She’s one of Australia’s most talented players, has six Diamonds caps and for the past three seasons, has been among the most prolific scorers in the best netball league in the world.

Yet the Super Netball season will start this weekend without Donnell Wallam, the Diamonds goaler finding herself without a contract after being axed by the Queensland Firebirds at the end of last season.

One of Australia’s brightest stars, Wallam has often been mired in controversy since joining the league in 2022 and remains so despite leaving the country, with questions around her relationship with her former club and a prospective Super Netball suitor.

Code Sports investigates how the one of Australia’s best sportswomen finds herself without a contract in her own backyard despite remaining a valued part of the national program.

INSIDE STORY

When the first pass is taken in the Super Netball season this weekend, it will occur without Diamonds goaler Donnell Wallam being connected to an Aussie club.

After what many viewed as a shock axing by the Firebirds last year, Wallam found herself without a home despite averaging the second most goals in the league behind West Coast Fever’s legendary Jamaican shooter Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard.

The Firebirds had offered Wallam just a one-year contract when Super Netball’s protracted pay war finally ended in late 2023, leaving her in likely limbo even before last season started after most clubs inked at least two-year deals with their shooters.

Her contract was not renewed after the 2024 season, with Wallam one of three players, along with captain Kim Ravaillion — who called time on her decorated career — and defender Remi Kamo, not to return.

Kamo, who has now linked with the Auckland-based Stars, publicly confirmed she had lodged an official complaint into the club’s culture last August.

A seven-month independent investigation into alleged breaches of the Netball Australia Code of Conduct and Member Protection Policy, by Netball Queensland (NQ, owners of the Firebirds) and members of its staff found no specific breaches of the governing body’s policies.

It’s understood allegations made by Kamo, who has Maori heritage, included NQ being a toxic workplace where athletes were “gaslighted”.

Wallam was not a complainant but it’s understood Kamo’s formal statements included issues both players experienced.

And the pair was scathing of the findings, Kamo saying there was a “silencing culture (of women — shock horror) in this sport in Australia where if you have any opinions, diversity, courage — then you are othered- a ‘troublemaker’ while the people benefiting from the silence stay in their positions of power and control the narrative”.

Wallam backed Kamo, saying she was proud to stand in “solidarity” with her mate.

“You stood up with strength, courage and resilience some can only dream of. We know the truth and we will heal and move on. They know the truth and that’s what they have to live with,” she said in a social media post.

TROUBLE IN THE NEST

Regardless of the findings of the independent investigation, there’s no doubt it was a tough season for the Firebirds, who parted ways with coach Bec Bulley with five games remaining in the season, with the club and athletes having to reject accusations of a player mutiny following her firing.

There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing against Bulley, who declined to comment for this story.

The club started the season under pressure after a flurry of rumours of player unrest in Bulley’s first year as head coach in 2023.

Plenty of work had been done on team building, with many at the club using the analogy of a rowing boat that could only move forward if all were pulling in the same direction.

Sadly, the boat was listing badly by mid-season, with it clear the club would miss the finals for the sixth successive season and the team looking fractured.

Bulley was axed with a month of the regular season remaining and her assistant, Lauren Brown, stood down after a week as caretaker.

Interim co-coaches were appointed for the final games, with former premiership mentor, now NQ head of talent and development Roselee Jencke and Katie Walker, who had been working as an assistant coach with the Firebirds Futures in the Super Netball Reserves program, running the team.

The perpetually positive Walker, seemed just what the doctor ordered, especially for Wallam, who seemed to thrive, especially in Walker’s first game in charge, a massive upset over finals-bound West Coast Fever.

Wallam finished with a colossal 66 points in only the club’s third win of the season and said afterwards she responded to a coach with such faith in her.

“You just want to play when your coach has so much confidence in you and gives you the green light like Katie does. I just love playing for Katie,” Wallam said.

Walker had no interest in dissecting the Firebirds’ season or commenting on any internal issues.

But she is adamant Wallam - who she would pick in any team she coached - will thrive wherever she plays.

