Ruby plans to shine on footy’s big stage

By Rohan Aldous

Nov 30, 2023

Stars in her eyes: Ruby McLeod was a Year 1 student at Tongala Primary School when Harley Reid was wearing the Big V as a state primary school representative. Ruby, who lives about 100 metres from the Puma hay bale that has been relocated from Marvel Stadium to the number one pick's old stomping ground, now hopes to one day emulate the feats of her one time schoolmate and make her way into the big league.

Ruby McLeod was an eight-year-old Year 2 student at Tongala when this year’s AFL number one draft pick Harley Reid was in the final year of his primary school education.

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The West Coast Eagle’s prize recruit was her hero back then and nothing much has changed for the recently-turned 14-year-old who is, herself, starting to gather significant momentum on her own football journey.

While her mother Shellee said the Essendon-loving “footy nut” could only see red and black when it came to the big league, she was sure there would be a small part of her invested in the outcome of Reid’s rookie season.

“I don’t think she will be able to bring herself to barrack for West Coast, but she will certainly be cheering for Harley,” the mother of six said, explaining football and Ruby were like — in the words of Forrest Gump — peas and carrots.

While to a lesser extent, like Reid this year, has been a coming out party of sorts for McLeod.

She made the shift to Shepparton Swans in the Northern Country Women’s League Under-18 competition and despite being just 13-years-old, was a member of the premiership winning team which was unbeaten during the season.

She kicked two goals in the grand final and was rewarded at the end of the season with selection in the Under-15 Goulburn Murray V/Line Cup team.

Ruby reminded me of a key character from the smash hit sports parity Ted Lasso when the subject turned from Reid to her own football exploits during our first meeting last week.

A serious look came across her face when the conversation turned from discussing exactly how many cats and dogs lived at their Miler St home to her favourite topic — football.

After all Football is Life — at least that’s the sporting tagline that the youngest of the McLeod siblings shares with the Greyhounds (Ted Lasso’s fictional soccer team, AFC Richmond) Mexican striker Dany Rojas.

Along with a menagerie of pets, Ruby lives in the rarely quiet house — just a stone’s throw from her old primary school — with older brothers Connor, 20, and Kane, 18, who were the initial inspiration for her love of the game.

Then there are her three sisters — Kyhia, Chelsea and Chloe — and finally two-year-old nephew James. While the entire family was on the sidelines for Ruby’s recent grand final success, there was a clear number one fan (the youngest member of the family).

He wore a ‘Go Aunty Booby’ (he has a little trouble with the name Ruby) on a T-shirt to the women’s league grand final earlier this year.

Ruby’s playing days started as an Auskicker at Kyabram, in 2017, where she was the only girl.

Her talents were recognised early when, only 12 months later, she was recognised as the player of a girls carnival and was rewarded with a bright pink football.

The football purist wasn’t in the slightest impressed according to her mother and replied with the words “pink is not my colour”.

Short stints with a combined under-10 team called SGR (Stanhope-Girgarre-Rushworth) in 2019 and at St Augustine’s before COVID-19 hit, preceeded her arrival at the Shepparton Swans.

Her journey, at least the initial stages, was made alongside best friend Sienna Brennan. There was, however, a twist to that tale, as Sienna decided to go in the opposite direction when it came time to step up to the under-18 competition.

She was a member of the Moama team which Ruby and her Swans team beat in the grand final of the under-18 girls competition.

Ruby, now in Year 8 at Kyabram P-12 College, inherited a passion for the red and black as her parents grew up a stone’s throw from what is now home to Essendon Football Club, at a long time family home on Melrose Dve at Tullamarine.

The family has lived in Tongala since 2018, but moved to the area in 2011.

Pink’s not my colour: Those were the words of a seven-year-old Ruby McLeod when she was chosen as the player of the match at a girls football carnival in 2017.

Ruby’s enhanced reputation in the region was built on the back of her new coach’s investment in her improvement.

Her decision to join the Swans came after Leigh Egan was the first, and only, coach to return her father Michael’s inquiry about finding a new football home for his daughter.

Leigh Egan, whose daughter Grace has spent several seasons playing in the AFLW with Carlton and now Richmond, recognised her talents early and the results are now showing.

Playing alongside Ruby in the Swans team is his other daughter, Holly, also on the verge of joining AFLW ranks.

Apart from religiously watching her Essendon heroes and heroines on Fox Footy, Ruby regularly seeks the assistance of her brothers to improve her skills, and this week will start her pre-season preparation for the new NCWL season.

She plans to build on the two-goal grand final game when the Swans scored a 19-point win in the grand final.

“I feel like I know the game better now and am a better communicator on the ground.

“My aim this year is to get back into the Goulburn Murray’s V/Line Cup team and play more in the mid-field with the Swans,” she said.

Baby Swan: Ruby McLeod kicked two goals for the Shepparton Swans Under-18 team in its Northern Country Women’s League premiership win. At the time she was just 13-years-old, the youngest member of the unbeaten team that beat Moama in the grand final — a team which included Ruby’s best friend Sienna Brennan.

Ruby was one of only two 13-year-olds to make the 2023 V/Line Cup team, but will have to re-qualify for the GM again this year. She is also excited about having a crack at following a couple of her teammates into Victoria Country under-16 ranks.

Shepparton Swans had five girls in the Bushrangers Under-18 squad this year, one in the Bendigo Pioneers team and one other player was a regular with Victoria Country.

“We even had to forfeit a game this year because so many players were in representative teams. Apart from that we were undefeated all year.

“Five girls flew back from Tasmania the night before the semi final. They played for the Bushrangers on the Saturday and for the Swans on the Sunday,” Ruby said.

Only three girls will be missing from the team that won the grand final this year and Ruby is desperately trying to convince her good friend Sienna Brennan to cross over to the Swans.

She explained that while football was now her only sport, she has played netball for the last three years.

She was goal keeper for Stanhope’s 2022 premiership winning under-13 team and was similarly aggressive in that sporting environment

The fortunes of the Bombers are never far from front of mind and she follows the likes of Draper, Laverde, Redman and Nick Hind, in particular, very closely.

“For my birthday two years ago I had a phone call from him. He invited me to go to the changerooms,” the star struck teenager said.

On the rise: Ruby started as the only girl at Kyabram Auskick before joining its under age ranks, then played with a combined Stanhope-Girgarre-Rushworth team before eventually finding her way to Shepparton Swans - where she is now a premiership player.

Her focus on football has never been stronger and she plans to build on the most improved title she won at the Swans awards night this year.

“I used to have a two hand release when I was kicking and the coach challenged me to do it one handed. That was probably a big change and the reason I won the award,” she said.

Shellee McLeod said the way in which the Shepparton Swans club had welcomed her daughter had contributed largely to her improvement and confidence in the sport.

“We were a bit worried going to Shepparton, but they welcomed us with open arms. She is the baby of the team and everyone loves her,” she said.

So, for Ruby, the plan is to not only build on her one football and one netball premiership count — but also add a few more notches on her belt on the representative football front.

All the while she will be focused firmly on supporting her beloved Bombers, with one eye cast to the west where the boy that was her primary school hero will be plying his trade.