Jack Higgins

Upon an all-clear diagnosis on his brain bleed, Higgins made a return to self-supervised training in the last week of October 2019 and a return to light duties at club training in December.

The club had Higgins training with the midfield group over summer, hoping he could play a similar role to premiership winning hybrid midfielder/forward Kane Lambert. He impressed the coaching staff with his elite running ability in his pre-season, completing the three kilometre time-trial in 10 minutes and 10 seconds to place third among all players at the club. Higgins played his first football in Richmond colours when he represented the club in a series of AFLX exhibition matches in Sydney in February 2018. He also played limited minutes in the club's first official pre-season match, recording five disposals against Essendon in Wangaratta. He didn't do enough to earn a recall in the final match of that series however, instead playing a practice match with the club's reserves side in the VFL. There he stayed through the first week of the AFL season, kicking two goals in a VFL practice match win over the Northern Blues. Higgins flew as a travelling emergency with the club's senior side to Adelaide the following week before playing another VFL practice match the next day, this time racking up 22 disposals, six marks, five tackles and a goal. His form was noted by the club's AFL match committee and he was selected to make his AFL debut against Hawthorn at the MCG the following week. Higgins had a quiet start to the match, failing to win a possession the match's first quarter. In the second term he made his impact, winning a mark deep inside Richmond's forward line before playing on, spinning round his body and snapping through a goal with his first kick in league football. He added another later in the match, soccering the ball in mid-air to help his team to a 13 point victory. He finished the game with 12 disposals and two goals, the latter of which earned him a nomination for Goal of the Week. Despite this strong performance, Higgins was omitted from the round 4 side chosen to face the Brisbane Lions due to the return of premiership players Dion Prestia and Josh Caddy. He sat out just one match, returning to AFL football with a team-high three goals in round 5's ANZAC Day eve match against Melbourne. He thus became the first Richmond player to kick multiple goals in the first two matches of their career since Justin Plapp did so in 1998. Higgins added another two goals in round 6, the second coming right after the first when he was awarded a free kick in the goal-square after being knocked down by Collingwood's Lynden Dunn while celebrating the first. He played senior matches in each of the next two weeks before being a late withdrawal from the selected side in round 9, replaced by premiership midfielder Shaun Grigg despite Higgins being in full-health. Higgins spent just one week on the sidelines before returning in round 10, this time becoming the subject of major news story when he was disallowed a goal on a score-review that the AFL later admitted was incorrect. Five weeks later he attracted yet more media attention when Seven Network cameras caught Higgins delivering a comical speech to his huddled teammates during a match's half-time break. Head coach Damien Hardwick flagged an intent to give Higgins more midfield time after that match in which he gathered 20 disposals in his side's victory over Sydney. He also earned praise from Richmond vice-captain Jack Riewoldt who said Higgins had been "really, really good for (Richmond) this year" as well as praising Higgins' work off-ball, an area he said was often a weakness in first-year players. To that point he ranked second for total goal assists, third for score involvements per game, fourth for contested possessions per game and fifth for total tackles inside 50 among all Rising Star eligible players in the league that season. In round 16 he recorded a season-best 25 disposals in his side's victory over Adelaide and two weeks later he received a Rising Star nomination for an 18 disposal, four clearance and one goal performance in his side's round 18 win over St Kilda.. Higgins received another award nomination the following week, this time for Goal of the Year for a goal-line scissor kick against Collingwood which 3AW commentator Tim Lane referred to as “one of the greatest, most creative goals ever kicked in 120 years of (the sport).” The goal attracted significant controversy, with commentators and fans labeling it a throw as it required Higgins to elevate the ball into the air while his body traveled around the goal-line in the act of kicking. Umpiring officials later supported the on-field umpire's decision to award the goal as Higgins' action to put the ball into the air was deemed to come in the action of kicking. Higgins continued to earn selection at senior level into the finals series, where he recorded 20 disposals, eight score involvements and one goal in his side's qualifying final win over Hawthorn. He was named by AFL Media as one of Richmond's best players in the following match, a shock preliminary final loss to Collingwood in which he kicked two of his side's eight goals. At season's end Higgins was nominated for the AFL Players Association's Best First-Year Player, placed fourth in the AFL Rising Star and won Richmond's best first year player award. He also received the Goal of the Year award for his round 19 scissor-kick goal. Higgins finished 2018 having played 20 matches and ranking first for contested possessions, goal assists and score involvements per game across the Rising Star eligible players that year.

