Joel Riethmuller is a rugby league

Rugby league

Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...

 player for the North Queensland Cowboys

North Queensland Cowboys

The North Queensland Cowboys are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, Queensland. They compete in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership...

 in the NRL.

Playing career

Riethmuller played his junior football for the Tully Tigers. Before playing for the Cowboys, he played for the Ipswich Jets

Ipswich Jets

The Ipswich Jets are an Australian rugby league football club based in Ipswich, Queensland.Their name comes from nearby RAAF Base Amberley, one of the largest airbases in Australia. The Jets compete in the Queensland Cup competition...

 and the Northern Pride

Northern Pride

Northern pride may refer to:*Northern Pride , LGBT Festival in Newcastle upon Tyne*Northern Pride RLFC, Australian rugby league club*Grundy's Northern Pride, British television programme...

 in the Queensland Cup

Queensland Cup

The Queensland Cup is the premier rugby league football competition in the State of Queensland, Australia.It is a statewide competition with the majority of teams based in South East Queensland but also including sides based in Cairns, Mackay and Rockhampton.The competition began in 1996 as a...

.

He made his NRL debut against the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles

Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles

The Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional rugby league club based on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. They compete in the National Rugby League's Telstra Premiership, the premier rugby league competition of Australasia...

 in round 14 of the 2011 season, at the age of 26, having broken into the Cowboys' first-grade squad after performing well in the Queensland Cup

Queensland Cup

The Queensland Cup is the premier rugby league football competition in the State of Queensland, Australia.It is a statewide competition with the majority of teams based in South East Queensland but also including sides based in Cairns, Mackay and Rockhampton.The competition began in 1996 as a...

. He signed a new two year contract with the Cowboys shortly after his debut. At the end of the 2011 season he made his international debut for Italy

Italy national rugby league team

The Italy national rugby league team represents Italy in international rugby league football. The team dates back from the 1950s after the formation of a domestic competition in the country, and in the 1960s they played Australia, France and a number of English teams.The game disappeared in Italy...

 in a 96–8 win over Russia

Russia national rugby league team

-2008 World Cup Qualifying:In 2006 Russia were involved in Europe Round One, defeating Netherlands national rugby league team and Serbia national rugby league team to finish second and keep their World Cup dream alive. They then went through to Europe Round Two in Europe Pool Two with Ireland and...

 in Padova

Padua

Padua is a city and comune in the Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Padua and the economic and communications hub of the area. Padua's population is 212,500 . The city is sometimes included, with Venice and Treviso, in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area, having...

. He qualified for the Italian team by virtue of having an Italian grandfather.