The 20-year-old can see the finish line in what has been a frustratingly long period spent on the sidelines, following the dramatic injury sustained in round two.
The usual four-month lay-off would have had Higgins pencilled in for a round 16 return but, with a sensible recovery regime and a determination to rejoin his teammates, the 2007 NAB Rising Star nominee is set to tighten his expected time out.
"The idea is to play round 15 down at Williamstown, which will be the weekend after the bye in the AFL," Higgins told westernbulldogs.com.au
"If all goes to plan, maybe even play the week of the bye. Then I'll play a few games there and see how it feels, and hopefully I'll get a kick."
Landing awkwardly, Higgins both dislocated and fractured his ankle, tore several ligaments and damaged bone and cartilage.
"I did a good job, but the operation went really well," he recalled.
"Touch wood so far, there haven't been any problems with the rehab. But I didn't really think it was that serious until I had scans and then the operation, and they had to do a full reconstruction."
Ahead of round 12, Higgins has been back running for more than a week and was recovering from his toughest track session yet that left him with calf and hamstring soreness.
With a target for his return now set, Higgins said he's overcome the disappointment of having his second season in three years ruined by injury.
"I think it was more frustrating the fact that I'd had a really good pre-season and I'd made a few goals in the pre-season to get my fitness up to play in the midfield, which I did," he said.
"Then, to be a game-and-a-half into the season and go down with the ankle was frustrating.
"But you've got to be able to move on with it pretty quickly and the faster you can move on and be positive, the more it helps."
Missing the last 11 games of 2006 after injuring his elbow, Higgins is all too familiar with the struggles that come with long-term complaints.
This time around, he was not only better prepared but has found it easier to cope with the knowledge his year isn't over.
"My first one was worse because I was out for the year and you don't have a goal to come back," he said.
"You know you're out for the year and then you've got the off-season and pre-season, so you kind of forget about footy all together and just worry about getting back.
"This time, from the word go I had plans to get back into the side as quickly as possible.
"The boys are going really well and it's exciting when you just keep thinking about playing in the seniors and finals, and the motivation for that is extremely high.
"Once I got back here, I made a conscious effort to be positive around the boys and get stuck into training and really push myself and try and get back quickly," he added.
"So far, it's been working."