In the 2018/19 off-season, Higgins changed guernsey numbers to the number 13 and spent time training for a potential positional change from a forward/midfielder to a more predominately midfield role. He began the year by being drafted to and playing for the Nat Fyfe captained Flyers team in the 2019 AFLX exhibition tournament in late February. Following that competition he played in each of Richmond's two official pre-season matches, where he averaged 20 disposals and two goals a game. In the opening round of the season-proper Higgins was impressive, earning a nomination for the league's Goal of the Week for a forward-pocket snap that was one of his three goals that night. That performance was strong enough to see him earn selection to AFL Media's Team of the Week. After kicking a total of three goals across his next two matches, Higgins was moved to a midfield role in round 4 following the loss of Trent Cotchin and Dustin Martin to injury and suspension respectively. While in the midfield he twice equaled his career-best with 25 disposals in back-to-back games in rounds 5 and 6. Higgins' next goal scoring match game in round 9 with a single major before kicking his first multi-goal haul since round 2 with two six-pointers against Essendon in round 10. He continued to play as a hybrid forward/midfielder through the club's round 14 bye, but going goalless and failing to make a significant impact with an average of 13 disposals per game over the last three matches of that period. After the bye, and after 28 consecutive matches for Richmond at AFL level, Higgins was dropped from the club's round 14 side and forced to play reserves grade football in the VFL. He was lively at the level, playing more midfield minutes than he had in AFL matches and averaging 23 disposals and a goal a game over three matches. He would fail to play again at any level that season however, when a series of severe headaches in mid July led to Higgins being admitted to hospital with a brain bleed. The condition was identified as a previously undiagnosed blood vessel weakness that would require surgery to repair but that could be corrected permanently and that place Higgins under no serious continuing health risk. In late July, he underwent a non-invasive surgery meant to correct the condition and allow for a return to football for the start of the 2020 season. A review of his condition one month later however, showed the need for a second, more extensive surgery in September. Estimates at that time suggested his basic recovery could take as long as six months and effectively rule him out from match play for most of the 2020 season. He was discharged from hospital in mid-September and participated in light jogging at the club in the week prior to the AFL grand final. Coach Damien Hardwick hinted at an advanced schedule for his return at the club's best and fairest count the following week, saying he looked "forward to seeing (Higgins in) round one next year.” Higgins played 13 AFL matches as well as three games at VFL level in 2019 and was one of just sixe players on the list to feature in neither the AFL nor VFL premierships that year.

In the months leading into the 2017 junior season Higgins participated in the AFL's Academy program and traveled with the group on it high performance training camp trip to the United States of America. There he placed first in the camp's time-trial race. He also participated in the program's showcase game in April, in rainy conditions at the MCG. He starred in that match, kicking two goals, laying six tackles and recording 19 disposals (14 contested). He was noted then as a potential number one overall draft pick and drew comparisons to Greater Western Sydney forward and AFL All-Australian Toby Greene.

Higgins returned to TAC Cup football with the Oakleigh Chargers in 2017 and held averages of 24 disposals, six marks and five tackles per game to go along with 27 goals in 13 matches. His goal-kicking tally was seventh best in the competition. Perhaps his standout game came in round 17 of the competition, when he kicked seven goals in his side's 88-point victory over the Bendigo Pioneers. He continued to earn significant praise from AFL draft experts, with ESPN's Christopher Doerre labeling him a likely top-10 pick Higgins ultimately won the Morrish Medal as the TAC Cup's best and fairest player on the back of his spectacular 2017 season. He polled 22 votes total including in nine of his 13 games and in doing so became the first player in Oakleigh history to win the award. Despite taking out the league award he placed only second in the Oakleigh best and fairest, placing behind forward Toby Wooler.

Higgins was invited to attend the national draft combine in Melbourne in October 2017. He placed second in the class for the kicking test, missing just one of an available 30 points.

Higgins was drafted by Richmond with the club's first pick and the 17th selection overall, the last pick of the 1st round in the 2017 AFL national draft.

Higgins had to this point attended high school at both De La Salle College and later Caufield Grammar School, but left at the end of year 11 in 2016. Instead he focused on his football, committing to a rigorous weights program and extensive external sprints, skills and kicking coaching. In addition to boosting his fitness, the program also improved his kicking efficiency in his TAC Cup season from 72 per cent the previous year to 78 per cent in 2017. He also spent part of his draft year studying umpiring with AFL umpires development manager Adam Davis and worked part time at a local gym.

His first representative football experience came when he joined the Oakleigh Chargers under-16s program. Soon after he was named the best player at the under-16 national championships while representing the Victorian Metropolitan region in 2015. That year he played his first matches for Oakleigh's TAC Cup side. He did so on 10 occasions and kicked a total of 19 goals across the season and finals. Despite being a year below draft eligibility, Higgins led the competition for average score involvements (8.9 per game) and averaged a stunning 26.7 disposals per game. His average of 145 Champion Data ranking points per game also placed him fourth in the league, behind top-age players and that year's eventual top three AFL draft picks in Andrew McGrath, Tim Taranto and Hugh McCluggage. He finished that break-out year by playing in an under-17s All-Star match as a curtain raiser to that year's AFL grand final.

He first played competitive football with Ormond Football Club in the South Metro Junior Football League before later moving to play for East Malvern Junior Football Club in the same league. Higgins was an impressive junior player and leader, captaining his side to a Division 1 premiership at under-13 level in 2012. He was named best on ground in that grand final and kicked a sealing goal deep into the fourth quarter of the match to win his side the final. His dedication to the sport was already on full display, having already learnt to kick proficiently on his left leg at age ten in order to win a bet with his dad. Such was his dedication that when he missed out on the 50-player Victorian state squad at under-12 level he immediately went to the park to run 200 metre sprints in an effort to improve his attributes. In fact he even worked with a specialist running coach as early as age 13.

Jack Higgins (born 19 March 1999) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Richmond Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). As a junior he was named All Australian at the 2017 AFL Under 18 Championships and won the Morrish Medal as the best player in the Victorian junior state league, the TAC Cup. He was drafted by Richmond with the last pick of the first round in the 2017 AFL national draft and made his debut for the club in round 3 of the 2018 season.