Once might be a fluke, twice a coincidence. Any more than three, and it’s certainly a pattern to take note of.
Jack Higgins’ miracle snap in the final 12 seconds of Sunday’s heart-racing win over Carlton was freakish and fantastic in every sense of the word. “You know how it is!”, Higgins says with a grin post-game.
However clutch moments and timely scoreboard bursts from the potent small forward are becoming more common than you’d think.
Clutch King Higgins
| First Saints Goal of Game | Last Saints Goal of Game | Final Quarter Goal(s) | Total Goals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 v Geelong | - | - | - | 0 |
| Round 2 v Collingwood | Yes | Yes | 1 | 4 |
| Round 3 v Essendon | Yes | - | - | 3 |
| Round 4 v Richmond | Yes | - | - | 2 |
| Round 5 v GWS | Yes | - | 1 | 2 |
| Round 6 v Western Bulldogs | - | - | - | 0 |
| Round 7 v Port Adelaide | - | - | 1 | 2 |
| Round 11 v Melbourne | - | - | 1 | 2 |
| Round 12 v West Coast | - | - | 1 | 1 |
| Round 13 v Gold Coast | Yes | - | - | 2 |
| Round 14 v Brisbane | - | - | 1 | 5 |
| Round 16 v Port Adelaide | - | Yes | 1 | 1 |
| Round 17 v Sydney | - | Yes | 1 | 3 |
| Round 18 v Adelaide | - | - | - | 0 |
| Round 19 v West Coast | Yes | - | - | 1 |
| Round 20 v Essendon | - | Yes | 1 | 2 |
| Round 21 v Brisbane | - | - | - | 0 |
| Round 22 v Richmond | - | - | 1 | 1 |
| Round 23 v Geelong | - | - | 1 | 3 |
| Round 24 v Carlton | - | Yes | 1 | 2 |
*Missed Rounds 8-10 through suspension, St Kilda's bye was in Round 15.
Higgins, who topped St Kilda’s goalkicking tally for the second consecutive season with 36 majors, has bobbed up multiple times late in games with the game on the line, twice handing his side the four points after the Saints trailed late in the contest.
Twelve of Higgins’ goals — a third of his total for the season — have come in the final quarter of games, with five of those St Kilda’s last of a match and two (against Sydney and Carlton) ending as eventual match-winners after his side had trailed late.
That’s not to mention his Goal of the Year contender against Collingwood (which may or may not have been in the field of play) which consolidated a maiden Spud’s Game win, nor his one against Port Adelaide which levelled scores before a flurry of Power behinds nudged a win out of the Saints’ reach.
True to form, Higgins certainly played off his miracle major post-game. But the celebration in the moment was certainly something special.
“Oh I just got the handball, got a sneaky peek and just chucked it on me boot,”
“I thought it was going to get touched on the line but it just kept traveling! It was like someone hit a ball on the MCG to the outfield and it was a slow catch, so it was lucky it got over the line.
“I don’t know what was going through my mind… there’s nothing going through my mind! I didn’t know how long was left when I kicked it, I thought there was another five minutes.
“I probably carried on a bit too much for my liking, but it was a pretty good goal so I’ll take it every day of the week!”
Higgins has been good at the end of games, but also the start.
The No. 1 has opened up St Kilda’s account six times, including four of the first five matches of the season against Collingwood, Essendon, Richmond and GWS.
While St Kilda’s forward line has rotated significantly over the past two seasons in terms of personnel due to injury and form, Higgins has been a near-constant, missing just three matches this season through suspension.
That consistency has been integral as the Saints continue to build up their forward chemistry, and will remain just as important heading into 2025.
“I think it’s a pretty common answer, but we all love playing with Higgo. I think he’s the gel of our group,” Cooper Sharman told saints.com.au.
“To kick the match-winner on the weekend was incredible. We all celebrated pretty hard with him once he kicked it… that’s how much he means to us and we just love playing with him.
“There have been quite a few boys who have rotated through our forward line, and without Max (King) I suppose we all had to take a bit of the load. The smalls in Higgo, Buts (Dan Butler) and Darcy (Wilson) just really got to work. We had a lot of fun together and our connection really grew.”
