Jillaroos hooker Olivia Higgins could just be Newcastle's good luck charm.
After missing round one of the NRLW season due to suspension from a tackle in a trial game, Higgins returned all revved up and ready to play.
The Knights haven't lost since, winning their third straight match 30-6 against Parramatta in Sydney on Sunday.
"The key for our past three wins (Cowboys, Warriors, Eels) has just been running with intent," Higgins said.
"We've spoken a lot about being connected in defence as well."
It's been a fair recovery after falling to Canterbury in the expansion side's first-ever NRLW game in round one.
"I think a lot of people wrote us off after that first game," Higgins said.
"We knew what we could do based on our past seven weeks (pre-season). We just want to be consistent and each one of us doing our roles in our positions whether we have some superstars or not."
Newcastle have lost some big names over the years – Millie Elliott (Roosters), Caitlan Johnston-Green (Sharks), Hannah Southwell (Dragons) and former Dally M medallist Tamika Upton (Broncos).
But 32-year-old Higgins has become a star in her own right, making State of Origin and Test squads in 2024 after winning three NRLW premierships with the Roosters (2021) and Knights (2022, 2023).
Getting back on the football field has been the best tonic for Higgins this July.
She wore the No.9 for Australia in the Test against England in Las Vegas, and despite making the NSW squad under new coach John Strange, Higgins was on the extended bench for all three Origin games.
The hooking duties went to Keeley Davis.
"It was still the best experience though and I was excited for the team," Higgins said.
She felt the itch of watching the NSW Blues Women win the series 2-1 against Queensland from the sidelines, and then sitting out the start of the 2025 NRLW season.
"Sport's highs and lows I've definitely experienced," she said.
"For me it's been a mixed year starting on a high in Vegas, then missing out on Origin but I'm just back having fun at the moment and really enjoying playing footy.
"If I can do my job for the team that's all I'm focused on."
With a tackle efficiency rate of over 95 per cent, Higgins is definitely doing that.
