For Donnell Wallam, carrying the weight of not only a nation and a sport but also a stance for her own people has not been easy, but she's started lifting the burden off her shoulders.

The proud Noongar woman could feel the healing working in Cairns on Thursday, but not until another four days later at the other end of the country did Wallam look like putting a turbulent year off the court behind her for good.

The goal shooter got back to what she does best under the posts.

Wallam's injection into the second half of the Test against South Africa in Hobart had ensured Australia took the game away from its fierce opponents after the hosts were unexpectedly threatened early on.

Scores were level during a tense second term before a recovery and a reshuffle from Diamonds coach Stacey Marinovich in the break had the Diamonds pulling away to a resounding 67-52 win to secure the series.

Wallam had played her first Test almost one year to the day on Thursday since she scored the winning goal over England in the dying seconds to cap off a stunning debut.

"It's nice to be back out on court, putting on this gold dress and playing for Australia," Wallam said immediately after in a post-match TV interview.

"To put out that performance, I was really proud."

The 29-year-old latecomer to netball after casting aside basketball could not seriously have imagined what the past year would hold that had little to do with playing.

She had been caught up in a sponsorship uproar ahead of that debut after refusing to bear Hancock Prospecting's logo on the Diamonds uniform that cost Netball Australia a deal ultimately worth $15 million when the sport's national body was short of cash.

That also led to stepping out of the public limelight, requiring a mental health break until the new season recommenced.

Just the third Indigenous player to represent Australia in netball's long storied history, the 191cm talent was not named in the 2023 World Cup squad for South Africa, which raised questions that her axing came about for taking a stance over the late Lang Hancock's insulting and racist comments about Indigenous Australians made publicly in the 1980s.

Then Wallam felt under pressure to influence Netball Australia's political and social justice stance ahead of the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum.

She refused to say until the final days of the campaign, publicly supporting the 'Yes' vote.

"I have been holding off on sharing my stance on the voice, purely and selfishly to protect my mental health from the racist comments I now open myself up to, but I firmly believe I must use my platform for those I represent," she said on Instagram earlier this month.

Those sideline hassles were forgotten after returning to the court in Cairns, contributing with nine goals off the bench in the final quarter towards a 62-43 triumph against the happy tourists.

The long-awaited appearances for Australia did not scale the heights of a memorable opening two Tests, but the fourth sounded out the Diamonds' alternative goalers for the future that does not revolve around Sophie Garbin's prowess.

Garbin was rested in the second Test after scoring 31 goals from 35 attempts in the Cairns opener when combining with Sophie Dwyer's 15 from 18.

But after Cara Koenen began in goal in Hobart up until half-time before moving to goal attack for Wallam to take over the goal shooter bib, the pair added another dimension and blew the margin out.

Wallam swiftly added 25 goals from 27 shots in the end while Koenen scored a further two more goals than her shooting replacement from the same number of attempts to deliver 100 per cent accuracy.

The scoring efficiency held back the spirited South Africans from throwing everything at the unheralded attack.

"They're very quick and they're very strong," Wallam said of her rivals.

"I just needed to back myself in the circle and just hold strong, present well, because they are very fast and they can certainly jump too."

One of Wallam's only two misses came in the final minutes while forced to fire a ball off balance from floating out of bounds. The other, a break of concentration.

But Wallam's evolution in just four Tests – arguably between games from Wednesday to Sunday – has come full circle again.

She stuck to her strengths under the posts in Hobart, dominating one-on-one contests and not complicating her scoring involvements after running aimlessly in Cairns.

The shift also allowed the athletic and smaller Koenen to do all the running out front.

Wallam also combined brilliantly with midcourter Liz Watson, their passing connections never missing the mark once.

The final Test of the series remains in the Tasmanian capital on Tuesday night.