Snubbed shooter Wallam thrown a lifeline by Diamonds
The Diamonds unveiled their 18-player squad for 2025-26 - plus four invitees - on Wednesday ahead of October's South Africa Series and the Constellation Cup against New Zealand.
The squad, headlined by skipper Liz Watson and vice-captain Paige Hadley, features 10 World Cup champions and nine Commonwealth Games gold medallists.
It also features seven athletes under the age of 25, showcasing coach Stacey Marinkovich's nod to generation next.
There are three potential debutants among the squad - West Coast Fever star Teague-Neeld, Sunshine Coast defender Ash Ervin, and Melbourne Vixens mid-courter Hannah Mundy.
Teague-Neeld has previously filled the role as an invitee, but has been elevated into the main squad following a standout campaign for the ladder-leading Fever.
The four invitees for the year ahead are star goal shooter Wallam, Lucy Austin, Amy Sligar and Teigan O'Shannassy.
Wallam scored a goal in the dying seconds of her Diamonds debut in 2022 to lift Australia to a thrilling 55-54 win over England.
She was in tears after the match as she recounted the tough lead-up to the clash after finding herself at the centre of the Gina Rinehart Hancock sponsorship controversy.
Wallam, a proud Noongar woman, had reportedly felt uncomfortable wearing the Hancock Prospecting logo emblazoned across the team's uniform, due to ethical concerns of the negative impact it would have on First Nations people.
Racist genocidal comments made by Rinehart's late father, Lang Hancock, had also been raised as a major concern.
Wallam's stance was supported by her Diamonds teammates, and it ended up costing Netball Australia a $15 million sponsorship deal with Rinehart.
It was later revealed an unnamed Netball Australia senior official had advised the team not to wear the logo in that match against England.
Wallam was sensationally let go by the struggling Queensland Firebirds last year, and after failing to land a deal with a rival Super Netball club, she joined the Northern Mystics in the NZ league.
She has scored 275 goals across six matches - either side of missing three games with a wrist injury - to help lead the Mystics to the grand final.
The 31-year-old's inclusion as an invitee in Marinkovich's Diamonds squad opens the door for her to resume her international career.
The squad will come together for a five-day high-performance camp at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra in early September.
A second preparation camp will follow from September 19, leading into the Diamonds' South Africa series and Constellation Cup in October.
"It's only 372 days until the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, and every session, every match, every moment we get together is about setting ourselves up to be at our absolute best when it matters most," Marinkovich said.
2025-26 AUSTRALIAN DIAMONDS SQUAD:
Sunday Aryang, Kiera Austin, Courtney Bruce, Sophie Dwyer, Ashleigh Ervin, Sophie Garbin, Matilda Garrett, Paige Hadley, Georgie Horjus, Sarah Klau, Cara Koenen, Kate Moloney, Hannah Mundy, Amy Parmenter, Jamie-Lee Price, Alice Teague-Neeld, Liz Watson, Joanna Weston
INVITEES:
Lucy Austin, Teigan O'Shannassy, Amy Sligar, Donnell Wallam
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