Wallam Watch: Harvey’s Donnell Wallam shows pride at becoming third First Nations Diamond

Ahead of travelling to Birmingham for the Commonwealth Games, Harvey’s Donnell Wallam has expressed pride at becoming the third First Nations woman to represent Australia in the Diamonds squad. The 28-year-old sharpshooter is due to travel to the United Kingdom where she will take part in the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, which begin next Friday, as a reserve athlete for the Australian Diamonds. Wallam’s debut inclusion in the squad, which was announced in April, makes her the third First Nations woman to join the Diamonds, following in the footsteps of Sharon Finnan-White and Marcia Ella-Duncan. In a recent interview, the proud Noongar woman said being included in the Diamonds squad for 2022-23 “means a lot”. “Now that I have recahed being in the Diamonds squad, my next goal is to get on court and play for Australia,” she said. “It means a lot because being a First Nations athlete, there’s not much representation in netball. “So being able to play netball at the highest level in Australia is just huge for the next generation. “I’m really proud that I can be that role model for other Indigenous athletes.” Wallam’s inclusion came amid a stand-out maiden season in the Suncorp Super Netball, a feat she said she had not been expecting. “I was happy with whatever the outcome because this was my first season, so I thought whatever happens is just a bonus for me,” she said. “When Stacey [Marinkovich] said I didn’t make this one (team), I was like ‘oh that’s okay’ and I was a bit down. “But then she told me I was a reserve. “She asked me if I was okay and I was like ‘yeah, this is so cool. I’m fine’. “I’m just excited and happy for the opportunity.”