“She is a winner,” Walker said.

“When you think about players in other sports, you know, Lachie Neale, Johnathan Thurston, when it’s a clutch moment and a game is on the line, players like (them) and Nellie are who you want.

“That’s how I view her. That’s the power of her, and when she feels that support, she will repay you and her team and the fans tenfold.

“You can’t coach a lot of it. Some people just have it in them and Nellie is one of those who has that in them.”

HOW DID WE GET HERE?

With the head coach having parted before season’s end, decisions on renewing the deals of off-contract Firebirds players were made by other high performance staff.

The club elected not to contract Wallam, instead turning to Ugandan goaler Mary Cholhok for seasons 2025 and 2026, the 201cm shooter who has won multiple scoring titles and premierships in the English Super League.

“There is no doubt Donnell is a quality player and her Diamonds selection for 2024 supports that,” NQ and Firebirds chief executive Kate Davies said.

“This is simply a recruitment decision based on game style and strategy into the future and I know Donnell will continue to shine wherever her future lies.”

Only the Adelaide Thunderbirds — who re-signed grand final MVP Romelda Aiken-George and rising local star and Diamonds camp invitee Lucy Austin — and the NSW Swifts, who nabbed Silver Ferns star Grace Nweke, could have made Wallam a Super Netball offer.

Ironically, Wallam will fill Nweke’s shoes at the Mystics in New Zealand this season after the ANZ Premiership club leapt at the chance to snare another international-level tall holding shooter, contracting her last August.

What is a coup for the Kiwi premiers is possibly less so for Wallam, with the six-team competition playing just two rounds — down from three — this season, while doubts hang over the New Zealand league’s future, following its signing of just a 12-month deal with broadcasters Sky last year.

West Coast Fever loomed as a potential saviour when searching for a temporary replacement late last year for then-pregnant Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard, who recently returned to the club after tragically miscarrying in January.

It seemed a perfect fit for the Noongar Aboriginal woman, who was born and raised in Harvey, about two hours south of Perth and has spoken of her desire to one day play at the top level in her home state.

FEVER CONUNDRUM

Fever mentor Dan Ryan had reached out and while he was reportedly keen to sign the 31-year-old, the deal did not go ahead.

Five separate sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told Code Sports that Fever coaching staff had been keen to make Wallam an offer but any deal was vetoed at board level.

In a statement, West Coast Fever chief executive officer Simone Hansen said: “The Club did reach out to Donnell Wallam’s Management in December 2024 to ascertain her availability to replace Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard”.

“However, as she was contracted with the Mystics in New Zealand, we decided not to

pursue that option.

“West Coast Fever certainly has not ruled out recruiting Donnell in the future.”

Wallam addressed rumours she could be a candidate for a temporary replacement player deal at the time, saying she would be honouring her Mystics deal.

Contacted last week, her management also pointed to her New Zealand deal, saying while she was in regular contact with Ryan — who coached her at Leeds in her first professional role in England’s Super League in 2021 — she had no intention of formally discussing a Fever role.

It is not known whether Wallam’s New Zealand deal contains a Super Netball get-out clause.

Diamonds coach Stacey Marinkovich is “disappointed” a player of Wallam’s quality won’t be playing in the world’s best league next year, although unlike Nweke, who has had to give up Silver Ferns eligibility this year, Wallam remains able to be selected for the Diamonds.

Speaking at last week’s Super Netball launch, Marinkovich said the shooter would continue to be supported by the Diamonds program while overseas, with regular communication and monitoring to ensure she could evolve her performance on court and provide the support needed to do that.

Wallam’s comments in support of Kamo — who criticised NA following the review — would not hinder her Diamonds cause either, Marinkovich said.

“We have conversations (around) how to support a player, and it’s regardless of what’s happening in any environment,” she said.

“You want to make sure that they’re able to process what’s happening in their lives. And everyone has many different things coming at them.”

STILL AN OPTION

While some believe the move across the Tasman could be “the beginning of the end” for Wallam, CODE Sports Netball columnist Bianca Chatfield believes she will remain an attractive option for Super Netball clubs.

