Lily Graham and Kate Upton strike gold at Netball World Youth Cup

No 20-year-old in the Suncorp Super Netball-era has reached the same career heights as Lily Graham.

This year alone, she became the youngest player in SSN history to earn a championship medal and won gold at the Netball World Youth Cup with Australia, where Graham was named player of the tournament.

Her second half moving circle combination with Adelaide Thunderbirds’ Kayla Graham broke the World Youth Cup grand final open, propelling Australia from a narrow lead to a commanding 13-goal advantage by three-quarter time.

In those moments, Graham said it was her Vixens training that set her up for success.

“I didn’t feel pressure. Personally, I really wanted to show that my SSN experience has helped me and that I could translate that on court,” she said.

“I felt very strong, fit, and confident within myself that I could play 60 minutes, even though I haven’t done it at the SSN level.”

Australia went on to defeat New Zealand 63-48, taking out the Netball World Youth Cup title for the first time since 2009.

“I can’t really remember much of the day because of the nerves and excitement, but after the game, we did not stop screaming,” said Graham.

“Winning that was pretty special… It was a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

In a sport where most athletes spend their careers mastering one role, Graham’s superpower is her ability to seamlessly transition between goal attack and goal shooter, as seen in the World Youth Cup grand final where she played 30 minutes in each position.

Assistant coach of the Australian 21/U team and new Melbourne Vixens assistant coach Kate Upton sees Graham as a rare, genuine option in both positions who offers the vertical jump and strength required in shooter, and the speed and playmaking to impact in attack.

“You just saw her blossom and grow in each game – it was really exciting to see – and I think she literally got better as each quarter went on,” said Upton of Graham’s World Youth Cup performance.

“She was actually quite phenomenal in her variety and everything that she did in that circle – whether it was playing on the body, whether it was playing off the body, or whether it was beating them with foot speed.

“Her ability to connect with her other goalers and the timing of that connection was just outstanding. It was really quite remarkable to watch.”

Australia’s Netball World Youth Cup team, including fellow Victorians Charlotte Sexton and Olivia Wilkinson and Tara Watson as reserve, were dominant across the nine-day tournament, taking out every other match by at least 27 goals despite often facing unfamiliar opposition.

“It may have looked like we were very dominant, but what you need to understand is it's different styles of play,” said Upton.

“It was hard, and it's really hard to go into an international tournament when you haven't played [these teams before] and we don't actually have the knowledge of who we're coming up against.”

What separated Australia was their commitment to fundamentals: relentless one-on-one defence, and their hallmark discipline of always providing multiple options to the ball.

Now heading into her third SSN season with the Vixens, Graham’s goals are to improve the defensive element of her game (“I’m trying to be like Kippa”, she said) and to keep executing her role under new coaches Upton and Di Honey – whether that’s sinking clutch super shots (as she did every time she took the court in 2025) or offering a point of difference in either goaling position.

She counts sitting in the change rooms after the 1-point 2025 SSN grand final win as one of her most special memories, cementing everything she loves about netball: friendship, competition, and resilience.

“It was just the 10 of us in the team plus Simone [McKinnis] and we just sat there, had a chat, and really took it all in because it was the last time Simone was going to coach us,” Graham said.

“There were tears. Everyone was just so happy.”

Some players will go their whole careers without playing in two SSN finals campaigns and winning an international award, but this is only the beginning for Lily Graham.

“Looking back on it, I actually can't believe the year I've had,” she said. “I'm just so grateful, because I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.”

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