The Sydney Roosters and the Brisbane Broncos will take the field on Sunday afternoon in a grand final that is a fitting climax to the NRLW season. They are the NRLW’s two most successful sides, having claimed five of the seven premierships in the league’s history, and have not lost to any of the other 10 clubs in 2025.
A class above the rest of the NRLW, combined they have scored 500 more points than their opposition this season, and boast representative players throughout their lineups. But, according to Brisbane coach Scott Prince, one is not like the other.
“We’re not undefeated, they’ve won 18 games [in a row], and the only team that beats us is the Roosters,” he said. “We understand what’s coming this Sunday and I’m sure they’re going to bring their A-game just like us, and then it comes down to whoever’s got the will to make those plays in those moments.”
The Roosters have become the benchmark in the competition since John Strange took over as coach in 2021, and are defending premiers. Their captain, Isabelle Kelly, said much of the credit for the club’s success should go to Strange.
“This guy next to me was a massive reason for our success within this club,” she said. “The way that he recruits and brings people in that might not be getting opportunities in other clubs but develops them into really great teams, that’s something Strangey is incredible [at] doing.”
The coach himself denied there was any special recipe. “The secret for me to be successful in anything in life is just to work hard, to be honest, and that’s what these girls do,” he said.
Before the Roosters – and back-to-back premiers the Knights – emerged, the competition’s benchmark side was Brisbane. The Broncos won the first three competitions, and in the short, early seasons dominated the competition.
But that ended in the 2021 season (delayed until 2022), when the Roosters defeated them in a tense semi-final. The Broncos haven’t been back to the grand final since. “It seems like a lifetime ago, those three [premierships],” Brisbane captain Ali Brigginshaw said. “But you work so hard during the season, and the semi-finals have been a big hump for us to try and get over.”
In the following season, the Broncos missed the finals for the first time, and have lost in the semis the previous two years, including as minor premiers in 2024. “We’ve tried to work on our game so we could get over those games, and to be honest, we’re just really enjoying the week, not every team gets be a part of grand final week and so for us it’s about enjoying the moments,” Brigginshaw said.
The only match between the two this year was in round three in July, when the Roosters held off the Broncos 30-26. “They got off to a great start, that’s what they’re renowned to do,” Prince said. “They’re renowned [for] blowing teams off the park early, and they pride themselves on that, they use their power and strength up through the middle. You’ve got Issy [Isabelle Kelly] and [Jess] Sergis on an edge that help their middles out, and that’s where they try to destroy you.”
But Prince warned that the Broncos – with Dally M-winning fullback Tamika Upton in career-best form – have improved. “We’re a totally different team in regards to the way we play, more so our defence,” he said. “Everyone talks about our attack, but over the course of the last month, the highest points that were scored against us is 12, so that’s something that we pride ourselves on.”
The Roosters’ premiership hopes were threatened when Tarryn Aiken – arguably the competition’s best playmaker – suffered a serious knee injury in the final round. And their mettle was tested by the Sharks last week, before the tricolours prevailed 17-16, thanks to a late Jocelyn Kelleher field goal.
Despite the result, Strange said it felt “like a loss”, because his team hadn’t played to their potential. “I just felt like we let ourselves down in a few areas, and I think it was a really good thing for us,” he said, adding having the experience in a tight contest could be helpful.
Whatever happens on Sunday, Strange believes it will be grand finale. “We’ve been the two most consistent sides, so I think there’s going to be a great game out there at 4 o’clock at Accor [Stadium] and I just think that’s going to be the advertisement that we all want.”
