Tallisha Harden (born 21 July 1992) is an Australian

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

footballer who captains the

North Queensland Cowboys The North Queensland Cowboys is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, the largest town in North Queensland. They compete in Australia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League (NRL). Sinc ...

in the

NRL Women's Premiership The Telstra NRL Women's Premiership (NRLW) is Australia's national rugby league competition for women's rugby league in Australia, female players. The first season of the league began in September 2018 with four teams. The league is run by the ...

. Primarily a er, she is an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal A ...

and

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

representative and previously played for the

Brisbane Broncos The Brisbane Broncos Rugby League Football Club Ltd., commonly referred to as the Broncos, is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Brisbane, Queensland. Founded in April 1987, the Broncos play in Australia's elite com ...

and

Sydney Roosters The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional Rugby league, Rugby League Football Club based in the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney) and parts of inner Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) competition. The Roosters have won ...

Playing career

Rugby union

A former Australian representative indoor volleyball player, Harden began playing

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

at age 19. She played for Sunnybank and

before switching full-time to

in 2018.

Rugby league

In 2013, Harden began playing

. In 2014, she represented the Indigenous All Stars. In 2015, 2016 and 2020, she captained the side. On 3 May 2015, she made her Test debut for

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, coming off the bench in a 22–14 win over

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

Suncorp Stadium Lang Park, also known as Brisbane Football Stadium, by the sponsored name Suncorp Stadium, and nicknamed: 'The Cauldron', is a multi-purpose stadium in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, located in the suburb of Milton. The current facility co ...

. On 27 June 2015, she made her debut for

in a 4–all draw with New South Wales at

1300SMILES Stadium The Willows Sports Complex, currently known as 1300SMILES Stadium through Naming rights, sponsorship, is a grass football stadium situated in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. It has been a predominantly rugby league ground as the home ground o ...

. In June 2018, Harden represented South East Queensland at the inaugural Women's National Championships. On 14 June 2018, she joined the

team. In Round 3 of the 2018 NRL Women's season, she made her debut for the Broncos in a 32–10 win over the

New Zealand Warriors The New Zealand Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership and is the League's only team from outside Australia. They were formed in 1995 as ...

. In May 2019, she represented South East Queensland at the Women's National Championships. On 29 June 2019, she signed with the

NRLW team and was named their Player of the Year at the end of the season. In October 2019, Harden represented Australia at the 2019 Rugby League World Cup 9s and earned a recall to the Jillaroos Test side after a four-year absence, coming off the bench and scoring a try in a 28–8 win over New Zealand at

WIN Stadium Wollongong Showground, known as WIN Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium located in Wollongong, Australia. The stadium was officially opened in 1911. From 1982 until 1998 it played host to every home match for the Illawa ...

. In September 2020, Harden re-joined the

NRLW side. On 25 October 2020, she started at and scored a try in the Broncos' 20–10 Grand Final win over the Roosters. On 20 February 2021, she captained the Indigenous All Stars in their 24–0 loss to the Māori All Stars. On 11 May 2023, Harden signed for the

on a one-year contract. On 28 June, she was named as the inaugural co-captain of the Cowboys, alongide Kirra Dibb. In Round 1 of the 2023 NRL Women's season, she made her debut for the Cowboys, starting at in a 16–6 loss to the

Gold Coast Titans The Gold Coast Titans are a professional rugby league football club, based on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. The club competes in the National Rugby League (NRL), Australia and New Zealand's national rugby league club competition. The ...

Achievements and accolades

Individual

Player of the Year: 2019

Team

* 2020 NRLW Grand Final: Brisbane Broncos – Winners

References

External links

North Queensland Cowboys profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harden, Tallisha 1992 births Living people Australian female rugby league players Australia women's national rugby league team players Brisbane Broncos (NRLW) players Indigenous Australian rugby league players North Queensland Cowboys (NRLW) players Queensland Rugby League State of Origin Women players Rugby league players from Logan, Queensland Rugby league second-rows Sportswomen from Queensland Sydney Roosters (NRLW) players