Mathew Higgins inducted into Greater Shepparton Hall of Fame

July 7, 2021

Congratulations to Mathew Higgins who is being inducted into the Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame!

Higgo (as he is known by all at Altona) played 332 games for Altona between 1997 and 2015, and made 108 appearances for Victoria between 1999 and 2008.

A legend of the AHC, Hockey Victoria, and GV Hockey, it is another fantastic recognition for the career of one of the hardest working players and nicest people in Australian hockey.

The article is filled with some great quotes and stories through Higgo’s career.

On joining Altona:
Trialing for the Victorian under-21 side in Melbourne, Higgins had made it to the last round before being outed — but all was not lost.

“I was walking out of the hockey centre with my tail between my legs and the Altona coach Gerry Anastasio yelled out from the grandstand, ‘Matthew Higgins, wait there’,” Higgins said.
“He was a big bustling bloke, so I thought, ‘shit, what is going on?’
“Gerry came down and introduced himself and said ‘you’re doing pre-season with us, I’ll see you at the club in a week’ — he didn’t give me an option.”
The rest, as they say, is history.

“The training, expectations, how you went about playing — everything was 100 per cent commitment.
“It was the same as how I was raised at SYC; once the game is over we’re all mates, and Altona Hockey Club was fantastic like that.”
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On joining Victoria:
He was making a name for himself at Altona, enough so that Australian representative Darren Duff tapped on the shoulder of Colin Batch, asking the then Victorian coach to have a look at a tenacious young man by the name of Higgins.

Batch obliged — and when he called, the answer was always yes.
“He invited me down for a few training sessions and I loved every second of them, but at the same time it was just a new level,”
“It was 100 per cent and nothing but 100 per cent every time you turn up.” Higgins said.
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You can read the full article at the Shep News: https://www.sheppnews.com.au/…/hall-of-fame-matt-higgins

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