North Melbourne midfielder Shaun Higgins has taken his game to another level in 2017
LONG regarded the AFL’s perennial tease, Shaun Higgins appears ready to shed the tag and has taken his game to another level in 2017.
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SHAUN Higgins appears ready to shed the tag.
Long regarded the AFL’s perennial tease, the old Dog is showing off new midfield tricks at the Kangaroos.
After Round 2 Higgins, 29, is in career-best form, with his permanent shift to the middle giving North Melbourne a lethal edge.
A glance at Higgins’ Champion Data numbers is enough to make any Kangas fan smile.
The polished playmaker is recording career-bests in almost every category.
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But the impact goes deeper than statistics. Last week against Geelong, North Melbourne scored a crazy 63 points from stoppages — its third-most since 2013.
Suddenly, a midfield that appeared to be going stale looks revitalised.
For so long Jack Ziebell, Ben Cunnington and Andrew Swallow have had a touch of sameness about their bash-and-crash styles.
Coach Brad Scott noted on Thursday that with Daniel Wells now at Collingwood, Higgins could finally be unleashed.
But the omission of Wells isn’t the only change.
Last week, Swallow spent just 40 per cent of his time in the guts, down on 97 and 93 per cent in the past two seasons.
By contrast, Higgins has been deployed in the middle for 89 per cent of his game time this season — up from only 27 and 26 per cent in recent years.
He is providing the point of difference and while it is a small sample, the scope is enormous.
Former teammate Nick Dal Santo noted last week that ex-captain Andrew Swallow was getting squeezed out of the midfield.
Dal Santo on Friday said Swallow still commanded a place in the team, but the fresh mix was giving a new dynamic.
“They’ve got a lot of inside midfielders that do a lot of the grunt work, but you need to complement that with some class,” Dal Santo said.
“Particularly when someone like Wells left. Higgo’s filled that void really well.
“His ball use is exceptional and when he gets the ball, particularly forward of centre, really good things happen.
“His running ability, ability to read the play, aggressive running patterns — getting forward and actually contributing on the scoreboard — is exactly what the Kangas need.”
Higgins had not met Dal Santo before emulating his path to Arden St as a free agent.
Immediately, the ex-Dog’s workrate shone brightly.
“We’d have a training session and he’s really good with ball movement,” Dal Santo said.
“But then we’d often do running afterwards and he’d surprise me at how good he was.
“He’s got a very good running style and is very efficient.”
Even Essendon fan Andrew Bogut is on-board, the injured NBA star with the same manager tweeting:
Mr @SM_Higgins absolutely killing it right now.....
— Andrew Bogut (@andrewbogut) April 2, 2017
Higgins’ first 11 seasons were littered with flashes of brilliance shaded by constant health hurdles.
A fractured and dislocated elbow ruined his debut season in 2006.
Higgins the Bulldog would then overcome a broken navicular, ongoing groin soreness and an overactive thyroid.
Last year, a mid-season knee operation sliced 16 weeks out of his season.
The key question now is, can Higgins — should his body allow him — maintain the midfield rage?
“What you saw last weekend is his par, or his standard,” Dal Santo said.
“I think he can deliver that most weeks, he’s the ultimate professional.
SHAUN HIGGINS — 2017
BY THE NUMBERS
HIGGINS V SWALLOW
Originally published as North Melbourne midfielder Shaun Higgins has taken his game to another level in 2017
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