Jack Higgins stamps himself as new Richmond cult hero in 13-point win against Hawthorn
DON’T look now, but Higgins might still be running around the MCG celebrating. Richmond has unearthed a new cult hero, and Jack Higgins might be much more than that after a key role in beating Hawthorn.
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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.
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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.
Originally published as Jack Higgins stamps himself as new Richmond cult hero in 13-point win against Hawthorn
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