By Amelia Barnes
At just 18 years of age, Zac Mabilia has already made his mark on the world of men’s netball.
Since starting out in Woolworths NetSetGo, Mabilia has steadily moved up the boys’ pathway to currently reach the Victorian 23&Under men’s team, the Australian Men's 20&Under team, and the 2024 Australia Men’s FAST5 team that will compete in New Zealand this weekend.
These achievements are a product of Mabilia’s talent and dedication to the sport. A current year 12 student who lives in Kilcunda, Mabilia has spent countless hours travelling from South Gippsland to Melbourne for netball since he aged out of playing in a local competition – where he was usually the only boy on court – five years ago.
“My family played a lot of basketball, so we were kind of a little bit used to doing that… They basically said, as long as you enjoy it, we're happy to drive,” Mabilia said.
These sacrifices continue today. When speaking to Mabilia, he’s midway through his VCE exams, which he’ll finish sitting by distance around his FAST5 commitments.
“It will be very interesting… but I'm glad that I can do both at the same time. Obviously, school is important, but I still want to play netball and have the opportunity to be able to be part of this team.”
It wasn’t until playing in the School Sport Victoria (SSV) tournament as a 13-year-old that Mabilia first learned about the state boys, men, and mixed team pathway operated by the Victorian Men’s & Mixed Netball Association (VMMNA).
He soon trialled for his first state team and has since made multiple appearances for Victoria's 17&Under boys and 23&Under men’s sides at the Australian Men's & Mixed Netball Association (AMMNA) National Championships.
All Mabilia’s Nationals campaigns to date have ended in a premiership, including the 2023
17&Under team, which he captained.
In 2025, he’s aiming for selection in Victoria’s top Open men’s team, which has an average athlete age of 28.
Despite his young age, an Open division debut seems likely for Mabilia after being the Australian Kelpies’ midcourt reserve for the recent Trans-Tasman Cup, played as a curtain raiser to the Australian Diamonds’ Constellation Cup.
Mabilia trained with the national team and was also an invitee to their 2023 selection camp, where he watched on while recovering from a back injury.
“It is a great opportunity to be able to do that. The first year that I got invited to the camp was just so cool,” he said.
“I wasn't training, but just to sit there and watch it and realise this is the best product of men's netball in Australia… The intensity and physicality are all a step up.”
Victoria’s most recent Kelpies debutante, Liam Killey, couldn’t speak more highly of Mabilia after training together.
“He looked like he'd been doing it for years with the best of the best. It was seamless. I don't think he made one mistake, to be honest. It was insane,” said Killey.
“Just his closing speed – his ability to get ball in the midcourt defensively – is unparalleled. I haven't seen anything else like it.
“Also, the fact we can put him in wing defence, centre, or wing attack, and he just excels at all three positions is amazing. He's got a very, very bright future in netball.”
Standing at 188cm (6’2”), Mabilia is a relatively tall midcourter, most likely due to entering the state pathway at a young age.
He explained, “When I moved from my country league to go and play with Waverley District Netball and VMMNA, it was all under 17 boys [teams], and I still hadn’t grown yet.
“I was a little bit too short to be a shooter and kind of got pushed out to the midcourt, and then that’s where my game developed.”
He now comfortably plays across all three midcourt positions, with a slight preference towards the attacking positions after spending his early netball years in goal attack.
Mabilia is excited, if not a little nervous, to show what he can do on the world stage playing FAST5, and hopefully contribute to Australia's first series win since the introduction of the tournament’s men's division in 2022.
He’s looking forward to travelling with his teammates (including fellow Victorians Liam Killey, Ronan Pring, Alastair Punshon, and Will Whiteacre) and adapting to the competition’s new rules.
“You can't reset back to the transverse line... You have to keep going forward to your shooters. It'll be a lot more work for them, but that opens the door for a few things – both attacking strategy and defensively,” he said.
Mabilia will return to international netball duties in December in Singapore with the Australian men's 20&Under team to compete in the Men's Netball Nations Cup against sides from Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, New Zealand, and England.
Sport is in Mabilia’s blood. When he’s not playing netball or driving to Melbourne for training, he’s likely playing tennis, Aussie rules, or basketball.
It’s a jam-packed schedule, but 2025 is set to be even bigger for Mabilia. With high school out of the way, he’s looking to step up his netball game, with hopes of contesting the Open level at Nationals, and eventually making the main Kelpies team.
“[Finishing school] will hopefully free up a little bit more time for a little bit more of a focus on netball to make that jump in division and really come out at Nationals ready to play, and ready to compete against those older and stronger athletes,” Mabilia said.
Watch Mabilia play in the FAST5 Netball World Series in Christchurch across 9-10 November. Fans can watch the series live and free on 7Plus.
Image credit: Clusterpix Photography
