Tessman captained the Queensland Under 18 side in 1978. Tessmann played in Souths' loss to
Wynnum-Manly in the 1982
Brisbane Rugby League premiership's grand final. Tessmann's sole Test appearance was in Australia's 19–12 loss to
New Zealand while playing for
Brisbane Souths in 1983. In 1984 Tessmann played a major role in an Oceania team's 54-4 victory over an Anglo-French selection in an exhibition match Paris, returning to Brisbane after the match to continue playing for Redcliffe. Tessman played six games for Redcliffe that season. A hard-working
forward, he played in
Queensland's victorious
State of Origin side that year and his success at international level earned him a contract with
Easts in 1985. He was a representative in the Oceania side that played in
France in 1984 but his move to Sydney was short-lived, although he did gain selection for Queensland in the
1986 State of Origin series. He spent the second half of the 1987 season out of the game with a knee injury and in 1988 Tessmann returned to
Brisbane to play for the
Broncos in the club's debut season. ==Post playing==