AFL free agents have nothing to gain from revealing intentions before season over: Higgins
SHAUN Higgins believes the AFL industry is still “years down the track” from free agents announcing they were changing clubs during the course of a season, saying the negatives still outweigh the positives of such transparency.
Nrth Melb
Don't miss out on the headlines from Nrth Melb. Followed categories will be added to My News.
SHAUN Higgins believes the AFL industry is still “years down the track” from free agents announcing they were changing clubs during the course of a season, saying the negatives still outweigh the positives of such transparency.
One of the great free agent success stories, Higgins switched from Western Bulldogs to North Melbourne at the end of the 2014 season, but had made up his mind to leave Whitten Oval well before it happened.
ROO FUTURE: HIGGINS OPENS UP ON MOVE FROM DOGS
BJ: HONESTY NOT THE BEST POLICY
But as he prepares for his 200th game on Sunday against West Coast at Blundstone Area, the 30-year-old says the AFL isn’t ready for free agents to nominate their intentions to move while still playing for clubs they are preparing to depart.
“At the moment, I just don’t see what’s gained by coming out (with a decision to move),” Higgins said when asked about free agency.
Tom Lynch is almost certain to leave Gold Coast, but has yet to make an announcement on his intentions, even though he has had season-ending knee surgery.
Other free agents considering their options include West Coast’s Andrew Gaff and Bulldog Luke Dahlhaus.
“Everyone is in a slightly different situation because some guys genuinely don’t know 100 per cent their decision before the end of the year; some guys have had two or three options; and some guys clearly have made up their mind.
COMPLETE THE SURVEY BELOW AND YOU COULD WIN AFL GRAND FINAL TICKETS
“It is tough … potentially years down the track we will (have more transparency), but at the moment, I can’t see it happening.”
Higgins hasn’t given much thought to his 200-game milestone — one that some feared he would never attained when plagued by injury early in his career — and is more concerned about getting the Kangaroos back on the winner’s list again after last week’s disappointing loss to Collingwood.
“It is clearly a nice achievement, especially given the first half of the journey was pretty rough, so it felt like a mile away at times,” he said.
“But (it is) pleasing to get there this week.
“A lot of things have changed (since leaving the Bulldogs), but at the moment I am just enjoying (my) football. For the majority of the year we have gone about it really well and we look forward this weekend to getting back into that sort of form.”
Higgins played 129 games with Bulldogs and this week will make it 71 for the Kangaroos, with the star midfielder saying reaching 100 games with North Melbourne is also something he is looking forward to doing in the future.
He said his 2018 form — which has seen him push into Brownlow Medal and All-Australian calculations — had been the most consistent of his career.
“I am having a good run at it of late (in terms of his body) definitely helps, and also with the team for the majority of the year playing well,” he said.
“Good players around me makes it easier as well.”
Higgins stressed second-placed West Coast represented a formidable challenge for North Melbourne, saying the club was working towards fixing the issues that saw the club lose three of their past four games.
“It was the most poor performance we have dished out this year,” Higgins said of the 66-point loss to Collingwood. “We reviewed it strongly over the last 24 hours.”
“We look forward to rectifying that, all the facets of our game were down on the weekend, and we look forward to turning the tables down in Tassie.
“They (West Coast) are a quality side. They are strong right across the ground, clearly strong down back, they have got great mids and (they have) two really potent forwards. We will have our work cut out, but we think at our best, we have got a team that can well and truly match that.”
Ben Jacobs will look to Thursday’s main session to try and prove his fitness after enduring a tough few months with concussion-type symptoms and a neck issue. Jarrad Waite (calf) remains at least a week away, though Mason Wood (hamstring) is a chance to return.
Watch every match of every round of the 2018 Toyota AFL Premiership Season. SIGN UP NOW >
Originally published as AFL free agents have nothing to gain from revealing intentions before season over: Higgins