Newcastle's first men's netball team to play at 2023 Netball NSW senior titles at Maitland: June 10-12

It has felt "a long time coming" for the 25-year-old goal shooter, and he could not be prouder.

"I think it's a beautiful start and I'm glad to be a part of the foundation of it all," Lalaga told the Newcastle Herald.

Men's divisions were included in the Netball NSW senior state titles last year.

Lalaga played in the Kurri Kurri side, which won division two.

This year, Newcastle have entered a team in the championship division, which will be hosted by Maitland Netball Association over the three days of the June long weekend.

"That was a great experience last year," Lalaga, who coaches Junction Stella in Newcastle championship netball, said.

"I've watched all of my friends play for years, so finally getting to be there was amazing.

"It's going to be tough, but I think we can give a good fight out there. I think we're underdogs. No one really knows a lot of the people we're bringing.

"It's exciting. We're just excited to play good netball, hard netball. I'm hoping these boys get to relish in that opportunity."

Lalaga never played competitive sport growing up.

He had always watched his sisters play netball then one night answered an SOS to fill in for his cousins' social mixed game.

"I went and played and thought I can't get away from this now," Lalaga said.

His first experience of men's netball came at university around six years ago and he has since represented NSW and played for the New Zealand under-23 side.

Lalaga will be a key player in a Newcastle team which has been well-received.

"Our oldest player is in his 40s and our youngest is probably a year younger than me, so it's a lot of age diversity and a lot of skill diversity," he said.

"Ethan [James] has played for NSW. Some of the boys haven't played competitive at all. It's a few basketballers turned netballers or indoor netballers turned outdoor netballers, which is a completely different game but they're getting the hang of it really well."

The Newcastle men's team will be coached by David Huey, who is a former representative men's netballer and has coached NSW and Australian sides.

He has been playing netball since the 1990s and was "more than happy" to help out when asked by Newcastle Netball Association to coach their inaugural men's team.

"My story is similar to so many of the guys," Huey said.

"There's thousands of guys out there playing mixed with their partners or friends, and that's how it was for me.

"I was a basketball player and my wife was a netball player and she said let's have one night a week where we do something together, and I fell in love with the game.

"I started with indoor and found out there was an outdoor full-court competition and I was playing both for a long time. But it was Sydney-centric and at that stage. I was working in Sydney so it was easier for me.

"It's just these last couple of years that Netball Australia and Netball NSW have really opened the door to the men."

Newcastle are one of seven teams vying for the NSW men's championship crown.

Charlestown, Kurri Kurri and Lakeside are among eight teams entered in men's division two.

"We had trials and we've ended up with a really solid squad," Huey said.

"Quite a few of them were in the Kurri team last year that won the second division comfortably.

"They didn't want to be in second division again. They would rather lose some games and play in first division and get the competition, so it speaks to their mentality, which I love.

"There's some tough metro teams but I think they're capable of a top-three finish, which would be a bit out of the box, but I think it's a possibility."

Huey concedes men's netball is taking giant strides since he first took the court and was keen to see it keep growing.

"My first state team was in 93, so I've been getting skirt jokes for that long," Huey said.

"It's certainly changing and none of these guys care that there's any stigma, and it's not like it was."

Newcastle have the bye first-up then open their state titles campaign against Ku-ring-gai at 10am on Saturday.

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