Jack Higgins could be available for Round 1 after brain sugery
Richmond thought Jack Higgins wouldn’t return until late in 2020 after a second bout of brain surgery, but that timeline has been radically modified. Plus good news on Sydney Stack.
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Jack Higgins will earmark a Round 1 return from multiple brain surgeries as the Tigers left-field contract bonus to keep Sydney Stack in shape pays dividends.
The Tigers have another week before their younger players return to training, having yet again dodged a long list of off-season 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.
Higgins is one of a number of Tigers who will be desperate to win an elusive premiership, with Rising Star contender Sydney Stack just failing in his bid to get back into the side this year after ankle surgery.
The Herald Sun revealed this year that the Tigers had inserted an incentive into his contract to reward a return from the off-season in good condition.
He nearly blew his chance at AFL stardom the previous year when he turned up at the draft camp in poor physical shape, with the Tigers eventually rookie-listing him after a summer at Punt Rd.
Balme said it was list manager Blair Hartley’s decision to consider the clause.
Chelsea EPL manager Frank Lampart’s series of fines for even minor infractions were leaked last week, but the Tigers prefer to reward players instead of penalising them.
“We keep helping him and he has got a little bit of work to do (with his fitness) but he has come back strong,” Balme said of Stack.
“We made a positive contract arrangement with him to come back and he can get a bonus if he meets (fitness targets).”
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Jack Graham and Shai Bolton both had shoulder surgery and won’t be involved in contract drills until after Christmas.
Toby Nankervis also had groin surgery after the issue hampered him through his third season at the Tigers.
Ivan Soldo’s Grand Final performance showed his huge potential, but Nankervis is only 25 and had put together excellent seasons in 2017 and 2018.
The expectation is that the pair can ruck together as they did in the 2019 finals series.
Originally published as Jack Higgins could be available for Round 1 after brain sugery