It's a new year and there's a new challenge on the horizon for our Australian netball team at the inaugural Nations Cup, where among their usual competitors – England and New Zealand – the side will also play Uganda for the very first time.

Ranked seventh globally, the She Cranes finished at the World Cup in August higher than any other African team, beating South Africa to claim fifth place.

Those efforts have seen them receive the call-up to face the top three international teams in the new-year window typically reserved for the Quad Series, which features the Proteas instead.

The Diamonds' desire to play African teams more often was a topic of conversation during their World Cup-winning campaign in Cape Town, where head coach Stacey Marinkovich spoke about the continuous need to test her netballers against a diverse range of playing styles.

This significance of the Nations Cup is therefore not lost on defender Sunday Aryang, whose parents fled Ethiopia when she was a one-year-old to escape the civil war, and 20 years later, watched on as their daughter became the first African-born Diamond.

"I'm super proud and excited to see Australia come up against Uganda, they've come such a long way," Aryang told ABC Sport.

"Even just from watching the She Cranes a couple of years ago, now seeing the way they're playing, they've come so far and done so well.

"It's going to be a great challenge for us, obviously with our hard, one-on-one style of defence and just letting the ball go, it is a big change when you face someone like Uganda because you're not used to having to get so low to hunt for the ball.

"We're very used to flying high and getting up to try and win the ball back, so it's good to face another style and opponent, it makes it interesting."

Aryang has never been back to Ethiopia to visit her extended family since moving to Perth, but in 2023 she finally returned to Africa, first for the January Quad Series and later the World Cup.

Ethiopia doesn't currently have a national netball team, but the idea of one day helping the country get a side together and potentially even coaching them has definitely crossed Aryang's mind.

"It's been hard to get everyone in our immediate family here in Australia on the same schedule and organise a trip back, because we all want to go together so our mum can play tour guide," she said.

"I understand the language but I'm not as strong as her, and she knows all the places to go."

One of the biggest names set to feature in the Nations Cup is Ugandan shooter Mary Cholhok, who has a similar story to Aryang.

Originally from South Sudan, Cholhok's family fled to Uganda as refugees to escape civil war and hoping to find a fresh start, after her father died when she was six.

Beyond her role in the She Cranes' impressive run at the World Cup, Cholhok was also the top scorer in the UK Netball Super League last year for a third time (2019, 2021, 2023); shooting 808 goals during the regular season to lead the Loughborough Lightning to its second title.

Although Aryang is unlikely to match up directly at goal keeper against Cholhok, the pair may still cross paths in the circle at some point during the Nations Cup.

"I'm looking forward to coming up against her, she's been doing amazing.

"I've watched her play a couple of times and I've seen her on socials and she is definitely killing it … I think the Super Netball league here in Australia is something she could slot into one day if she keeps working hard and putting herself out there.

"It would be amazing to be able to see a few more African athletes in our competition and as their national programs get better like Uganda's has, it gives the players more of an opportunity to be seen and be able to be picked up.

"Even for African immigrants like me living in Australia, that's something that I always talk to my sister about … hopefully being able to see a lot more young African people in our country make it through the pathways and do amazing things across a range of sports."

If Cholhok was to one day make her Super Netball debut, she'd be following in the footsteps of former She Cranes captain and fellow shooter Peace Proscovia, who will be at the Nations Cup with the national team in a coaching capacity.

Proscovia played three years with the Sunshine Coast Lightning (2019-2021) and there have been several South Africans that have also appeared in the league, although that number has drastically dropped off in the past two seasons.

For Cholhok, to one day play in Australia and get a crack at the controversial super shot is a dream that she has earmarked, whilst also not being in any rush to fulfil.

"I'm just in this phase of life where I go with the flow," Cholhok told ABC Sport.

"Yes, for sure I want to play in Australia, but could it be today? I could just jump on a plane and play, but I personally don't feel like I'm quite ready.

"When the time comes, I just want to be as great as I can be with nothing holding me back and I feel like the UK league has helped me grow so much as a person to be more confident.

"It's the super shot that's pulling me, I know there's a lot of mixed feelings about the rule, but I just love the whole idea, it's fun."

Just like Aryang has been watching Cholhok, Cholhok has also been keeping an eye on Aryang's movements with the Australian team.

"I don't know her personally, but I know that she's from Africa and a similar background," she said.

"I'm really excited to have a conversation or a chat with her, and also to just see her shine."

In preparation, Uganda recently played the Welsh Feathers where, after losing the first match by 12 goals, they showed significant improvement to win the last two matches and clinch the series.

Now, the She Cranes have set themselves a target to upset at least two of their opponents at the Nations Cup in the hope of proving how far they can go if given an opportunity.

The team are significantly underfunded compared to the other big three, but Cholhok says her side are focused on the experience itself rather than result – particularly against the Diamonds.

"We have huge respect for Australia and for us, it's not about winning or losing, it's the whole experience and the added growth we'll get, so that's what I'm most excited about as an individual, but as a country it just means so much.

"After the World Cup we received so many positive messages from people back home and we just hope that through our performances we can inspire the next generation and push the game to new areas when it comes to prioritising the standards for player welfare.

"We hope we can open a lot of doors for netball in Uganda, because our success is making people question the funds our sport receives and helping us fight for what we deserve, better investment for our sport in our country."

The Nations Cup begins with two days' play in London, before continuing a week later in Leeds.

Saturday, 20 January: Australia v New Zealand – 2am AEDT

Sunday, 21 January: England v Australia — 3:15am AEDT

Saturday 27 January: Australia v Uganda – 2am AEDT

Sunday, 28 January: Third-place play-off – 1am AEDT

Sunday, 28 January: Final — 3:15am AEDT