Diamonds shooter Sophie Garbin expects the Newcastle crowd to get behind Donnell Wallam if she makes her international debut against England on Wednesday night.
Fresh from a comeback win over New Zealand on Sunday night on the Gold Coast to win the four-game Constellation Cup, Australia start their three-match series against England at a sold-out Newcastle Entertainment Centre.
The match also looms as the Diamonds debut of Queensland Firebirds shooter Donnell Wallam, who has been thrust into the spotlight in recent days for sparking a saga which ended with the withdrawal of $15 million in support for financially stricken Netball Australia from Gina Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting.
Wallam, set to become just the third indigenous player to represent the Diamonds, requested an exemption from wearing the company's logo because of shocking comments made by the mining giant's founder, the late Lang Hancock, in the 1980s in which he suggested the sterilisation of Aboriginals.
Wallam's request, and the ensuing drama, have polarised opinions and made her likely debut in Newcastle one of the most anticipated in Diamonds history.
The 28-year-old West Australian was at a media opportunity at National Park on Tuesday but did not speak. Teammate Garbin, who was a standout against the Kiwis on Sunday, said the Diamonds were behind Wallam and they expected the same from the crowd on Wednesday night.
"I'm sure they will get behind her, like we all are," Garbin said. "I think the netball community has been really supportive of us, which we've really appreciated, but I think everyone loves Nellie, everyone loves her in SSN [Suncorp Super Netball], and I think the crowd also feels it when there's a debut.
"I know when Ruby [Bakewell-Doran] came onto the court in Melbourne, the crowd went insane, and she's a Queensland girl.
"So I'm sure even though there's probably a few NSW people who don't like Queenslanders too much, I'm sure everyone will make lots of noise if [Wallam] does get that opportunity."
And she expected Wallam to make her presence felt.
"She is a huge target out the back," she said. "She's so tall and strong and she plays that holding shooter role, a bit similar to myself, but she moves quite well for a tall girl as well, so she's able to come out of the circle.
"Don't expect her to just sit under the post and shoot the close ones. She does have quite the shooting range, so she can put them up from anywhere."
Garbin hoped the 57-53 win on Sunday, in which Australia trailed the Kiwis by five goals at half-time, would help quieten the off-court distractions.
"There's obviously been a lot of noise on the outside with everything going on," she said. "I think it definitely helps when you win. Whatever the situation, when you're winning, it's a lot happier camp, but I think it was just really nice to finish the series on a high, especially with everything else going on."
Asked what the message and advice had been for Wallam from the Diamonds camp this week, Garbin said: "We've kind of kept to a little bit of a bubble with ourselves, so I'm not talking about the outside noise too much.
"But it's so exciting whenever there's a debut in the team. We've got our sisters-in-arms cultures and it's so special when you get your number.
"Just the vibe around the group when there's a debut, it just makes it all that more exciting.
"I think we've already had three this tour which is super cool, so I'm excited to hopefully give Nellie her number. If she doesn't get it, I think it's still great to a part of the squad, the sisters and what we're building."
Australia will be without captain Liz Watson and vice-captain Steph Wood for the England series, which heads to Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena on Sunday then Brisbane Entertainment Centre the following Thursday.
Garbin expected another tough series and she was excited for the opportunities coming for new and fringe Diamonds players.
"With Steph and Liz having a rest this series it definitely opens up a lot more opportunities for a few other girls," Garbin said.
"You've got people like Sophie Dwyer, who's been a part of the Constellation Cup. If she gets her opportunity again, she'll be great.
"And it's going to be awesome to see Nellie hopefully get her opportunity as well. She's done so well in Super Netball and here in the training environment as well.
"We've got Maddy Proud as well, and Paige Hadley from the Swifts, who are probably looking to fill that spot of Liz in the midcourt, so it will be interesting to see what players do when they do get their opportunity.
"There's a small margin between the top four or even five teams in netball at the moment.
"I know for a fact England are very disappointed with how they performed at Comm Games, so I definitely think they will come out with a point to prove.
"They have a few extras coming back in, and they have heaps of Super Netball players as well, so they are always tough to come up against.
"They play a different style to New Zealand. They will be a lot more physical on the body, which we kind of like, so it will be good to come up against them."
WHAT DO YOU THINK? We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on the Newcastle Herald website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. Sign up for a subscription here.
