Roosters rout Broncos 30-6 to seal perfect NRLW season
Sydney Roosters thrashed Brisbane Broncos 30-6 to win the NRLW grand final at Accor Stadium on Sunday, 4 October.
The result sealed a perfect season. It also delivered revenge. Brisbane had beaten Sydney in the previous season's decider, but there was no repeat here The Guardian.
The Roosters won all 11 regular-season games and both finals in 2026. Thirteen played, thirteen won. The title is the club's third NRLW premiership. Brisbane remain on four.
Sydney settled it early. They ran in six tries without reply in the first half to take control of the grand final. They finished with seven tries in total.
For newcomers, the NRLW is Australia's top-flight women's rugby league competition. Teams get six tackles — six chances to carry the ball — to make ground and score. A try, touching the ball down over the line, is worth four points. Sydney used their sets brilliantly. Brisbane could not get a hand on them.
Half-back Tarryn Aiken was named player of the match. She received the Karyn Murphy medal. Captain Isabelle Kelly led the side out, with John Strange as coach.
The game also closed two careers. Brisbane great Ali Brigginshaw played her final match before retirement. Sydney forward Millie Elliott also bowed out as a winner.
What makes this stand out is the ruthlessness. Grand finals are usually tight and nervous. Sydney played with speed and confidence from the first whistle. Brisbane, the competition's most successful club, had no answer until the contest was gone.
There is more to come in Sydney. The Roosters will face Newcastle Knights in the men's NRL grand final at the same ground on Sunday evening, with kick-off scheduled for 7.30pm Sydney time The Guardian.
That is a story of rapid turnarounds. Newcastle finished last in 2025, picking up the wooden spoon with a points difference of minus 300, and have gone 25 years without a title. Sydney finished eighth last season. Daly Cherry-Evans, Mark Nawaqanitawase and Angus Crichton will all leave the Roosters at the end of this season, so the club has one more trophy in its sights before the split.
