Shaun Higgins
Encyclopedia
Shaun Higgins is an Australian rules football
er for the Western Bulldogs
in the Australian Football League
. Higgins can play a variety of positions up forward and now has been playing a lot in the midfield. He is now considered one of the Bulldogs most important players and is a key to their future. With the retirement of club legend Scott West, the famous number 7 jumper was handed down to Higgins, who was described as a likely future captain of the club.
team of the year.
. He played mostly as a small forward then but suffered a season-ending elbow injury in Round 13 against the West Coast Eagles
, ruling him out of that year's finals campaign. Before his injury he showed flashes of brilliance in front of goals. But his fitness levels were not quite up. But even at that stage he was a standout with his accurate kicking and awareness of what was around him.
With the frustration of missing his first season, This was Higgins' breakout year after coming off a season ending elbow injury. He proved a handy Goal Kicker up forward that could take a good mark and set up players for a Goal. This was the year where the doubters got off his back and found out just how good he really was, and proved what kind of prospect he is. The game most notable was against the team he made his debut against, Collingwood where he kicked the Winning Goal. He was the Round 8 nominee for the 2007 NAB Rising Star award.
With a great win against Adelaide to open the season Higgins played a vital role in the win. His Season was cut short in round 2 with a Broken Ankle against Melbourne when he landed on it coming down from a Marking contest. It was only supposed to keep him our for a few weeks but the injury was worse than first thought. But came back to play in the Finals. Higgins learned a valuable lesson that year and it has made him a better Footballer. When he was injured he was always in the Bulldogs rooms encouraging his team mates and this was the first sign of Leadership that he shown and he later was voted by his peers as a leader. In the preliminary Final against Geelong Higgins was playing on Darren Milburn, Higgins went on to kick two goals on him and set one up and Milburn got taken off the ground.
Although he is primarily a forward, Higgins has been used sometimes in the midfield. In 2009 Higgins was promoted into the Leadership group. And he received the famous number 7 that was worn by Scott West and Doug Hawkins before him. Higgins had a brilliant pre-season that was up there with Daniel Cross and Matthew Boyd in the time trials. He is touted as being the next captain of the Club. He had a solid 2009 season but had hamstring troubles that put a damper on his performance. He has the ability of kicking both feet and has great speed. His most notable goal was against Geelong. He is a very fit onballer that can run all day. He signed a contract extension midway through the season.
. He attended St Joseph's College. He played junior football for Newtown and Chilwell and was a Geelong
supporter. His father Mick played reserves football for Geelong. His sister Danielle plays netball for the Geelong Cougars in the Victorian Netball League.
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
er for the Western Bulldogs
Western Bulldogs
The Western Bulldogs are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based at the Whitten Oval in West Footscray, an inner-western suburb of Melbourne...
in the Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
. Higgins can play a variety of positions up forward and now has been playing a lot in the midfield. He is now considered one of the Bulldogs most important players and is a key to their future. With the retirement of club legend Scott West, the famous number 7 jumper was handed down to Higgins, who was described as a likely future captain of the club.
Early career
Higgins was the Geelong Falcons best onballer and was projected to go higher than pick 11, but fell in the lap of the Western Bulldogs. Ahead of him were players such as Dale Thomas, Pendlebury and Marc Murphy. He was named in the 2005 TAC CupTAC Cup
The TAC Cup is an under 18 Australian rules football representative competition held in Victoria, Australia. It is based on geographic regions throughout country Victoria and metropolitan Melbourne with each team representing 12 Victorian regions....
team of the year.
AFL career
He managed to make his debut in his first season, against CollingwoodCollingwood Football Club
The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
. He played mostly as a small forward then but suffered a season-ending elbow injury in Round 13 against the West Coast Eagles
West Coast Eagles
The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League. The club is based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 and played its first games in the 1987 season. Its current home ground is Subiaco Oval...
, ruling him out of that year's finals campaign. Before his injury he showed flashes of brilliance in front of goals. But his fitness levels were not quite up. But even at that stage he was a standout with his accurate kicking and awareness of what was around him.
With the frustration of missing his first season, This was Higgins' breakout year after coming off a season ending elbow injury. He proved a handy Goal Kicker up forward that could take a good mark and set up players for a Goal. This was the year where the doubters got off his back and found out just how good he really was, and proved what kind of prospect he is. The game most notable was against the team he made his debut against, Collingwood where he kicked the Winning Goal. He was the Round 8 nominee for the 2007 NAB Rising Star award.
With a great win against Adelaide to open the season Higgins played a vital role in the win. His Season was cut short in round 2 with a Broken Ankle against Melbourne when he landed on it coming down from a Marking contest. It was only supposed to keep him our for a few weeks but the injury was worse than first thought. But came back to play in the Finals. Higgins learned a valuable lesson that year and it has made him a better Footballer. When he was injured he was always in the Bulldogs rooms encouraging his team mates and this was the first sign of Leadership that he shown and he later was voted by his peers as a leader. In the preliminary Final against Geelong Higgins was playing on Darren Milburn, Higgins went on to kick two goals on him and set one up and Milburn got taken off the ground.
Although he is primarily a forward, Higgins has been used sometimes in the midfield. In 2009 Higgins was promoted into the Leadership group. And he received the famous number 7 that was worn by Scott West and Doug Hawkins before him. Higgins had a brilliant pre-season that was up there with Daniel Cross and Matthew Boyd in the time trials. He is touted as being the next captain of the Club. He had a solid 2009 season but had hamstring troubles that put a damper on his performance. He has the ability of kicking both feet and has great speed. His most notable goal was against Geelong. He is a very fit onballer that can run all day. He signed a contract extension midway through the season.
Personal life
Higgins grew up in Geelong, VictoriaVictoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
. He attended St Joseph's College. He played junior football for Newtown and Chilwell and was a Geelong
Geelong Football Club
The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...
supporter. His father Mick played reserves football for Geelong. His sister Danielle plays netball for the Geelong Cougars in the Victorian Netball League.