Just hours into the first day of the NSW Blues camp for the State of Origin opener, Emma Verran (formerly Tonegato) received life-altering news: at the age of 30, she was diagnosed with melanoma on her back. The Cronulla Sharks star had initially gone for a community skin screening at a Kiama OzTag event in March, where a nurse urged her to get a troublesome mole examined. Following a consultation with a skin specialist, the mole was removed and tested, revealing melanoma six weeks later.
Reflecting on the shocking moment she received the call, Verran expressed how “rattled” she felt, especially since she was uncertain what the diagnosis would mean for her future. “Being diagnosed at 30 is pretty confronting,” she admitted to Wide World of Sports.
Though her focus was on performing well in the Origin series, Verran was advised to pursue further medical intervention. She attended a consultation with a plastic surgeon and has since scheduled a procedure for after the series, lamenting, “The doctor was pretty urgent in wanting me to come back and get more skin taken out.”
Following her diagnosis, Verran took to social media, urging others to get their skin checked, and acknowledged that her perspective on sun safety has changed. “I was always conscious in the sun, but now it is a lot more serious,” she noted, emphasising her commitment to sun safety with a hat and sunscreen and encouraging her friends to take their skin health seriously.
Despite her health scare, Verran remains focused on her performance. After losing in last year’s NRLW grand final, her team is keen to start their 2025 campaign on a positive note. “We still have that sour taste in our mouth from the grand final loss, but it’s a new year, new team,” she reflected, highlighting the changes to their roster.
In preparation for the season, Verran has been rallying her Sharks teammates to support the “Try July” initiative, where Sportsbet will donate $5000 for every try celebration in the NRL and NRLW throughout July. Since its inception in 2020, the campaign has raised over $1.4 million for the player hardship fund and the Australian Skin Cancer Foundation.
As the Sharks gear up for their opening match, Verran is eager to focus on delivering a strong performance while advocating for skin cancer awareness and safety. “We’re just looking forward to getting round one ticked off,” she said, determined to make an impact both on and off the field.