While netball may be Australian girls' and women's top participation team sport, it has long fallen short of producing — or at least nurturing — elite Indigenous talent.
uncertain
it → fall → talent
Just three Indigenous Australian women have represented the Diamonds: Marcia Ella-Duncan, Sharon Finnan-White and, after a 22-year gap, Donnell Wallam.
asserted
women → represent → gap
In 2024, Wallam left Australia for New Zealand, taking a swipe at her former club, the Firebirds, on the way out.
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Wallam → leave → way
At the time, she wrote that the New Zealand clubs' "respect for inclusion and culture" was a key factor in her decision to leave, while she eventually returned to the Sunshine Coast Lightning this year.
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she → write → Lightning
Netball Australia was not idly watching.
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Australia → watch → ?
As accusations of a 'toxic culture' at the Firebirds were aired, the governing body launched an investigation and kickstarted a series of measures to enshrine 'cultural safety' for First Nations athletes in the sport.
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body → air → sport
This included the introduction of Australia's inaugural First Nations team, the Black Swans, following the appointment of Ali Tucker-Munro, Netball Australia's General Manager First Nations and former Diamonds squad member.
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This → include → Munro
Tucker-Munro was also influential in establishing the First Nations Tournament, a yearly national championship currently being held in Melbourne, and the Spirit Series, which launched in 2026 and saw the Black Swans go undefeated against Australia's Pacific neighbours.
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Swans → establish → neighbours
Speaking from the State Netball and Hockey Centre, Tucker-Munro, alongside players Gabby Coffey and Scarlet Jauncey, said the measures had begun to address the lack of visible role models for First Nations netballers, with more work to be done.
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work → speak → netballers
Embraced in Alice Springs
Twenty-six-year-old Coffey, representing the Northern Territory, is one of several First Nations netballers who have been stuck at the cusp of national competition.
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who → embrace → competition
The defender spent four years as a Melbourne Vixens training partner before eventually making the decision to move to the UK to further her netball career.
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defender → spend → career
She represented Birmingham over two seasons, and has since returned to Alice Springs.
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She → represent → Springs
Coffey had seen the writing on the wall at the Vixens.
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Coffey → see → Vixens
"I knew there wasn't much movement in their defensive end, and the same with a lot of defensive ends around Australia," Coffey told ABC Sport.
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Coffey → know → Sport
While she has not given up on a professional career, she is also at peace with the idea that her role may be to support other First Nations athletes with their sporting aspirations.
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role → give → aspirations
The Wiradjuri woman grew up in Alice Springs, away from mob and country, but remembers being embraced by the community in Arrente.
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woman → grow → Arrente
"When you grow up on other Indigenous land and tell people you're Indigenous, they pull you into their culture, so [my family and I] were super lucky and blessed to grow up in the centre of Australia where arguably their Indigenous culture is very sacred and traditional," she said.
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she → grow → Australia
Determined to pursue netball, she was advised by coach Gillian Lee to move down south, and remembers the transition to Melbourne as a difficult one.
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she → determine → one
"It was really hard being away from home," Coffey said.
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Coffey → say → home
"I was really lucky with the team I entered [the Vixens] and the support I did have, but it's not the same for everyone.
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it → enter → everyone
There's a lot of girls who do get those opportunities to move and then don't last because there's just not that support in place."
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who → be → place
Hailing from the Northern Territory, Coffey said, was an additional barrier.
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Coffey → hail → Territory
"Even with competitions like these, we don't get together until we're here, and we're training away from each other, so it can be quite a challenge.
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it → get → other
"
Visible Indigenous role models key
Asked what more could be done to help First Nations netballers make it to the elite level, Coffey said role models were key.
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models → do → level
"If you can't see it, you can't be it," she said, pointing out that there are only two Indigenous players currently in Super Netball.
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she → see → Netball
Coffey said her own experience of spending multiple years as a train-on player, without breaking into the elite environment, showed how difficult it was to make it into a professional team in Australia.
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it → say → Australia
"We get a number of internationals [coming to Super Netball], which I think makes the game better and more exciting, and I don't think [that] should be restricted," she said.
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she → get → Netball
"But I do think there should be more focus on bringing Indigenous girls into the elite level."
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I → think → level
She pointed to Netball Australia's plans to introduce two new teams into the competition, saying this would open further list spots.
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this → point → spots
A New Zealand team, she added, may take pressure away from the Australian players vying for contracts.
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she → add → contracts
Scarlet Jauncey has spent the last year as a training partner for the West Coast Fever, pinching herself to line up on names like Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard at training.
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Jauncey → spend → training
A Yaruwu woman from Rubibi/Broome in Western Australia, Jauncey agreed with Coffey that cutting international talent was not a solution.
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cutting → agree → talent
"We're happy to be playing against the best in the world, that's what we want," the defender said.
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defender → play → what
Like many of her teammates, Jauncey grew up idolising Wallam.
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Jauncey → grow → Wallam
"I think it just gives us something to strive towards, knowing that we can be in that space," she said.
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she → think → space
In 2025, Jauncey captained the Black Swans, in turn becoming a role model to other First Nations players.
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Jauncey → captain → players
"It was the best tournament I've played in, the best teams I've been with," she said.
"
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she → play → ?
I think just being able to come to First Nations tournaments and having that connection with each other has been really great."
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being → think → other
Coffey agreed, saying the experience had given her "goosebumps".
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experience → agree → goosebumps
"I think it gives not only myself, but a lot of players so much power and push to keep going and play at the highest level," she said.
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she → think → level
…and 11 more, not listed.
The Aporia