you later
Castagna and Rioli were less effective than Higgins shall we drop them first?
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I think he needs the time off to get back some form and fitness. Obvious it’s incredible that he can play given his health issues. I really rate him when he’s fit and firing. A natural forward and just had good goal sense.
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I think some of you need to reread this thread and remember your thoughts
Not a fan.
Poor decision making, disposal, and very selfish.
Don't want him in the team personally.
If you want a first rounder for him maybe you should start deleting your posts.
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Happy for Higgins to leave for greater opportunity but we must be compensated to our satisfaction.
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I think some of you need to reread this thread and remember your thoughts
Not a fan.
Poor decision making, disposal, and very selfish.
Don't want him in the team personally.
If you want a first rounder for him maybe you should start deleting your posts.
Don't like him, but I don't see any reason to roll over for Saints.
We need to extract maximum value.
Stand by my comments.
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I think some of you need to reread this thread and remember your thoughts
Not a fan.
Poor decision making, disposal, and very selfish.
Don't want him in the team personally.
If you want a first rounder for him maybe you should start deleting your posts.
Don't like him, but I don't see any reason to roll over for Saints.
We need to extract maximum value.
Stand by my comments.
Which one?, they sort of conflict
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I think some of you need to reread this thread and remember your thoughts
Not a fan.
Poor decision making, disposal, and very selfish.
Don't want him in the team personally.
If you want a first rounder for him maybe you should start deleting your posts.
Don't like him, but I don't see any reason to roll over for Saints.
We need to extract maximum value.
Stand by my comments.
Which one?, they sort of conflict
Don't like him, poor decisions, selfish. I liked his game in 2018 but not much since.
Doesn't mean I don't think he's worth a first rounder though.
Was pick 17, has played 43 of a possible 70 games in the best team in the league despite having brain surgery. Managed 10 games this year off minimal pre-season etc. How many blokes drafted in 2017 have played 43 games so far even without brain surgery interrupting their career?
The idea that his value has now slid down to pick 25-35 like some people here are suggesting is laughable. Being squeezed out of the best team in the AFL is nothing to be ashamed of and doesn't mean you are worth diddly squat. Look at KMac ffs. Higgin's value should be similar to his draft value at least - Saints first rounder should be included in any deal.
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He has footy brains, good fitness and physique, goal kicking ability etc.
Plenty to offer.
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I don't see upside in him.Poor kicking and skills not great pickup a kid from the wafl or sanfl like that if we can get a good pick do it.