This was published 8 years ago
AFL finals 2015: Shaun Higgins picks himself up on the tough September stage
By Peter Hanlon
It's 60 years since the last act of Des Healey's 149-game Collingwood career was to lose consciousness in what was dubbed "the crash to end all crashes", late in the 1955 grand final loss to Melbourne. He hadn't seen Frank "Bluey" Adams coming off the bench, and their head-on collision put both their lights out.
Less than 10 minutes into this elimination final, Dylan Grimes and Shaun Higgins knew exactly what was coming as the air and grass between them disappeared at a rate to send hearts vaulting into mouths. Observers wrote of the "sonic boom" that shook the MCG in the `55 granny; Sunday's soundtrack was more a collective intake of 90,000 shocked breaths.
"The footy went over my head, so I saw it coming," Higgins reflected, noting that he and Grimes found themselves in "just one of those moments when everyone would go. He went hard at it and I went hard at it. That's finals footy."
Finals football is wrapped in legend and cliche, where players supposedly perform anatomical miracles by routinely growing another leg. Yet there is truth in cliche; you don't see "bruise-free football" in September.
Shaun Higgins picked himself up after a bruising collisionCredit: Getty Images
Jack Riewoldt stepping out the five-metre exclusion zone for the umpire's benefit before kicking his third goal of the second quarter was a solitary moment of taut muscles relaxing and levity invading poker faces. Otherwise, this was achingly hard from go to whoa.
When Grimes met Higgins it was the Tiger who bounced straight up, gathered the ball and set up what should have been a Ben Griffiths goal. Higgins writhed on the ground, rocking back and forth in a manner that lay his pain bare.
Grimes retreated to the bench to a hero's reception. Metres away, Higgins was helped through the adjacent interchange gate by Kangaroo trainers looking decidedly unwell.
"Got me right down the right side, woke me up a little bit, reminded me I was in a final," Higgins said. "It just knocked the wind right out of me. When you cop one like that you know you're gunna be okay, just those initial 10 or 20 seconds it's not great."
Both were soon back in the thick of it, and before the first quarter was through Grimes had been helped off too, having discovered just how hard Jack Ziebell's body is, and descended to the small room in the MCG bowels where broken footballers are put back together.
Ziebell had been there already to have his brow mended after a marking contest in which he and an opponent resembled two cars driving side-by-side into a single-lane tunnel at breakneck speed.
Finals toughness presents in many forms. The obvious was Shaun Grigg back-pedalling under a high ball on the wing and not flinching as he was met by an oncoming train called Michael Firrito. The subtle came as the ball hit the ground, Dustin Martin gathered it, and Andrew Swallow brought him down with one of the North captain's nine tackles for the afternoon.
Toughness was not just getting back up, but going just as hard the next time. When the question was asked of Higgins in the third quarter, backing into traffic in the forward pocket, he marked cleanly, centred to Jamie MacMillan and the Roos hit the front for the first time.
Reece Conca has had a tough year, but not one that's broken him. His first act of just his third game of 2015 was to steal the ball out of Lachie Hansen's hands, charge into the open goal and wrest the lead back for the Tigers.
Toughness was Drew Petrie coolly kicking the 399th and 400th goals of his career to give his team breathing space late in the third. And Riewoldt's first three marking contests of the last - crunched by Firrito, returning the favour, then juggling a one-hander to regain the lead.
Toughness is still playing at 37 after 406 games, hitting every contest at full tilt, racking up the most clearances (seven) you've had in a game since you were 27, and spearing home the goal that puts your team back in front. Then finding it again, and finding Lindsay Thomas for the sealer.
Toughness is still going more than two hours after you've been pole-axed, running into precious space 35 metres from goal, drawing a deep breath into lungs that are heaving against your aching ribs. Just as Higgins did, and his calm kick at goal effectively made victory safe.
Toughness is finding something in your legs when your opponent can't. Higgins thought the Roos "ran the game out pretty well", and wondered how much the controversial round 23 resting of half the team — himself included — became a factor when it mattered most.
And of course toughness is being a Richmond fan, and having the will to get out of bed on Monday morning, knowing the recurring nightmare has happened again.