Netball 2022: The question that brought Donnell Wallam to tears | video

The Diamonds paid tribute to Donnell Wallam after she delivered an exciting debut performance that will go down in netball history.

After weeks in the headlines, Wallam let her netball speak for itself. scoring the winning goal in Australia’s thrilling one-point victory over England Wednesday evening.

It couldn’t have been better scripted than Wallam’s 10-minute fourth-quarter cameo and truly ensured her debut wouldn’t be overshadowed by the sponsorship controversy engulfing Australian netball.

Watch the world’s best netball when the Origin Australian Diamonds take on the England Roses in the England Series on Wednesday 19:30 AEST live and for free on Kayo Freebies. Join now and start streaming instantly >

28-year-old girl involuntarily became the face of Hancock Prospecting decision to end $15 million deal with sports after she objected to wearing the company’s logo due to comments by founder Lang Hancock about the “neutering” of Indigenous Australians in the 1980s.

When called upon to replace the tiring Sophie Garbin as scorer in the last quarter of a tight game, Wallam took command of the game brilliantly.

She immediately called for a high ball in the one-on-one competition and scored with the first touch of the game.

Wallam kept in touch with the Diamonds, scoring eight goals on 100-percent shooting and seizing the moment with a brilliant instinctive game that put the Diamonds ahead as soon as the siren sounded.

The game seemed to be heading into overtime before a brilliant interception by Keith Moloney gave the ball to Wallam, who made a giant leap off the edge of the circle and threw the ball basketball-style as time ran out. .

Wallam let out an all-powerful roar of celebration as she was surrounded by a crowd of her Diamonds teammates and hugged by the England Roses, who sensed the enormity of the event.

She became a Diamond number. 189 and only the third Indigenous netball player to play for the Diamonds after Sharon Finnan-White and Marcia Ella-Duncan.

“I was relieved to get my chance on the court,” Wallam told Fox Netball after the game.

“It was the hardest few weeks of my life, so finally getting out and playing in this dress was really special. Because of this, the last couple of weeks seem to be something of a blur.”

The 28-year-old burst into tears in a post-match interview, admitting that the past few weeks have taken a heavy toll on her.

“Just external noise,” Wallam said, flustered, when asked about the most difficult part of becoming the face of the netball sponsorship saga, which led to Hancock Prospecting abandoning its $15 million partnership.

“Many thanks to everyone for the support, for all the kind messages that I get. It hasn’t gone unnoticed and has really helped me in the last couple of weeks.”

Wallam thanked her Diamonds teammates for their support and said she was delighted to be the third Indigenous player to represent Australia.

“This is a really special event and I just hope that I am now a role model for the boys and girls who come in their turn,” she said.

“I asked Marcia Ella-Duncan to give me a dress. This is a really special event and it was a long time ago. I hope I make everyone proud there. Each of the team members, the staff, is simply amazing.

“When we get into a bubble, we’re just trying to get out of external noise does not affect us. They just hugged me and really hugged me and it’s so special. Being in the camp is such a special feeling, especially with this group of girls.”

Diamonds coach Marinkovic said bringing Mallam to the game late was not a planned move, but she was delighted with the winning goal and her debut overall.

“With Donnell coming out in the last part, for someone to come out, debut and seize the moment, she will definitely set the stadium on fire,” Marinkovic told reporters after the game.

“As a coach, I am quite methodical, so I probably go through a thousand what ifs in different situations, but this was definitely not a planned move.

“Sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t, but I’ll take it any day of the week.

“While it was an incredible moment, I think our training environment, the way the girls interact on the court, understand what their role is on the court, it showed the depth of our team, it shows that the players go on the court with confidence. “.

Deputy Captain Paige Hadley said she didn’t see anything like Wallam’s move.

“I’ve never seen anything like it for a young guy from a debut to come out and take this shot,” she said.

“From the moment she appeared, she commanded this circle. At the first ball, she said: “Put it.” I am very proud of my development while working in the team.

“For the last 15 seconds, you weren’t sure what was going to happen. For her at that moment, to support herself, she saw an open post and went for it, you saw her emotions after this goal. I think it’s just faith.

“She went out there and saw that this pillar was wide open, and she went for it. I don’t think I’ve ever really seen her do that in training.”

The Australian captain and coach said Wallam’s confidence in such instinctive play was proof of the resilience and support of the Diamonds culture.

“It’s so unusual,” Hadley added.

“You saw the reaction of the girls at the end. To give Nelly the courage to go out and do it. Obviously, those around her are building it. It was epic.”

“There was a lot of outside noise, but to be honest, we were so connected by our performance,” Marinkovic said.

“She (Wallam) loves the challenge and loves the moment. She walked towards it. I think she’s learning a lot.

“She hasn’t been in a high-performance environment for too long, so there are things on and off the court where she’s still evolving, and it’s pretty exciting when you see what she’s capable of and what else there is room to grow.”

Australian Diamonds vs England Roses Series

Game 2: Sunday, October 30, 7:30 pm ET, Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney.

Game 3: Thursday, November 3 at 7:30 pm ET – Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane.

Watch the world’s best netball when the Origin Australian Diamonds play the England Roses in England Series, Wednesday 7:30 pm AEST, live and free on Kayo Freebies. Join now and start streaming instantly >

Originally published as The question that brought a netball star to tears after a hell of a week ended with a match-winning goal