SYDNEY ROOSTERS 30 BRISBANE BRONCOS 6
TOM SMITH, Accor Stadium, Sydney, Sunday

TARRYN AIKEN helped the Roosters avenge last year’s Grand Final loss to the Broncos and clinch their third NRLW premiership.

Aiken missed the spiteful 2025 decider settled by a late Mele Hufanga try due to an ACL injury, but made up for it here, dominating alongside halves partner Jocelyn Kelleher.

The playmaking pair set up six of the Tricolours’ seven tries, and the scoreline would’ve been even more lopsided if Kelleher had brought her goal-kicking boots.

Ex-Bronco Aiken was a deserving winner of the Karyn Murphy Medal, while winger Brydie Parker scored a hat-trick and captain Isabelle Kelly led from the front.

Brisbane only managed to complete three sets in the first half as the Roosters strutted to a 26-0 lead which they never looked like forfeiting.

Just like they did last year, the Tricolours steamed into the Grand Final hoping to complete an unbeaten season – and this time, they succeeded.

The match draws the curtain on the decorated careers of Broncos legend Ali Brigginshaw and Roosters pair Roosters duo Corban Baxter and Millie Elliott.

This is the Sydney club’s third triumph since John Strange took charge in 2021.

It was also the Roosters’ sixth Grand Final appearance since the NRLW’s inception in 2018, and they’d lost their previous three meetings in it with the Broncos – including last year.

But Strange’s side defied history to finally defeat Brisbane on the biggest stage.

Both coaches, Strange and Scott Prince, stuck with the exact same 17-player squads that won their respective preliminary finals against Canberra and Gold Coast.

Chooks winger Jayme Fressard overcame a shoulder injury to line up here, but suffered a nightmare start when she toed the kick-off over the touchline.

But the Eastern Suburbs club drew first blood up the other end, when skilful stand-off Kelleher speared a smart cross-field kick to Parker on the right flank.

Aiken regathered her own kick, which ricocheted off Kerri Johnson, to extend the Roosters’ early advantage.

Then Kelleher and Aiken engineered a scrum-base move to send skipper Kelly crashing over.

The Roosters halfback had the ball on a string, and kicked expertly for the Chooks’ fourth try despite Brigginshaw chopping her legs.

Deleni Paitai could only parry Aiken’s kick into the arms of Kelly, who sent Fressard into the left corner.

Kelly lobbed a neat cut-out to set up Parker’s second.

And the Roosters made it six through ex-Bronco Amber Hall, who steamed onto an Aiken pass and skittled Jesse Southwell and Paitai en route to the stripe.

Up 26-0 at the break, Tamika Upton stopped Jessica Sergis from stretching the lead five minutes after the restart.

Then Upton saved another by stripping the ball off Kelly over the line.

Parker eventually broke through for try number three, courtesy of Kelleher.

Southwell linked up with Upton to ensure the Broncos at least avoided the ignominy of becoming the first scoreless side in an NRLW decider.

GAMESTAR: Tarryn Aiken missed last year’s Grand Final with an ACL injury, but dominated the 2026 decider with two try assists and a four-pointer of her own to claim the Karyn Murphy Medal.

GAMEBREAKER: Brydie Parker’s third try in the 57th minute gave the Roosters well and truly enough points to defend.

MATCHFACTS

ROOSTERS
1 Corban Baxter
2 Brydie Parker
3 Jessica Sergis
4 Isabelle Kelly
5 Jayme Fressard
6 Jocelyn Kelleher
7 Tarryn Aiken
8 Millie Elliott
9 Keeley Nizza
10 Otesa Pule
11 Sariah Paki
12 Jasmin Strange
13 Olivia Kernick
Subs (all used)
14 Taina Naividi
15 Aliyah Nasio
16 Rima Butler
17 Amber Hall

Tries: Parker (5, 27, 57), Aiken (17), Kelly (21), Fressard (23), Hall (32)
Goals: Kelleher 1/7

BRONCOS
1 Tamika Upton
2 Kerri Johnson
3 Deleni Paitai
4 Georgia Bartlett
5 Julia Robinson
6 Ali Brigginshaw
7 Jesse Southwell
8 Shannon Mato
9 Jada Ferguson
10 Brianna Clark
11 Lauren Dam
12 Romy Teitzel
13 Lillian Yarrow
Subs (all used)
14 Rhemy Hinckesman
15 Chelsea Lenarduzzi
16 Reegan Hicks
17 Harlem Walker

Tries: Southwell (64)
Goals: Southwell 1/1

SCORING SEQUENCE: 4-0, 10-0, 14-0, 18-0, 22-0, 26-0; 30-0, 30-6

Rugby Leaguer & League Express Women of the Match
Roosters: Tarryn Aiken; Broncos: Tamika Upton

Penalty count: 6-1
Half-time: 26-0
Referee: Belinda Sharpe
Attendance: 47,451