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.

Emma Manzelmann

Personal information
Born	(2001-11-30) 30 November 2001 (age 23) Mackay, Queensland, Australia
Height	166 cm (5 ft 5 in)
Weight	55 kg (8 st 9 lb)
Playing information
Position	Hooker
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 2021–22 Newcastle Knights 12 2 0 0 8 2023– Nth Qld Cowboys 29 6 4 0 32 Total 41 8 4 0 40 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 2023–24 Queensland 5 0 0 0 0 2023–24 Prime Minister's XIII 2 0 0 0 0 2023 Australia 1 0 0 0 0
Source: [1] As of 13 September 2025

Primarily a hooker, 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.^[2]

Playing career

Early years

In May 2019, Manzelmann represented Mackay in the Northern Region Women's Championship^[3] and was named in the North Queensland Women's Emerging Marlins squad.^[4] In June 2019, she represented the Queensland women's under-18s team.^[5] In 2020, she played for the Mackay Magpies in the Mackay women's competition,^[6] before joining the North Queensland Gold Stars in the BHP Premiership.^[7] In September 2021, she was named the North Queensland Gold Stars Player of the Year.^[8] In December 2021, she signed with the Newcastle Knights to be a part of their inaugural NRLW squad.^[9]

2022

In round 1 of the delayed 2021 NRL Women's season, Manzelmann made her NRLW debut for the Knights against the Parramatta Eels.^[10]

On 2 October, Manzelmann played in the Knights' 2022 NRLW Grand Final win over the Parramatta Eels.^[11]

2023

On 4 April, Manzelmann signed with the North Queensland Cowboys, becoming the club's inaugural signing.^[12]

In June, she played both games for Queensland in their 2023 State of Origin series win over New South Wales.^[13][14]

In Round 1 of the 2023 NRL Women's season, she made her debut for the Cowboys, starting at hooker and scoring the club's first try in a 16–6 loss to the Gold Coast Titans.^[15]

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.^[16]

2024

Manzelmann came off the bench for Queensland in all three games in their 2024 Women's State of Origin series win.^[17]

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.^[18]

2025

On 1 July, Manzelmann was named co-captain of the Cowboys alongside Kirra Dibb, replacing Tallisha Harden.^[19]