NRLW attendance skyrockets
6:00 PM AEDT | Banjo Tucker
46,288 people were in attendance this afternoon for the Grand Final as part of the NRLW/NRL doubleheader at Accor Stadium. This number eclipses last year’s mark of 40,623, showcasing a growing interest in the women’s side of the sport.
The stage is set
5:56 PM AEDT | Chris McCarthy
It’s looking like the year of the Queenslander in Australian sport.
Following last week’s win for the Brisbane Lions in the AFL Grand Final, the Broncos now have the opportunity to make it three titles in eight days for the Sunshine State.
If the men’s team can secure a victory over The Melbourne Storm tonight, they’ll also be the first club to win both the men’s and women’s premierships. It’ll also be the first time a Queensland team has won the premiership of both major codes in the same year.
‘Highest of Highs’
5:52 PM AEDT | Chris McCarthy
Broncos’ Jada Ferguson has told 2GB she’s experienced “The lowest of lows and the highest of highs in that game”.
Kicker Romy Tietzel has spoken of the challenges of the heat – 29 degrees at kickoff in Sydney – saying the team stuck to their plan, crediting the their leadership, as well as Mele Hufunga’s impact as key in their premiership victory.
Brisbane Broncos win the 2025 NRLW Grand Final
5:46 PM AEDT | Banjo Tucker
After an amazing start, the Broncos were able to weather a quick trio of Roosters tries to storm through and take their fourth NRLW title, with the final score being 22-18. Brisbane players and fans alike have embraced as they take down the champs in a Grand Final for the ages.
Try – Broncos fight back
5:38 PM AEDT | Chris McCarthy
Mele Hufunga made it over the line. The Broncos front-rower has been impactful all afternoon and only just managed to ground the ball. Brianna Clarke made a simple conversion to put the Broncos ahead 22-18 with four minutes to play.
Triple Injury Blow for The Roosters
5:35 PM AEDT | Chris McCarthy
Roosters physios are attending to Isobel Kelly, while her teammate Keely Davis has taken a big hit to the face, swelling up instantly. Rima Butler has a golf-ball-sized egg on her right cheek. All three look to be heading off. This will be a massive blow to the Roosters’ premiership defence with just over five minutes to play.
TRY – Rookie of the year dives home to close the gap
5:28 PM AEDT | Banjo Tucker
With less than 10 minutes remaining in the game, 18-year-old Shalom Sauaso finds the goal line, but Romy Teizel’s kick is way off, skying into the stands to the right of the posts. The Broncos trail by two points in what is showing to be a nail-biting Grand Final.
TRY – Roosters surge ahead
5:19 PM AEDT | Chris McCarthy
The Eastern Suburbs girls are loving the eastern side of the field this afternoon, as Mia Wood puts it down in the far corner.
The Roosters must feel like a try is worth six points at the moment, after Kelleher takes another conversion in her stride with military precision.
The momentum is squarely with the Roosters now, pressure time for the Broncos.
TRY – Roosters are on a roll
5:15 PM AEDT | Chris McCarthy
Eliza Lopamaua has stormed her way across the line, placing the ball with textbook precision between the feet of three defending Broncos. After a small discussion on a potential knock-on, the try is confirmed. Kelleher slotted an easy conversion to bring the game to level pegging with a quarter of the match to play.
TRY – Roosters fight-back begins
5:09 PM AEDT | Chris McCarthy
Bridie Parker has opened the Roosters’ account with a brilliant piece of individual play, going by herself down the eastern touch line with one of the biggest individual runs of the game. Could this be the jump start the reigning premiers need?
The landmark try is backed up by an incredible conversion from Jocelyn Kelleher, who wasted no time, getting boot to ball without delay to slot it perfectly between the uprights. 12-6 Broncos lead with 22 minutes to play.
Roosters need points quickly
5:04 PM AEDT | Banjo Tucker
Another great chance for the Roosters was squandered after a knock-on at the 10 metre line. With less than half an hour to go, the defending champs find themselves running out of time. If they are to keep this game competitive, they’ll need to rediscover the offensive spark that has defined their season and get points on the board quickly.
Drama in the bunker
4:58PM AEDT | Chris McCarthy
A captain’s challenge to overturn an alleged Roosters knock-on, on grounds of it being a strip, has been denied. Commentators on both 2GB and Channel Nine are debating the credentials of those in the bunker, as it was clearly a strip.
