Shaun Higgins says he is delighted to have the backing of his teammates in taking on a new leadership role.

The 27-year-old was promoted to the Roos’ five-man leadership group on Tuesday, after landing at Arden Street as a free agent at the end of the 2014 season.

“It was a bit of a surprise in only my second year, but something that I’m really grateful for,” Higgins told NMFC.com.au

“Hopefully I can have a really important impact in the leadership group and rub that off onto the rest of the playing group.”

Higgins joins skipper Andrew Swallow, vice-captain Jack Ziebell, Jamie Macmillan and Scott Thompson in an official leadership capacity, with Drew Petrie and Nick Dal Santo stepping out of their roles. 

“It was really good last year to have a year away from a leadership role and find my feet at a new club,” he said.

“I’m looking forward to the fact that they’ve voted me in and to continue the voice out on the ground at training, and then lead that into games.

“It’s just driving what we all expect, from the coaches right down and hopefully as a leadership group we’ll do that.”

Higgins said North boasts outstanding leaders across the board.

“It’s a good mix in the leadership group. Even Spud (Michael Firrito), Boomer (Brent Harvey), Dal, Drewy, Wellsy (Daniel Wells) outside of the leadership group … I guess the more leaders the better, and when you’ve got five guys in the leadership group, plus another five or six outside the leadership group who are just as good leaders, it’s crucial that we get it en masse and we are building that.”

Having played 129 games at his former club the Bulldogs, Higgins didn’t take long to adapt to his new surroundings.

But he played some of the best football of his career in 2015, registering his highest games tally (24) and finishing third in the Roos’ best and fairest.

“I’m rapt with the move. I had a really good pre-season last year when I got here and that gave me an opportunity to play consistent footy throughout the year,” Higgins added.

“I’ve been able to back that up with another solid pre-season and no surgery helps that, and then along with the leadership promotion things are obviously going well.”

North’s number four touched on the importance of continuity in his training, having suffered several serious injuries early in his career.

“I missed a little bit of footy early days and I think sometimes that can pay off towards the back-end of your career,” Higgins said.

“I always thought that I was able to bounce back and still had some good footy left in me, so it’s a good feeling that that’s been able to happen.”

The dynamic midfielder was thankful for the opportunity at his adopted club.

“The support this club’s given me the last 18 months has been massive,” Higgins said.

“I’m enjoying my footy again and they’ve (the coaches) backed me and given me a license to just enjoy my footy and play to my strengths which has been great.

“I’ve thrived on that and look forward to a bigger year this year.”

Now, after months of toil on the track, it’s time to put the hard work to use. North is set to take on the Saints in a fortnight’s time in its first NAB Challenge match.

“I can’t wait. This is the time of the year where we get excited. Most of the running is over and done with and we get into a lot more game-play.”

One player who will be pushing for an early opportunity is Farren Ray, with the rookie doing everything right on the track.

“He’s impressed everyone and no doubt the coaches are rapt with the way he’s trained,” Higgins said.

“He’s earnt the respect of the playing group with the way he goes about it.

“I’ve been good mates with Farren for a long time, so it’s good to reunite. We’re both enjoying our footy and it’ll be great to see him get another opportunity this year.”