Emma Manzelmann

Emma Manzelmann (born 30 November 2001) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who currently plays for the North Queensland Cowboys in the NRL Women's Premiership.

Primarily a , she previously played for the Newcastle Knights, where she was a member of their 2022 premiership-winning team.

Background Manzelmann was born in Mackay, Queensland and played her junior rugby league for the Walkerston Wanderers.

Playing career

Early years In May 2019, Manzelmann represented Mackay in the Northern Region Women's Championship and was named in the North Queensland Women's Emerging Marlins squad. In June 2019, she represented the Queensland women's under-18s team. In 2020, she played for the Mackay Magpies in the Mackay women's competition, before joining the North Queensland Gold Stars in the BHP Premiership. In September 2021, she was named the North Queensland Gold Stars Player of the Year. In December 2021, she signed with the Newcastle Knights to be a part of their inaugural NRLW squad.

2022 In round 1 of the delayed 2021 NRL Women's season, Manzelmann made her NRLW debut for the Knights against the Parramatta Eels.

On 2 October, Manzelmann played in the Knights' 2022 NRLW Grand Final win over the Parramatta Eels.

2023 On 4 April, Manzelmann signed with the North Queensland Cowboys, becoming the club's inaugural signing.

In June, she played both games for Queensland in their 2023 State of Origin series win over New South Wales.

In Round 1 of the 2023 NRL Women's season, she made her debut for the Cowboys, starting at and scoring the club's first try in a 16–6 loss to the Gold Coast Titans.

On 28 October, she became the first Cowboy to represent Australia, coming off the bench in their 12–6 loss to New Zealand at AAMI Park.

2024 Manzelmann came off the bench for Queensland in all three games in their 2024 Women's State of Origin series win.

In Round 1 of the 2024 NRL Women's season, she came off the bench in the Cowboys' 14–0 loss to the Cronulla Sharks.

2025 On 1 July, Manzelmann was named co-captain of the Cowboys alongside Kirra Dibb, replacing Tallisha Harden.