SHAUN Higgins had thought any player who bumped and caused an accidental head clash would be strictly liable for any adverse consequences, but accepts Hawk defender Ryan Burton did not intend to hurt him last Sunday.

Higgins was concussed during the third quarter of North Melbourne's win over the Hawks at Etihad Stadium, when Burton bumped him front-on while Higgins was in possession of the ball.

The Roos star spent two nights in hospital following the clash and required plastic surgery for a cut on his lip.

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Match Review Officer Michael Christian found Burton had no case to answer on the basis his shoulder initially made contact with Higgins' chest, with the following head clash an unforeseeable consequence.

Asked whether he had a clear understanding of the rule regarding accidental head clashes caused by bumps, Higgins suggested he had not been aware of the AFL's shift away from the strict liability stance it adopted following Lindsay Thomas' bump on Ben Reid in 2013.

"I was under the impression that if you elect to bump and it goes wrong that you would find yourself in strife, clearly that has changed a little bit over the last 12 months, especially after the Nat Fyfe incident a couple of years ago," Higgins said.

"That's not for my worrying at the moment. The AFL has got to look at that and I'm sure they will."

The AFL moved away from strict liability for accidental head clashes following Fyfe's two-match suspension for bumping Gold Coast's Michael Rischitelli in 2014.

Higgins has no issue with Burton, who texted him following the incident.

"He was great, he was obviously a little bit distressed as well," he said.

But the Roos star noted North players were instructed to tackle in the same situation.

Hoping for the best for Shaun Higgins and Ed Vickers-Willis.



Higgins was taken off on a stretcher and Vickers-Willis has headed to the rooms.



Update thanks to @MLC_Australia. #AFLNorthHawks pic.twitter.com/VLVJATO9jm — AFL (@AFL) April 22, 2018

"I don't think in the incident itself there was any intention to cause the injury or the impact that it did," Higgins said.

"I probably held on to the ball a little bit too long and should have kicked it a bit earlier and we wouldn't be standing here.

"He was in a tough position, that's just what he chose to do. From our point of view, we're always taught to go in and tackle in any situation, so that's pretty much where I'm at with it."

Higgins had no recollection of the clash, but fortunately remembered attending the birth of his first child, Rosie, in the early hours of that morning.

The 30-year-old said he was feeling "pretty good" and had been slowly improving each day.

But he ruled himself out of Saturday's clash against Port Adelaide at Etihad Stadium, saying he was hoping to resume training in the coming days.

"I'm hoping to get back as quickly as I can after that and over the next couple of days gradually do a little bit of work in here and just clear the tests that I need to," he said.

"I'm aiming to get out there and start training as quickly as possible."