Donnell Wallam to make Australian Diamonds debut in England Vitality Roses series

Donnell Wallam previously made her mark in England with Leeds Rhinos Netball (Image Credit: Ben Lumley)

Donnell Wallam is set to make her debut for the Australian Diamonds in their forthcoming three-Test series against England's Vitality Roses.

The series marks the second part of both England's and Australia's winter fixtures. England start by taking on Uganda in October and Australia meet New Zealand in the Constellation Cup.

Australia's head coach Stacey Marinkovich has named two separate squads for their contests, with Wallam being one of the individuals arriving for the series against England only.

The Firebirds and former Leeds Rhinos Netball athlete was a training partner with the Diamonds' gold medal-winning Commonwealth Games team.

The 6ft 2in shooter is a former state basketball player and someone who arrived at netball late in her sporting career. She only started playing netball at the elite level two years before signing for Leeds Rhinos in 2020 and proved early on that she was able to deliver under enormous pressure.

Midcourter and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Ash Brazill has not made herself available for selection after deciding to take a break and spend time with her family.

Captain Liz Watson and vice-captain Steph Wood are both part of the Constellation Cup squad, but the Diamonds will be led by others when they face England.

"The upcoming international series against New Zealand and England gives us a unique opportunity to continue to solidify what we have been building over the last 18 months and what we delivered from the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games," Marinkovich said.

"While we are extremely proud of the result recently achieved at the Commonwealth Games and we learned that the depth and competitive nature of international netball is ferocious.

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"I am looking forward to reconnecting with our squad as everyone will be refreshed and re-energised to align our focus towards the 2023 Netball World Cup," Marinkovich continued.

"We will continue to develop and challenge the depth of our squad enabling players to make their contribution in building our way forward."

Constellation Cup squad: Amy Parmenter, Cara Koenen, Courtney Bruce, Gretel Bueta, Jamie-Lee Price, Kate Moloney, Kiera Austin, Liz Watson, Maddy Proud, Ruby Bakewell-Doran, Sarah Klau, Sophie Dwyer, Steph Wood and Sunday Aryang.

England Series squad: Amy Parmenter, Cara Koenen, Courtney Bruce, Donnell Wallam, Gretel Bueta, Jamie-Lee Price, Joanna Weston, Kate Moloney, Kiera Austin, Maddy Proud, Maddy Turner, Paige Hadley, Sarah Klau and Sophie Garbin.