Emma grew up in Wollongong in NSW, playing many sports but found her niche with touch football. She started playing at the age of 6 and found a love for ‘footy’. At 16, she was asked to join a Rugby League team which she accepted. She took on the new challenge and soared through the representative ranks, eventually winning the World Cup with the Jillaroos in 2013 at an early age of 18. During this time, she was also approached to play Rugby 7’s and an opportunity to go to the Olympics. Emma was offered to be a part of the first full time contracted group in 2014 and has never looked back. Emma made her debut in Dubai 2013, and has become a key member of the team. She was named Player of the Tournament for the Atlanta leg of the Sevens World Series in April 2016 and within a month, she was named in the 2015-16 Team of the Season by World Rugby. She is one of just two players on the series to score five tries in a single World Series match since the competition's inception.In 2016, Emma was selected in the team to go to the Rio Olympics where she scored seven tries in six games - including one in the Gold Medal match against New Zealand. Her team were victorious and now hold the title of the first ever Rugby 7’s team to win at an Olympics.
In 2021, Tonegato signed with the St George Illawarra Dragons and played 7 games including the grand final where they lost 16-4. She also won the Dally M Medal for best and fairest. She resigned with the Dragons in 2022 where she played 6 games and in the Semi Final against the Knights.
The Sky Blues and Jillaroos representative was the first marquee NRLW signing for the Sharks after being lured from the Dragons Tonegato has shown her playmaking ability by transitioning from fullback to five-eighth.