“Donnell doesn’t just offer you that tall holding shooter,” Chatfield said.

“She is lethal when it comes to the super shot and she has the confidence to take it.

“She can really lift a team and I think being in a high performance environment that’s probably a more experienced team that can continue to push her as a player but also surround her with plenty of resources, I think that’s going to be an important place for her to continue to grow her game.

Walker too, believes Wallam will thrive with the Mystics.

“Nellie will make the most of any team that is lucky enough to have her,” Walker said.

“What was extreme disappointment on so many levels for her, she won’t stay there (in that emotion).

“She’s ready to write a new chapter. She’s ready to play netball, which she loves, and she’s so very good at, and she’ll continue to make us all proud, no matter what dress she’s in.”

SHOOTING STAR

Wallam blazed on to the scene when she was signed by the Queensland Firebirds in 2022 as cover for then-pregnant star Romelda Aiken-George, finding herself in Stacey Marinkovich’s Commonwealth Games squad after only five Super Netball appearances.

She made an emotional Diamonds debut later that year, becoming just the third Indigenous player to represent the national team.

Her ascension was capped by a matchwinning performance against England in the midst of the Hancock Prospecting sponsorship furore, the mining giant having withdrawn a four-year $15 million offer to Netball Australia at the eleventh hour.

Wallam became an unwitting focus of the collapse of the deal — which also cost Netball WA and the Fever a multimillion-dollar sponsorship with Hancock subsidiary Roy Hill — after she had quietly raised issue with wearing the Hancock logo due to historical comments made by company founder Lang Hancock about the sterilisation of Indigenous people.

Despite Wallam eventually agreeing to wear the logo, Hancock withdrew the proposed sponsorship, with the 28-year-old the focus of much unfair and uninformed criticism.

There is no suggestion the sponsorship row or Hancock owner Gina Rinehart had anything to do with Wallam not being offered a Fever deal.

Wallam has consistently been a target of trolls and faceless keyboard warriors, as well as,

last season, letter-writer “Mary” who happily signed her name to hateful correspondence sent to the Firebirds, accusing Wallam of being “manipulated by the radical Aboriginal filth” and “a disgrace to the Noongar Tribe”, a missive that left the star “beyond disgusted and hurt”.

Whether she returns to Super Netball, in the short term at least, is up in the air.

QUESTIONS FOR LEAGUE

Former Diamond Chatfield said it was disappointing to have a player as talented as Wallam and with so much as yet untapped potential, unable to find a Super Netball place.

“Has she fallen victim to the fact that we have internationals who all sit in those goal shooter positions? That’s probably a big question mark the league itself would need to look at,” Chatfield said.

“How can we have our Diamonds not even able to take court in our own competition?

“That’s something that I definitely think that they’d have to look at in the future.”

As few as two franchises are likely to start with an Australian in the starting goal shooter bib this weekend.

While that’s actually an improvement on a few years ago when seven of the eight clubs had international goal shooters — something that forced former Diamonds captain Caitlin Bassett across the Tasman — it lends support to the growing demand for expansion of the league.

“In saying that you also know how excited everyone is to have the likes of (Grace) Nweke and (Mary) Cholhok in our competition so it’s a real catch-22,” said Chatfield.

“But from an Australian point of view, you really do want that talent that we have right here to be able to have the opportunity to showcase in Super Netball.”

Few players have insight into what Wallam must be feeling.

Bassett, a journalist for the West Australian newspaper, declined to comment on her fellow shooter’s plight.

Wallam also declined to comment when approached by Code Sports after turning out for the Mystics against the Mavericks in a pre-season match in Melbourne last week.

Who knows what she’ll be feeling as the Super Netball season starts.

Certainly, she feels welcome in her new surrounds.

“In every discussion I had with potential clubs, the respect for inclusion of culture was a major focus of each program and I know this will be an enriching experience for me both on and off the court,” she said in an Instagram post following her signing.