Once a familiar sight on the playing fields of Harden Murrumburrah and now gracing the elite sporting arenas of Sydney, Harden's Emma Manwaring, is a young country girl, who is doing good things in the city.
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In case you have missed her and been wondering where the diminutive young athlete has been over the past six months or so, you might be pleased to know that she is now based in the harbour city.
Attending Pymble Ladies College in Sydney’s Upper North Shore and playing soccer with Manly United in the Football NSW National Premier League competition, Emma is taking her game to a new level.
And whilst she misses various aspects of her familiar surrounds in and around the twin towns, Emma hasn't looked back since moving to the big smoke.
"I definitely miss my family and friends. I'm close to my family, but I'm also loving being in Sydney".
“At the moment, I like to think I have the best of both worlds, where I benefit from living in the city during the school terms, knowing I can also come home and chill out in the holidays”, she said recently.
A keen sportsperson from a very early age, Manwaring basically grew up competing and fine tuning her skills against her talented brothers on the family farm at McMahons Reef.
Up until a recent move to boarding school, the year 10 student, could be found honing her natural sporting ability playing for the Harden Soccer Club as well as the Harden Hawkettes League Tag team.
And the talented Harden sportswoman who is eyeing off a career in radiology, has no shortage of supporters back home.
Emma's mother, Allison, a premiership player in Harden A-grade touch football herself, frequently drives up to Sydney to watch her daughter compete. She also regularly checks on her daughter’s welfare and couldn’t be more happy of how her 16 year-old is progressing.
"I'm really proud of Emma no matter what she does. She loves her sport and I just thought that by being up in Sydney, it was the best opportunity to see how far she can go with it", said Allison.
Although she has noticed an added focus on self discipline aspects, including diet and training, it would be fair to say that the young lady from the twin towns has taken to premier league, like a duck to water this season.
Playing as either a central or defensive midfielder, Emma’s form has been really steady in the first half of the year and her consistency of performances has won her a number of plaudits, however she knows that she will have to keep working hard as the margin for error is very small.
