Jack Higgins Biography

After missing out on being part of Richmond's last two flags, St Kilda recruit Jack Higgins hopes to taste premiership success as a Saint.

"I want to get some consistent games and hopefully be in St Kilda's second premiership team," he said.

"It was a really hard decision for me to leave Richmond because it's such a great club with such good players and blokes there, and coaches. But at the end of the day I thought St Kilda would be the best for my future and also I see how much the club's going to go up in an upwards spiral.

"They've got some really good young players and hopefully I can be part of that group and be together as a team for the next 10 years."

Richmond trade Jack Higgins to St Kilda. The Saints gave up pick No.17 and a future second-round selection for Higgins and received pick No.21 and a future fourth-rounder back from the Tigers.

"I grew up barracking for the Saints, so it really is a dream come true to represent the club," Higgins said.

"I'm really keen to meet my new teammates and be part of the Saints moving forward, because they're definitely heading somewhere pretty special."

Jack Higgins officially requests a trade from Richmond, nominating St Kilda as his preferred destination.

Jack Higgins will cap a remarkable comeback from two bouts of brain surgery when he makes his AFL return against Collingwood, just nine months after his last surgery in September.

"It's a great story, Jack, he'll play tomorrow night so it'll be his first game back since that significant injury last year and it's a testament to the lad," Tigers coach Damien Hardwick said.

"His professionalism and his dedication to his craft is incredible. The one thing he's done is gone away and improved some facets of his game as well. There was a chance he may never play again."

Jack Higgins says returning to football after undergoing brain surgery has given him a new perspective on his career.

"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," Higgins said.

"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."

Richmond is growing in confidence that gun youngster Jack Higgins will put himself in the club's selection mix for round one following a recovery from brain surgery midway through 2019.

"It's been incredibly tough to go through what he's had to go through," Richmond coach Damien Hardwick said.

"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."

Now on the road to recovery, Jack Higgins opens up on his brain surgery and the fears he had to confront.

"I cried a bit when I heard the news. It was really scary when the neurosurgeon told me there's a lot of risks in the surgery," Higgins said.

"If he touches the wrong thing, I could be paralysed, never play footy again or even worse, die."

Prior to surgery, Higgins had experienced headaches during matches earlier in the season, but they weren't related to head knocks or concussion, so he didn't think much of it.

"Then, one time after a match, I felt really bad, couldn't drive home at night and felt absolutely terrible," he said.

"The next day, I felt decent enough and the next day after that, got scans, hadn't slept in about 48 hours and was in an MRI machine. I got rushed to some hospital, I can't remember (which one), it's a bit of a blur."

Following surgery, Higgins became resigned to the fact he wouldn't add to his 33 AFL games with his life going in a completely opposite direction.

"At the time, there were some pretty bad things going through my head. I thought I'd probably never play footy again, probably never walk again, have to have a carer for the rest of my life," he said.

"So, to be out there training, after I had the surgery three months ago when I hardly could walk, hardly eat, hurt when I open and close my mouth, yeah, it's pretty crazy. I'm just happy to be here training and hopefully should be right."

Richmond is confident Jack Higgins will be back in full training in 2020 after recovering from a brain bleed.

"He had some really good news on his condition a couple of weeks ago, that he's virtually back to square one," Tigers footy boss Neil Balme said.

"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."

Jack Higgins has been booked in for brain surgery to fix his ongoing issues stemming from a brain bleed earlier in the year.

Higgins will require six months recovery from the procedure and has been told he will be able to resume his football career late next year.

"No one is underestimating how uncomfortable this is for the poor kid, and while they were hoping for a different procedure, that hasn't quite fixed everything," Richmond football manager Neil Balme said.

"It is obviously very challenging, but again, the positives out of it are that once he gets through it, he will be as good as new."

Draft prospect Cody Weightman says Jack Higgins is a mentor and an inspiration for him.

The pair became close friends through a mutual acquaintance in the sports industry, and Weightman still talks weekly to the young Richmond midfielder.

