Australian netball: Donnell Wallam makes debut against England after Gina Rinehart sponsorship saga

The Indigenous star that led to the cancellation of a major Australian Netball sponsorship deal has made an emotional return to the limelight for the biggest moment of her career.

Donnell Wallam will make her international debut for the Australian Diamonds against arch-rival England on Wednesday evening in front of a sold-out crowd at the Newcastle Entertainment Centre.

The goalkeeper was named at the interchange and is tipped to come off the bench to become just the third Indigenous netballer to represent Australia – the first in 20 years.

Her debut comes days after Gina Rinehart unpinned a $15 million Hancock Prospecting deal following comments from Wallam.

The Queensland Firebirds shooter criticized comments Rinehart’s late father Lang Hancock made about Aboriginal Australians 38 years ago and expressed concern about wearing the Hancock Prospecting logo on her Australian uniform, with her Diamonds teammates supporting the decision.

Wallam was all smiles as she lined up next to her teammates during the Welcome to Country pre-match.

During the national anthem, she received a supportive hug from her teammate as the cameras zoomed in on her and wiped away a tear as she proudly sang the national anthem.

Previously, Wallam received huge cheers when she was introduced to the crowd as she took to the field for the pre-match warm-up.

“Donnell Wallam got the loudest cheer in the house when the presenter introduced the players to the court… a pretty clear statement of support from the fans here tonight,” one fan tweeted.

Earlier in the day, Wallam received her Australian uniform from captain Paige Hadley after being named to the bench for her first international game.