Donnell Wallam has produced a netball debut for the ages, scoring the game-winning goal on the final buzzer in a one-point victory over England in her first outing for the Diamonds.
The Indigenous star, who has been at the centre of the Hancock sponsorship controversy over the last week, put the drama from the lead-up behind her with a stunning performance.
After being brought on by coach Stacey Marinkovich in the fourth quarter, Wallam provided a key presence in the attacking third for the Diamonds, converting all eight of her goal attempts as Australia ran out 55-54 winners.
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Wallam’s entrance was met with a raucous reception from the capacity crowd, and she wasted little time, hitting the scoreboard just seconds into her debut.
However, the best was yet to come for the 28-year-old.
With the seconds ticking down and overtime seemingly on the horizon, Australia managed to turn the ball over in the middle third and found Wallam within scoring distance.
Wallam caught the ball and saw her defender caught out of position after trying to steal, before stepping past to lay the ball in right on the buzzer.
The incredible play sent the crowd into raptures as the teary Wallam was mobbed by her teammates.
Following the match, Wallam put her incredible last-second play down to “instinct” and was moved to tears when discussing the tumultuous lead-up to her Diamonds debut.
“I was kind of relieved to finally get my chance on the court,” she said.
“It’s been one of the toughest few weeks of my life, so to finally get out there and to just play in this dress was really special. It makes the last couple of weeks feel like a blur.
“It’s really special and I just hope that I’m a role model to the young girls and boys coming through for their turn. It’s been a long time coming, so I hope I make everyone proud out there.”
Wallam makes instant impact on debut
Wallam paid tribute to her teammates and the rest of the Diamonds staff for their support over the last week.
“Every single one of the team members, the staff, has just been amazing,” she said.
“We were just trying to let the outside noise not impact us and they’ve just wrapped their arms around me and really embraced me and that’s just so special.
“Thanks so much to everybody for their support. All the kind messages I’ve been getting, it hasn’t gone unnoticed and it’s really helped in the last couple of weeks.”
Diamonds skipper Liz Watson was full of praise for Wallam after her unbelievable debut.
“As soon as ‘Nellie’ ran on it just absolutely rocked it,” she said.
“For her to be composed and take that last shot and lay it up, she really won us that game by being a real target down there.
“This group is so, so close. We had some new faces coming in with the excitement to get out there and wear the green and gold. We just want to be out there and want to be playing, and we want to play games like that.”
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