"His training standards are elite. It's something I try to copy and put into my game," he said.

"He's had people critique him in a lot of ways and he hasn't taken a bar of any of it. He's just forged his own path. We all have people who might doubt us but the way he's gone about it and used it as motivation is something I do as well now."

Jack Higgins will take no further part in the 2019 season due to a brain bleed.

The issue was caused by an "abnormality" in his blood vessels, something he's had since birth but had not been previously identified.

Higgins, who has played the last three weeks in the VFL after losing his spot in the team, did not suffer the bleed due to a head knock and is expected to be fit to play in 2020.

"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," Richmond coach Damien Hardwick explained.

"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.

"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."

Jack Higgins is hospitalised with a brain bleed and is in doubt for the rest of the 2019 season.

The 20-year-old, who has played the past three weeks in the VFL, was unwell with headaches and had scans which revealed the bleed.

Jack Higgins has been dropped from the Tigers' senior side after 28 straight games dating back to round nine in 2018.

The 20-year-old has averaged 13 touches and has not kicked a goal over his past three games.

"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," Richmond coach Damien Hardwick said of Higgins.

"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."

Jack Higgins will don the No.13 guernsey in 2019 after asking Richmond to swap from the No.28 jumper he wore in his debut season to honour a special mentor.

His change was to honour the father of one of his mates – who wore 13 in his football career – and has acted as a mentor.

Jack Higgins is the 2018 round 18 Rising Star nominee after collecting 18 disposals and kicking a goal against St Kilda at Etihad Stadium.

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."

Jack Higgins signs a two-year contract extension to remain at Richmond until the end of 2021.

"Jack has made an exciting start to his football career and is settling into the club very well for a young man," Richmond football manager Neil 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."

19-year old Jack 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.

"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," Tigers teammate Shane Edwards said.

Richmond coach Damien Hardwick has blasted the AFL's score review system after a Jack Higgins shot at goal was confusingly ruled a behind in Richmond's win over St Kilda.

The first-year Tiger had a shot from 50 metres in the third term of his side's 28-point win.

The goal umpire is understood to have believed it was a goal before it was touched by Saints big man Tom Hickey, but it was referred to the goal review system, which ruled it a behind, despite replays not conclusively showing it was touched before fully passing the goal line.

Hardwick questioned why the game should stop despite the goal umpire's initial call Higgins' kick was a goal.

"So why do we wait? Why don't we just go back to the centre? He's called a goal. We're asked to trust and respect the umpires, how about the we back the goal umpire in and then we go back to the centre? And if you haven't figured it out by that stage just let the game go. Momentum in sport is a wonderful thing," Hardwick said post-game.

"I sit there and I still don't know how it got turned over. Seriously, it's an embarrassment to our game. I reckon it really is. The technology is deplorable."

Richmond coach Damien Hardwick says it was a tough decision to omit first-gamer Jack Higgins after a superb debut against Hawthorn.

"I think he appreciated the opportunity last week and he's going to be a really good player," Hardwick said of Higgins.

"He just loves footy. He craves it. He's one of these guys that's first in and you've got to tell him to go home.

"They're the sorts of players I love to coach and if he continues to work hard, and I have no doubt he will, he's going to be a long-term Richmond player."

Jack Higgins makes his AFL debut for Richmond at the MCG with 12 disposals (4 kicks and 8 handballs), 2 marks, a tackle and 2 goals in a 13-point win over Hawthorn.

Jack Higgins credits a video game as his inspiration for his mid-air soccer goal in Richmond's win over Hawthorn at the MCG in his AFL debut.

"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 also joined the the first kick, first goal club in his debut, finishing with two majors for the match.

Jack Higgins' ascent to being a likely early pick at this year's NAB AFL Draft continued when he won the Morrish Medal as the TAC Cup's best player for 2017.

It continues an excellent season for Higgins, who starred for Vic Metro at the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships, where he was named an All Australian and his side's most valuable player.