Donnell Wallam is set to become the third Indigenous netballer to represent Australia when she lines up against England next week.

But when Diamonds coach Stacey Marinkovich phoned to welcome Wallam into Test netball circles, Wallam admits she was sceptical at first.

"At first, I actually thought it was a scam," she said.

"It was a public holiday, and I didn't know who would be ringing me on the public holiday.

"Once it sunk in that it was real, I couldn't stop smiling and tears were flowing."

Wallam, a Noongar woman from Korijekup (Harvey) in WA's South West, started her netball journey overseas when she gained a two-year contract with All Leeds Rhinos in the UK Netball Superleague.

"I packed up my bags and headed overseas all by myself, which was also my first time travelling overseas even," Wallam said.

"That was very scary to be travelling alone - I remember I couldn't look at my family when I was walking to get on the plane."

In the 2020 season alone, she scored a record 1,013 goals, averaging 63 goals a game.

"From there, I kind of wanted more of this," Wallam said.

"I got that feel for professional netball and I knew I wanted to go further with it."

Queensland Firebirds eventually lured Wallam back to Australia, where she is one of two Indigenous players in the system despite the game's huge popularity across the nation.

That discrepancy is not lost on Wallam.

"Being only the third First Nations' athlete to make it this far, it tells me there are roadblocks in the pathways we've got in place now," she told ABC during the week.

"So, I think what we can do is really educate ourselves to ask why we don't have these kids coming through and what's stopping them."

Bidjigal-Yuin woman Marcia Ella-Duncan, a sister of rugby's Ella brothers, played 18 Tests during the 1980s, while Dunghutti and Gumbaynggirr woman Sharon Finnan-White, Wallam's mentor, appeared 20 times in the 1990s.

More than two decades later, Jenna Mi Mi - the only Indigenous player in Super Netball - was snubbed in the 2020 Indigenous round.

Story by Andrew Mathieson