Australian · Korijekup (Harvey), Western Australia, Australia · Born 23 January 1994Noongar Australian goal shooter who debuted for the Diamonds in October 2022, scoring the winning goal on debut amid a high-profile sponsorship dispute.
Donnell Wallam was born on 23 January 1994 and is a proud Noongar woman from Korijekup (Harvey), a small town two hours south of Perth. A former state basketball player, she only began playing netball seriously in her mid-twenties, winning back-to-back Jill McIntosh Medals with the West Coast Warriors in 2019 and 2020 before signing with England's Leeds Rhinos Netball in 2020, where coach Dan Ryan predicted she had the potential to be a 'world-beater'. Wallam returned to Australia and joined the Queensland Firebirds for the 2022 Suncorp Super Netball season as a replacement for Romelda Aiken, scoring 519 goals in her debut year. Her form earned Diamonds selection for the 2022 Commonwealth Games as a travelling reserve, but before her Test debut she sought an exemption from wearing a Diamonds uniform featuring the logo of sponsor Hancock Prospecting, given founder Lang Hancock's historical comments about Indigenous Australians. The company withdrew its $15 million sponsorship days later. Wallam made her Diamonds debut on 26 October 2022 against England in Newcastle, becoming the third Indigenous woman to represent Australia after Marcia Ella-Duncan and Sharon Finnan-White and the first in over 20 years, and sealed a 55-54 win with a stunning last-second lay-up shot. She was named 2023 NAIDOC Sportsperson of the Year, later moved to the Northern Mystics in New Zealand and signed with Sunshine Coast Lightning for 2026, continuing to use her platform to advocate for Indigenous pathways in netball.
Third Indigenous netballer to play for the Australian Diamonds; Hancock Prospecting logo exemption controversy (2022)
How They Played
Tall, precise shooter renowned for reliable accuracy under the post and composure in high-pressure moments
Lasting Impact
A powerful advocate for Indigenous representation in netball, whose debut became one of the sport's most talked-about moments of the 2020s
Career Honours
- WA Netball League Jill McIntosh Medal & League Player's Player 2019, 2020
- Diamonds debut 2022
- travelling reserve, 2022 Commonwealth Games
| Club | Period | Apps |
|---|---|---|
| Leeds Rhinos Netball | 2020–2021 | — |
| Queensland Firebirds | 2022–2023 | — |
| Northern Mystics | 2024–2025 | — |
| Sunshine Coast Lightning | 2026–2026 | — |
Australian Athletes