Josh Mansour

Early years

Born in Sydney, New South Wales, Mansour is of Portuguese and Lebanese descent.

Playing career

He played his junior rugby league for St Johns Eagles and Kingsgrove Colts. He was signed up by the South Sydney Rabbitohs and played in their NYC team between 2008 and 2010. Mansour was selected in 2010 for Winger of the Year NYC and was chosen as the NYC Player of the Year at the Rabbitohs. He played Junior Kangaroos in 2010, against the Junior Kiwis, and played for Lebanon in the 2009 European Cup. Mansour graduated to South Sydney's full-time training squad in 2011 and played for The North Sydney Bears in The NSW Cup. After a number of strong performances for Norths, Mansour caught the attention of The Penrith Panthers who offered him a contract for the 2012 season.

2012

In round 9, Mansour made his NRL debut for the Penrith Panthers at Penrith Stadium on the wing in the 10-44 loss against the Melbourne Storm. Mansour scored a try on debut. He was named the Panthers rookie of the year after playing in 14 matches and scoring 7 tries in his debut year.

2013

On 5 March, Mansour extended his contract with the club to the end of the 2014 season. In round 23, against the New Zealand Warriors, Mansour scored a spectacular put down of the ball just before going into the in goal in the 28-24 win at Mt Smart Stadium. Mansour played in 14 matches and scored 4 tries in 2013.

2014

In February, Mansour played in the Panthers inaugural Auckland Nines squad. On 3 June, he re-signed, keeping him at the Panthers until the end of the 2016 season after declining a lucrative offer from the Canberra Raiders. Mansour finished the season as the Panthers highest tryscorer with 15 tries in 22 matches.

On 12 October, Mansour played on the wing and scored a try for Prime Minister's XIII in the 34-16 win over Papua New Guinea. He made his Australian international debut against New Zealand Kiwis on 25 October in the Four Nations, where the Kiwis won 30-12 at Suncorp Stadium. Mansour scored his first try in the green and gold of Australia against Samoa in Australia's 44-18 victory at WIN Stadium, and played in the 22-18 Four Nations final loss against New Zealand.

2015

Mansour scored 6 tries from 12 games in 2015. He was named in the Lebanon 48-man train-on squad ahead of two 2017 Rugby League World Cup qualifiers against South Africa, however he didn't take part in either match.

2016

In February, Mansour played in the Panthers Auckland Nines. On 8 May, he played for NSW City Origin against Country, scoring a try in the 44-30 win, and was soon after rewarded with selection in the New South Wales State of Origin squad. On 1 June, Mansour made his debut for New South Wales against Queensland, playing on the wing in the 4-6 loss at ANZ Stadium. Mansour featured in all 3 matches for Blues on the wing in their 2-1 series loss in the 2016 State of Origin series. At the 2016 Dally M Awards night, Mansour was awarded as the Winger of the Year. Mansour finished the season with 25 matches and being the Panthers highest try-scorer with 16 tries. At the end of the year, Mansour was named in the Australian 2016 Four Nations 24-man squad. Mansour played in one match of the tournament, in the first round against Scotland, where he played on the wing and scored 2 tries in the 54-12 win at Craven Park in Hull. On 3 November, Mansour suffered a serious knee injury during a freak mishap at training during a game of touch footy when he collided with Dragons star Josh Dugan, ruling Mansour from the tournament and the first half of the 2017 season.

2017

On 4 June 2017, Mansour played his first game for the season after returning from a serious knee injury. He scored a try in Penrith's 38-0 demolition of Canterbury at Stadium Australia. . On 2 September 2017, Mansour played his 100th NRL game against The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles .