The Sydney Roosters have never beaten the Brisbane Broncos in the three seasons of the NRLW.
Key points:
- Caslick was sidelined with a back injury during the regular season
- The Broncos defeated the Roosters last weekend ahead of the season decider
- They are chasing a third-straight NRLW premiership
And if they are to defeat the two-time premiers for the first time in today’s grand final, they will have to did it without star recruit Charlotte Caslick.
The Olympic gold medal-winning rugby sevens player was ruled out of the Roosters’ NRLW campaign after sustaining two fractures in her spine during their second match against the Warriors.
“It is disappointing Charlotte doesn’t get to play in the grand final,” Roosters coach Jamie Feeney said.
“She took the game up faster than anyone expected, [she’s] a great athlete.”
Roosters captain Corban McGregor said Caslick had been a key addition to their squad this season.
“She added amazing value this year, fitting in with our culture and hopefully we can snap her up again next year,” she said.
The Roosters were hit by injury during the season, having also lost fullback Botille Vette-Welsh (hamstring) in their first match.
Vette-Welsh was passed fit for the grand final at Sydney’s Olympic stadium and named as a reserve in the Roosters’ extended squad.
But Feeney said he was not confident about Vette-Welsh’s chances of being named in the final matchday squad when he confirms his line-up before kick-off.
“She hasn’t got to 100 per cent running yet, it’s going to be difficult for her to take the field on Sunday,” Feeney said.
McGregor was sidelined with a shoulder injury when she watched Brisbane win the inaugural NRLW grand final in 2018.
Brisbane thrashed the Roosters 34-12 and she is desperate to end the Broncos’ dominance this afternoon.
“Brisbane have been awesome for the last three years, nothing has changed, they’re a really quality side,” McGregor said.
The Roosters lost 24-16 to the Broncos in last weekend’s regular-season match at the Olympic stadium.
The Broncos have only lost one match in three years and were barely tested in their three wins this season.
“We just have to keep our confidence levels high, believe in ourselves and stick together as a team, focussing on the things that we can do and do the best that we can,” McGregor said.
Feeney said he was hungry for the Roosters to break through for a maiden NRLW premiership.
“As a club we haven’t had a lot of success over the years so we are underdogs,” he said.
“We have to be at our best to beat them, we have to fix up some of those execution errors.”
Roosters five-eighth Zahara Temara played in the 2018 grand final against the Broncos and was keen to avenge the loss.
“We got that opportunity in 2018, so I am really glad and excited we get it again this year,” she said.
“I am just thinking about what I can do better, so we can come out on top.”
Broncos skipper Ali Brigginshaw was named the 2020 NRLW Dally M Medal winner.(AAP: Dean Lewins)
Broncos captain Ali Brigginshaw is in the form of her career, highlighted by being awarded the NRLW’s Dally M Medal last Monday.
She said her side were not necessarily the clear favourites in the grand final, despite heading into the match undefeated.
“The Roosters are the in-form side, [they are] improving every week and we have to be better than that,” Brigginshaw said.
“So we’ll add players, [and] change up the way we play.”
Broncos sticking to routine
The Melbourne Storm flew into Sydney from Queensland more than 24 hours before kick-off in the NRL grand final against Penrith.
But the Broncos decided they would fly down from Brisbane on the day of their season decider.
“We chose that just for the routine,” Broncos coach Kelvin Wright said.
“That’s what the players are used to and if we came down Saturday we’d be stuck in the hotel, so we’d rather be in our own space.”
The Broncos had to fly interstate for each match of the NRLW season, but that is not the only sacrifice the club had to make.
“In the isolation bubble we aren’t allowed to leave the house, we’ve had to make lots of sacrifices,” Brigginshaw said.
“Only two girls can keep working, so financially it’s quite a struggle for this competition.”
Millie Boyle (right) said the Broncos had faced several hurdles in reaching the grand final.(AAP: Dan Himbrechts)
Broncos prop Millie Boyle has had to move in with teammates.
“It’s definitely a challenge,” Boyle said.
“It’s been like a big footy camp, but everyone values how much everyone has had to give up for this.”
NRLW expansion plans were shelved this year because of COVID-19, but several key figures in the women’s game are keen to make it happen in 2021.
“I’d love expansion, to help develop larger squads and then more players underneath the top tier and definitely more weeks,” Wright said.
“Teams like the Warriors play their best footy after three weeks.”
Feeney would also like to see a fifth team added to the NRLW.
“Having worked in developing the national players, there’s definitely enough talent out there,” he said.
“The Warriors basically put a team together with girls from Sydney and Brisbane.
“Those girls would have missed out. At the very least have teams play each other twice so the longer the season goes the better the teams are getting.”
Source:: ABC News
