51 mins: Kernick gets things moving with a line break and the Roosters are on the move again. Some sloppy passing takes away a chance at a try on the edge, but Kelly breaks through the line on the next play. Upton strips the ball one-on-one to stop a certain try. The Broncos speed down field through a Brigginshaw line break and get within millimetres of the try line, but Sergis and Kernick make a brilliant try-saving tackle.
49 mins: The Broncos have improved their set completions, but they still aren’t able to put the kind of pressure on needed to break the Roosters’ line. And their discipline in defence is lacking as well – they give away another penalty midway through the Roosters’ set.
47 mins: A high tackle from Clark on Elliott gives the Roosters yet more field position. They’re setting something up, but a sensational tackle from Paitai shuts down the momentum and Baxter knocks the ball on in goal to hand the ball back to the Broncos.
45 mins: The Roosters show the difference between the two teams, with a spiralling kick from Kelleher fielded by Upton, but the kick chase is so much stronger and she has no room to move and is immediately tackled. The Broncos just aren’t putting that kind of pressure on when they do manage to complete their sets.
43 mins: Upton takes the ball strongly at the end of the Roosters’ set, but Aiken lines her up and makes a huge tackle to remind her who’s dominating this game. Brigginshaw finishes the Broncos’ set with a great kick, but there’s not much going on from the kick chase and Baxter takes the ball under no pressure.
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41 mins: Hall makes another fantastic hit up – she’s been so strong today since coming off the bench. Parker takes possession after a kick on the last and Sergis sprints for the line, but Upton makes a huge try-saving tackle to hold her up and the Broncos get the ball back and a seven tackle set to see if they can get the ball down into Roosters’ territory. They put in a good kick on the fourth, Robinson runs through to pick it up, but Baxter wraps her up in the tackle.
39 mins: The Broncos are on the attack – can they complete the set and get into good position? It’s been a rare occurrence for them in this match. They do manage the completion and Southwell puts up a bomb, but it’s easily taken by Baxter.
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37 mins: The Broncos receive a kick off for the first time this game, but they soon lose the ball through an error to Clark. The Roosters are up at the line again so quickly, but Nasio gets pinged for an incorrect play the ball.
I hope you’re all relaxing and refuelling after that epic first half, ready for another 35 minutes of action coming up. The Roosters left 10 points out there in missed conversions in the first half, but what Kelleher has lacked in goal kicking she’s made up for in her kicks in play.
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Half-time: Sydney Roosters 26-0 Brisbane Broncos
Well, what an incredibly dominant half from the Roosters. They didn’t let a bad start get into their heads and spent the vast majority of the half inside the Broncos 20m. With 73% of the possession in the half and an 87% completion rate (compared to the Broncos’ 30%), it’s been a sensational performance from the minor premiers.
Broncos coach Scott Prince and captain Ali Brigginshaw are going to need to deliver an all-time great half-time speech to turn this around. The Roosters only converting one of their six tries gives them a sniff – let’s see what they can do in the second half.
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33 mins: It was a closer shot for Kelleher this time, but still no luck with the conversion.
TRY! Sydney Roosters 26-0 Brisbane Broncos (Hall 31')
Hall hasn’t been on the field long, but she wastes no time. It’s a classic forward’s try, running on to the ball with momentum and crashing straight through the defence to score.
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31 mins: The Roosters continue their encampment in the Broncos’ half and nearly score early in the set, but some desperation from the Broncos’ defence holds them out. The team in maroon finally gets their hands on the ball and immediately knocks it on.
29 mins: Brigginshaw is on report for her dangerous tackle on Aiken after the kick a few minutes earlier, but as it’s her final NRLW game, I don’t think she’ll be overly worried about that. Kelleher misses yet another conversion – to be fair, they have been tough with a lot of tries scored close to the sideline. Hall makes a great hit up for the Roosters for her first touch of the game. Southwell gives up a penalty for the Broncos, which is not what they need right now.
TRY! Sydney Roosters 22-0 Brisbane Broncos (Parker 26')
The Roosters play another strong attacking set, finished with yet another spiralling kick – Upton takes it comfortably, but the kick chase is spot on and Upton is pulled in goal to force a line drop out. The Roosters swing the ball wide and Parker makes a brilliant dive to score in the corner.
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25 mins: Kelleher misses the kick from the sideline, but the Roosters aren’t too concerned with their conversion rate at the moment.
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TRY! Sydney Roosters 18-0 Sydney Roosters (Fressard 22')
Another successful kick off receive from the Roosters, they’re really getting the hang of this now. Their attack looks so dominant. Aiken gets taken out after the kick by Brigginshaw and I was expecting a penalty, but instead the Roosters chased down the kick and scored – quick thinking from Fressard.
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22 mins: Kelleher misses the conversion to keep the score at 14-0. The Broncos will need to lift, they haven’t really looked in the game as yet and the Roosters are flying high.
TRY! Sydney Roosters 14-0 Brisbane Broncos (Kelly 20')
In the blink of an eye, the Roosters are down at the Broncos line again. Kelleher tests the defence again with a high, swirling kick and forces a knock on from Johnson. Aiken takes the line on and opens up a gap for Kelly, who steps off her left foot and dives over to score.
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19 mins: The Roosters manage to catch the kick off this time, which will be a great relief for them. They take some quick play the balls and pick up a penalty on the fifth tackle to power down field.
