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Eighteen months ago, Toby Fountain had never played netball.
Now, the 16-year-old, from Karratha in WA's north, will be playing for Australia.
Toby was recently selected to represent Australia in the 17 & Under Youth Men's Australian Netball team that will head to New Zealand in September.
The team is set to compete in the New Zealand Men's and Mixed Netball Association National Tournament.
"It's all happened really fast," Toby said.
Originally a basketball player, Toby started playing local mixed netball after attending his sister's training sessions, and eventually caught the eye of West Australian selectors.
Playing for WA at the 2023 national championships in Perth put him firmly in the spotlight of national selectors.
Breaking down barriers
Toby's not the first sportsperson in his family to represent Australia.
Simone Fountain, Toby's mother, was a member of the gold medal-winning water polo team at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Ms Fountain said she was "really proud" to see Toby playing a sport traditionally dominated by women.
"It is an opportunity to break down a barrier and look at a way in which we can make some sport more inclusive for everyone to play," she said.
Toby views national selection as an opportunity to challenge misconceptions about the sport.
"It just proves that there is an elite pathway and that [men's netball] is getting up there with the Diamonds and all those elite Australian teams."
High praise from coach
Australian coach Moira Gaha said Toby was selected for his intelligence and skill on the court.
"He's got a really good netball IQ and reads the game well," Ms Gaha said.
"He's strong in the air and when we look at his shooting stats he's very high in terms of accuracy and also volume."
Toby, WA's sole representative, will travel from Karratha to New Zealand to compete in an invitational team in the tournament.
"[The team have] real pride in what they're doing, and they know that the future of men's netball is really bright," Ms Gaha said.
Men's netball on the rise
While netball has traditionally been seen as a women's sport in Australia, men's netball is on the rise in towns like Karratha.
"Now there are so many opportunities, especially for the boys and the men in that elite pathway," Toby said.
Local coach Tara Cuthers said once they got the "footy boys" and locals playing the sport, it started growing in Karratha.
Ms Fountain said the game had grown impressively in Karratha and was now one of regional WA's biggest men's leagues.
"This is predominantly the heartland of men's football, and it is football season," she said.
"To see them to be able to get four men's teams on the court, that's excellent."
Toby said he hoped one day there would be an Olympic event for men or even a world championship.