It has been 32 years since an Indigenous Australian represented the Diamonds at a Commonwealth Games, and 22 since an Indigenous player has taken the court for the national team.
But that may change in Birmingham come July, after Noongar woman Donnell Wallam was named as a member of an 18-player Diamonds squad, competing for one of the final 12 spots in the team.
The selection is a remarkable feat for 28-year-old Wallam, who has managed to squeeze her way into the Australian set-up just four years after being discovered in the West Australian pathways and five rounds into her debut Super Netball season.
As it stands, Wallam is ranked second in the 2022 Super Netball competition for goals (210) and in the top five for offensive rebounds (10) and super shots (15), while her Queensland Firebirds sit third on the ladder.
This early dominance has seen Wallam heralded as one of the signings of the season, despite being a late call-up as a pregnancy replacement for long-standing goal shooter Romelda George.
Her selection is just another step in her meteoric rise, after growing up playing basketball and Aussie rules before making the switch to netball in her 20s.
Wallam only made her first representative team in 2019, securing a position with the West Coast Warriors in the West Australian Netball League (WANL) under coach Lorraine Ward.
Affectionately referring to each other as 'Wardie' and 'Nelly', the pair have been close ever since, winning WANL titles together in 2019 and 2020, where Wallam was named as the back-to-back grand final MVP.
"But after her first season, everyone recognised her talent, including herself, because she was shooing 60-plus goals a game and pulling off these ridiculous lay-ups and out-of-court shots."
From there, Wallam picked up a 2021 Super Netball training partner contract with the West Coast Fever and her first professional playing contract with the Leeds Rhinos in the UK Superleague.
Her time in England was a bit of a rollercoaster, breaking her arm, making a short-lived comeback and heading home early after her nan passed away.
Despite this, Wallam was voted by fans as their favourite player of the 2021 season, celebrated for her wonderful flair and unpredictable creativity.
Once home, there were more setbacks. The loss of her grandmother started to take its toll and Wallam broke a finger – leading to a seven-month break.
She was offered another training partner contract with the Fever for 2022, but was hoping for a more permanent role. So when the Firebirds came knocking with a four-week training block and a chance to replace George, Wallam moved across the country in the hope of fulfilling that dream.
Four months after taking the risk, Wallam is considered one of the best goal shooters Australia has to offer, with a legitimate shot at a Commonwealth Games debut in a Diamonds dress.
"[Based on her form] I don't see how they can leave her out," Ward said.
"She'll be so excited about this, not only for herself but for her culture.
An abundance of shooters
Something that may stand in Wallam's way, is the overwhelming number of Australian shooters Stacey Marinkovich has the luxury of picking from for her Commonwealth Games team.
Seven of the 18 players listed in the squad are shooters, marking a real turn in events, considering there was an alarming shortage last year, through retirements, injuries, and pregnancy.
Marinkovich blooded three debutants at the 2021 Constellation Cup – Kiera Austin, Cara Koenen and Sophie Garbin – alongside centurion Caitlin Bassett.
Although the Diamonds lost the series, conceding the cup to New Zealand for the first time in nine years, each of these players did enough to secure a spot in the Australian 2021/22 squad – even Austin, who missed the Super Netball season with a ruptured ACL.
2021 Super Netball Rising Star Sophie Dwyer got her first call up for the Diamonds squad during the 2022 Quad Series in January, while experienced campaigners Gretel Bueta and Steph Wood returned to the team and very much looked like they would be Marinkovich's starting combination for the Commonwealth Games.
But Wallam has burst onto the scene and made quite an impression in recent months, creating a welcome headache for Marinkovich as she tries to determine the best four shooters to take on the plane.
What makes this task more difficult, is that Marinkovich will be required to name the team before they even get a chance to head into camp, with Commonwealth Games organisers dictating the timing of the announcement in June, midway through the domestic season.
Versatility is key
Firebirds midcourter Kim Ravaillion can consider herself unlucky to miss out after a return to form as one of the finest centres in Super Netball, and boasting 60 Diamonds caps, including two Commonwealth Games campaigns and a World Cup.
Ravaillion fell out of favour with the selectors after a dip in form with Collingwood, but since having a baby in 2020 and returning to the Firebirds in 2021, she is back to her best.
But the majority of players named in this Australian squad play a range of positions as international netball rules now allow for changes in live play, and Ravaillion rarely shifts from the centre position.
Melbourne Vixens defender Jo Weston is an excellent example, as a starting goal defence able to offer height out in wing defence, and even making a small cameo in goal keeper last weekend.
Weston told the ABC although versatility had not been directly communicated as a Diamonds requirement, the importance of depth in the modern game was already clear through Super Netball's rolling subs and 10-player lists.
"It is really difficult sometimes though, if you play a certain role with your domestic team … because at the end of the day, you can only do what you can with the opportunities you're given, and you just have to hope the selectors and coaches know you have the ability to do whatever the team needs."
