Richmond forward Jack Higgins will undergo further brain surgery this month which is expected to rule him out for the majority of the 2020 season.
The young Tiger was treated for bleeding on the brain in July after experiencing headaches and underwent initial surgery.
AFL Media’s Damian Barrett is reporting that Higgins will have a procedure that requires six months to recover.
The initial belief was that he would be available for the start of next season, but now the feel is something more serious is necessary.
Richmond GM of Football Neil Balme told AFL Media that they’re expecting him to make a full recovery.
"No one is underestimating how uncomfortable this is for the poor kid, and while they were hoping for a different procedure, that hasn't quite fixed everything," Balme said.
"The positive out of all this is that there is still the same expectation for him – that he will fully recover and return to football when he is ready.
"With brain surgery, no one can be certain with recovery timeframes.
"It is obviously very challenging, but again, the positives out of it are that once he gets through it, he will be as good as new."