JACK Higgins is coming back to Adelaide for another extended stint – and so are the Saints – this time on much better terms.
The St Kilda small forward created headlines ahead of Gather Round last year when he quipped after the win over Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval: 'I don't like Adelaide, so I'll probably be in my room playing Call of Duty with the boys'.
Higgins was inundated with frank feedback on Instagram from passionate South Australians, and even heard from SA Premier Peter Malinauskas.
Now the 27-year-old has done a full 180, taking on an ambassador role for South Australia tourism after a trip through the Limestone Coast to Adelaide last December converted him.
For the second year in a row, St Kilda will play back-to-back games in Adelaide and have again opted to stay in the SA capital rather than return home between games.
The Saints' nine-day stay will start next Saturday when they fly to Adelaide ahead of their Sunday night game against Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval.
They will stay in the city for the Power game before moving to the beachside suburb of Glenelg for the week ahead of the round six game against the Crows back at Adelaide Oval on the Saturday night.
Ross Lyon's side has the bye this weekend but are then set to bring a bigger squad across to South Australia and train at the Glenelg Football Club to prepare for the Adelaide game.
The Saints went 1-1 on their SA road trip last year, losing to Greater Western Sydney at Norwood Oval in Gather Round after beating the Power the week before.
The Giants made the choice to return home last year after their win over the Saints, returning six days later to face the Crows, who beat them by 18 points.
Melbourne and Fremantle spent an extended stint in Adelaide either side of Gather Round in 2024, but the Dockers have opted for a different approach this year.
Justin Longmuir's side will head to South Australia on Thursday ahead of the Good Friday game against Adelaide, but have opted to return home before heading back to SA to face Collingwood the following Friday for Gather Round.
St Kilda hopes to have Cooper Sharman (concussion), Liam Henry (hamstring) and Jack Macrae (knee) all available for the trip to South Australia.