Halftime
4:56PM AEDT | Chris McCarthy
The underdogs have shocked the crowd, storming out to a commanding 12-0 lead at the end of the first half as both Tamika Upton and Jada Ferguson crossed the goal line. The Roosters had their chances in the middle stages of the half after several Broncos errors and a linebreak by Shawden Burton, but were ultimately held scoreless after the first 35 minutes. The Broncos’ hard-hitting intensity in the forward pack has come out of the sheds fast, whilst the Roosters will need to regain their composure to complete the perfect season.
TRY – Jada Ferguson sneaks over
4:37 PM AEDT | Chris McCarthy
From dummy-half, Jada Ferguson dives over the line, extending the ball over her head to just barely add another four points with five minutes remaining in the first half. Just three metres to the left of the posts, Romy Tietzel has no problems adding another two to make it 12-0 approaching half time. The Roosters have a challenge ahead of them now.
NRL engaging more young fans than ever
4:32 PM AEDT | Banjo Tucker
More fans are watching, attending and engaging with the NRL than ever before, as the league ends the year in a stronger position than ever before.
As the 2025 season comes to a close tonight, the league has a lot to celebrate, after it was confirmed NRL was the number-one sport in Australia and the Pacific region once again and had an unprecedented growth in several areas.
Speaking at Monday’s Grand Final launch at Sydney Harbour, NRL CEO Andrew Abdo echoed this sentiment.
“We’ve had a phenomenal season, we’ve broken records, the response from our fans has been incredible and that’s because the football has been incredible,” he said.
The NRL’s connection with their younger audience boomed over the season, as viewership among 16-39 year olds grew 54 per cent from last year.
The NRL’s digital presence has also been higher than ever, with views on NRL.com and the NRL app up 116 per cent, and international streaming also taking a 9 per cent jump from the 2024 campaign.
TRY – Dally M Medallist Tamika Upton draws first blood
4:25 PM AEDT | Chris McCarthy
From a scrum 10 metres out from the Roosters’ line, Tamika Upton takes it wide and faces no opposition to get four points on the board. Romy Tietzel converts to make the score six-nil, 20 minutes in.
TRY – Broncos over the line but denied at the bunker
4:21 PM AEDT | Chris McCarthy
Ali Briginshaw put one up high on the last play of the set, but a knock-on as the ball was caught means Hayley Maddick’s trip across the goal line has been denied a few minutes later. The score remains nil-all halfway through the first half.
Nil-all 15 minutes in
4:18 PM AEDT | Chris McCarthy
What an electric start to this hotly anticipated final. The scoreline is still sitting at nil-all, with both sides having had real opportunities to score. The decision to arrive early has surely been vindicated by those braving the sun at Accor Stadium, which appears to be at about 50 per cent capacity, but expect more to arrive throughout the match.
Swing and a miss
4:06 PM AEDT | Chris McCarthy
Gayle Broughton, with a chip on the last play of the set, almost sends the Broncos over for an early try, but the reigning premiers hold up the Queenslanders just inches from the try with four minutes gone.
Last minute team changes for reigning premiers
3:59 PM AEDT | Chris McCarthy
The NRLW Grand Final is about to kick off, and it’s set to be a matchup as hotly contested as the men’s game at 7:30 pm. The Sydney Roosters are looking to cap off a record unbeaten season, the first of its kind for either gendered competition.
Facing them, the Brisbane Broncos are carrying strong momentum into this game, having won all four of their contests at Accor Stadium this season. Joined by their men’s team on Grand Final day, Brisbane are chasing the honour of becoming the first club to win both competitions in the same year.
The Roosters have a last-minute challenge to face though, with Star forward Amber Hall ruled out with a calf injury. Hall will be replaced by Jayde Herdegen, making her NRLW debut from the interchange bench. Adding insult to injury, winger Taina Naividi sustained a late injury in Saturday’s captain’s run and will be replaced by Mia Wood from the bench.
Good afternoon and welcome
3:56 PM AEDT | Caitlin Maloney
Welcome to Central News’ live blog of the 2025 NRL Grand Final. We will be bringing you the latest updates from our newsroom and reporters at Accor Stadium throughout the evening.
The NRLW Grand Final will kick off first, with the Brisbane Broncos taking on the Sydney Roosters at 4:00 pm, followed by the men’s game at 7:30 pm, where the Melbourne Storm will compete against the Brisbane Broncos.
Stay tuned via this page on centralnews.com.au, our social media platforms, including X, Instagram and YouTube: https://bit.ly/m/centralnewsuts
Main image by Jason L/Wikimedia.
