As the Bears look for back-to-back Goulburn Valley League A-grade netball flags, Higgins has answered the call in the month of May to keep Shepparton on a steady trajectory towards September.
In the opening month of the season, Higgins scored 49 goals.
In May, Higgins doubled that, and then some.
A breakout month for the 19-year-old saw Higgins tally more than 20 goals in each game, a feat she had yet to achieve in 2026 prior to May.
As Shepparton walloped the lower-rung opponents it faced, Higgins was the ruthless goaler that delivered the knockout blows.
Across just three periods against Rochester, Higgins scored 21 goals, before exploding for 60 in a career-best outing against Kyabram.
Higgins perfected her chemistry with star Bear Kim Borger in round seven against Benalla, notching 27 goals, and while Shepparton was stung with a round eight loss to Echuca, it was at no fault of Higgins who scored 24 of the Bears’ 50.
After splitting time between A and B-grade netball in 2025, Higgins has evidently taken her game to the next level in 2026, yet to miss A-grade selection and is rightfully marked as the News’ GVL Rising Star for May.
But it’s clear Higgins’ ceiling is yet to be hit, and the teenage talent out at Deakin Reserve will play a major part in the next flag push for the Bears despite her age.
Ruby Higgins’ May stats
Games: 4
Goals: 132
Goals per game: 33
Best performance: 60 goals versus Kyabram (round six)
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