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The impossible goal that earned a Tiger’s stripes – and a place in footy history

"Screw it, I am going to do it": The moment Jack Higgins kicked his freakish goal.

"Screw it, I am going to do it": The moment Jack Higgins kicked his freakish goal. Photo: Twitter

Richmond Tigers rookie Jack Higgins has kicked what could be not only one of the goals of the year, but one of the most miraculous ever seen on the MCG.

The young gun kicked the third-quarter six-pointer that Tigers coach Damien Hardwick branded one of the most spectacular things he’d seen on a footy field.

Meanwhile, Magpies coach Nathan Buckley was bewildered, questioning the most memorable kick in one of the matches of the season – a contest that saw the Tigers overcome a determined Magpies outfit 105-77.

With Collingwood defender Darcy Moore bearing down in him close to the line, Higgins ran across the line, but somehow kept the ball in play while stepping around the back of the right-hand goalpost.

The 19-year-old dynamo then tossed the ball in the air and scissor-kicked it over his head, sending it between the posts.

Moore appealed for a throw, but the video review called it in favour of the livewire half-foward.

Watch Higgins’ spectacular effort

Hardwick was questioned about the goal in the post-match media conference.

“I’m going to steal [Richmond CEO] Brendon Gale’s line here – they don’t teach that in VCE,” Hardwick said.

“We’re sitting here trying to figure it out … it was quite funny to watch the reaction of the Collingwood players.

“They’re not sure whether … they [the umpires] are checking if it’s a throw or a behind.

jack Higgins goal

The Higgins goal seen from the field of play. Photo: Getty

We were a little bit puzzled ourselves … it was a spectacular goal.”

Collingwood’s Buckley questioned the legality of the goal when asked about Higgins’ feat, but couldn’t deny the athleticism.

“I don’t know the rule – is it a throw?” he asked.

“Can you follow that up for me? It was clever.”

‘Screw it, I am going to do it’

Higgins said he channeled limited-over cricket marvel Glenn Maxwell to pull off his circus act.

“If it happened another 100 times, I probably wouldn’t have thought of doing that again,” he said after the match.

“I was sort of running out [of play] and I took the ball and nearly went into the post.

“I sort of thought of Glenn Maxwell, so I tried to keep it in play.

“Because I was at the MCG, I saw the crowd, and I just thought ‘Screw it, I am going to do it’.

“I had no idea how I even did it,” he told Melbourne’s 3AW.

Richmond had to overcome a fierce challenge from Collingwood to win the blockbuster by 28 points and set an AFL record of 18 straight wins on the MCG, breaking a record held by Melbourne since the 1950s.

Ahead by just four points at three-quarter time, the Tigers let loose in the final quarter, as is their wont, kicking five goals to one in the final term.

The Tigers have won 14 final terms this season, the best in the AFL.

Richmond coach Damien Hardwick said it was a tough win.

“[Collingwood’s] system is really, really strong – that’s the good thing about the way Bucks [coach Nathan Buckley] has them playing,” Hardwick said.

“They don’t require individual talent.

“We didn’t have our best game today but a lot of that was because the Magpies were very, very good.”

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