Mooroopna Cats’ Shylah Heggart’s dreams of playing for Diamonds on knife’s edge after rupturing ACL

A talented Mooroopna netballer who has dreamt of playing for the Diamonds since she was kid has suffered a major setback, but all hope is not lost.

Mooroopna Cats’ Shylah Heggart has dreams of playing for Australia.

An aspiring Mooroopna netballer has suffered a major setback in her pursuit of greatness, but she is – along with her devoted mother – determined to get back on the court immediately.

Shepparton’s Shylah Heggart, 15, plays for the Mooroopna Cats and was recently selected to play for the Goulburn Valley Football Netball League’s representative outfit.

Shylah also received an invitation to the Victorian Netball Academy in November – a pathway to representing Victoria.

The teenager’s dreams of representing the Australian Diamonds were on the right track, until she suffered a brutal blow.

A few weeks ago, playing against Echuca, with just two minutes left, Shylah jumped, heard a pop, and as she landed, “she felt it rip” and came down screaming, her mother Jade Naylor told The Herald Sun.

The initial diagnosis from the Royal Children’s was a sprained patella – and a three-week stint on the sidelines.

However, Shylah wasn’t recovering as expected, so Ms Naylor decided on a second opinion at Dr Peter Larkins’ rooms at Epworth in Richmond.

Jade Naylor (middle) with Shylah (right) and Lily (left) after playing in an invitational Indigenous tournament at Torquay for the Desert Roses.

That diagnosis came back with the worst possible outcome — a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).

Due to a backlog in elective surgeries in the public system, Shylah has been told that she may not receive surgery on her knee for up to two years, and therefore would result in a three year recovery, with a year of rehab necessary following the surgery.

A private surgery, which would cost $15,000, would allow Shylah, who attends Notre Dame College in Shepparton, to get back on the court by next year.

The rehabilitation following that surgery would be another year, the typical length for an ACL injury, which would rule her out for up to three years.

The former Katandra and Congupna netballer remains positive, despite being “heartbroken” when she received the news.

Shylah Heggart dreams of playing for the Australian Diamonds. Photo: Steve Pohlner

Shylah Heggart in action for the Mooroopna Cats.

“It is what it is … I went to the physio and got a pre-surgery rehab plan.”

Ms Naylor, who cares for two children as a single mother, has a dream of playing a season with her beloved daughter.

Ms Naylor, who is incredibly passionate about Shylah’s potential netball career, said “I’m not one to typically ask for help, but this is not something I can do on my own”.

“If she can work really hard on her rehab she may be able to get to a point where she might be able to try next year.”

You can help Shylah get back on the court sooner.