GOAL! Sydney Roosters 10-0 Brisbane Broncos (Kelleher 17')
An easy kick for Kelleher and she converts it without breaking a sweat.
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TRY! Sydney Roosters 8-0 Brisbane Broncos (Aiken 16')
The Broncos play a good set, with a great kick from Southwell to finish it, but Robinson knocks on in the chase and the Roosters get a piggyback down field from a penalty and a quick tap. Parker makes a play for the line, is tackled by strong defence, but on the next play Aiken kicks, rebounds it off the defence and scores!
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15 mins: Pule makes another great hit up to open some space and Kelleher finishes the set with a searching grubber kick. The Broncos grab it and are tackled inside the in goal, but Strange is ruled offside and the Broncos are on the attack again.
13 mins: The Roosters play a strong set, finished with another fantastic Kelleher kick – it spirals high in the air and Upton and Robinson clash in trying to catch it and knock it on. The Roosters get a scrum feed 10m out.
11 mins: Another error, with Sergis losing the ball in a tackle and handing it back to the Broncos. They have an opportunity in the Roosters half, can they take advantage? Upton puts Ferguson through a gap, but she can’t dive over and then a knock on from Southwell on the next play gives the ball back to the Roosters.
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9 mins: A great hit up from Pule for the Roosters gets their attacking set off to a positive start. It’s a good set, finished with another great kick from Kelleher, but the Broncos manage to pick it up after Upton fumbles backwards and they march downfield. They kick it on the fourth to try to catch the Roosters off guard, but Parker is up to the challenge.
7 mins: Another kick off mistake from the Roosters, they allow the ball to bounce and it goes dead in goal – a great kick from Southwell. But then the Broncos make another handling error and let the Roosters off the hook.
TRY! Sydney Roosters 4-0 Brisbane Broncos (Parker 4')
A pinpoint kick from Jocelyn Kelleher across the field sets up an easy try to Parker and she puts it down gleefully. Kelleher misses the conversion to keep the score at 4-0.
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Kick-off
2 mins: An immediate mistake for the Roosters from the kick-off, with Fressard trying to trap the ball with her foot, but it flies over the sideline in a nightmare start. The Bronocs make a play for the line on the second tackle but are held up by desperate defence. They manage to keep the Broncos from scoring, but it was touch and go there for a while.
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The teams are on the field now and the game is about to begin…
A lot of the chat around this game is focused on Tarryn Aiken and for good reason. She missed the 2025 grand final due to an ACL injury and she is a very exciting and creative player. This season alone she has 17 try assists and 20 line break assists, so she has the ability to break the game right open. Her presence at half back today could be the difference for the Roosters.
An underrated thing about the NRLW and its ability to inspire young girls is the range of body types you’ll see on display today. From the slight and speedy wingers to the pure power of the front rowers, any young girl watching at home can see herself on this field and not feel like she needs to change the way her body looks to be able to aspire to play on the biggest stage. Long may it continue!
Undefeated Roosters v big stage specialists Broncos
Some stats for you to mull over while we wait for the game to begin. The Roosters definitely have the overall edge over the Broncos, having won six of their last seven games beween the two. However, that one loss was last year’s grand final and grand finals is where the Broncos shine. They have contested four grand finals in the history of the competition and won all four of them. So who can triumph today? The consistently excellent Roosters or the big stage specialists Broncos? Not long now until we find out!
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We’ve still got some time to go before kick off, so if you want to make sure you’re fully primed for the game, Jack Snape has you covered with this great preview.
I do like that we get some pre-match entertainment for the NRLW and I like the fact that it’s Bachelor Girl even more. It’s been many years since I have even thought about the existence of this duo, but it turns out I still know all the words to the song they’re playing, Lucky Me.
Both teams are playing 1-17 as listed, with no late changes. Jayme Fressard was in danger of missing the game for the Roosters after a shoulder strain last weekend, but has made it through fitness tests and has been cleared to take part.
Team list: Sydney 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 Interchange: 14. Taina Naividi 15. Aliyah Nasio 16. Rima Butler 17. Amber Hall Reserve: 18. Mia Wood
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Team list: Brisbane 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 Interchange: 14. Rhemy Hinckesman 15. Chelsea Lenarduzzi 16. Reegan Hicks 17. Harlem Walker Reserve: 18. Caitlin Urwin
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Preamble
Hello and welcome to the 2026 NRLW grand final. If someone told me at the start of the season that they predicted a Roosters v Broncos grand final, I would have said “Well that’s a boring prediction, why are you even telling me this?”
Yes, we’ve ended up where we always expected to end up and for the fourth time in the history of the competition, we have these two foundation clubs meeting in the final. The last time they met, the Roosters came out on top by 14 points. In fact the minor premiership winning Roosters are undefeated coming into the final, with a whopping differential of 318 in just 11 games of the regular season.
The Broncos finished third on the ladder, but made short work of the Knights and Titans over the last two weeks to send them into the grand final, where they’ll be chasing their fifth premiership.
These same two teams met in last year’s grand final and it was the Broncos who came away with the win after a late try, so the Roosters will be gunning to finish off their perfect season with a win.
Both teams have something extra to play for, with Brisbane stalwart Ali Brigginshaw and Roosters stars Corban Baxter and Millie Elliott announcing their retirement, so their teammates will want to send them out with a fairytale ending.
So while this game can’t deliver us a classic underdog tale like we’re getting in the men’s grand final, there is plenty to play for and one of these teams will be building on their dynasty.
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