Corban Baxter sat in the stands at Accor Stadium 12 months ago with mixed emotions.
The playmaker was thrilled to watch her Roosters teammates cap a spectacular season with a grand final victory. But the joy was also tinged with a touch of sadness, Baxter disappointed not to be on the field after tearing her ACL in the pre-season.
The 31-year-old finally gets her shot at redemption this weekend when the Roosters take on Brisbane in the NRLW decider.
The 2024 NRLW Premiers
"It's super special to play in a grand final," Baxter told 94ddz.com. "We play for premierships and we just go one game at a time and that's been our mentality all year. We've been climbing that mountain and we've got one more job to go.
"I was so proud of the girls last year. I feel part of this team no matter what, I absolutely love it and they're family to me. I would have loved being out there and experiencing it on the field but things happen and I just roll with that.
"I was super proud but I'm so excited to be able to go out there and play in the grand final this time around."
Match: Roosters v Broncos
Grand Final -
home Team
Roosters
1st Position
away Team
Broncos
2nd Position
Venue: Accor Stadium, Sydney
Match broadcasters:
- WatchNRL
Baxter is preparing to line up on Sunday afternoon but there was a moment earlier this season where her campaign flashed before her eyes.
The playmaker fell awkwardly in a tackle in the final minute of the first half of a Round 7 clash with the Knights. Baxter instantly feared the worst and medical staff initially suspected she had re-injured her knee.
Roosters v Knights - Round 7, 2025
Further testing cleared the 31-year-old of a knee injury, with Baxter instead injuring her ankle. While the damage was more serious than initially hoped, the five-eighth was relieved to know her season was still alive.
"Initially I thought my season was over," Baxter said. "I was really worried but I had the good news quite quickly. It took a little bit to recover and get back on the field but I'm stoked to be here in this moment.
"We originally thought it was a low-grade ankle sprain and I would possibly play the next week but it ended up being a higher grade than we thought so it took a bit longer. We didn't rush things, the girls did such a good job to get us into the finals and the timing has worked out really well."
After four games on the sidelines, Baxter made her return to the field in last week's 17-16 win over the Sharks at Polytec Stadium in Gosford.
In a cruel twist of fate, the playmaker stepped into the halves after star halfback Tarryn Aiken tore her ACL at the Central Coast venue in the final round of the season.
Aiken leaves the field injured
The injury saw Jocelyn Kelleher shift to halfback and Baxter play five-eighth, with the duo quickly forming a winning connection.
While many feared Aiken's absence would derail the Roosters' quest to defend their title, Baxter said the squad has been using the injury as inspiration throughout the finals series.
"They are massive shoes to fill," Baxter said. "I don't think I'll ever fill those shoes. Tarryn is such a massive part of this team and she has been a huge loss but I'll just do what I need to do for the team.
"I'm excited to be here with the girls and we're playing for Tarryn. She's a massive part of the team and everyone knows what they need to do and what their role is when things don't go our way and we adjusted really well to those changes."
