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The Roosters will head into the NRLW finals riding a four-game winning streak, although Sunday's 32-18 triumph over the Eels appears to have come at a cost with captain Isabelle Kelly being forced from the field with a suspected dislocated elbow. 

Kelly pulled away from an attempted tackle on a Parramatta player early in the second half, with the Jillaroos and Sky Blues star appearing in visible pain and requiring several minutes of medical attention as she lay on the turf. 

It put a sour note on an otherwise commanding performance from John Strange's side, who ran in three tries in the final 20 minutes to record a comfortable victory, although they fell short of winning by the 21 or more points required for them to climb past the Broncos to claim the minor premiership. 

Concern as Roosters star Kelly forced from the field

Alongside evergreen fullback Samantha Bremner – who scored a double and came up with some telling defensive plays on the other side of the ball – it was a standout day for halfback Jocelyn Kelleher, who stood tall in the absence of halves partner Tarryn Aiken as she remains sidelined by a shoulder injury. 

The Roosters will now face the Knights next week for a spot in the grand final. 

After fumbling the first kick of the game right into the hands of Bremner to score on the opening set, Parramatta looked rattled and struggled to put their stamp on the contest at all through the opening 15 minutes. 

Samantha Bremner 1st Try

A second try to Mia Wood, coupled with Kelleher nailing the conversion attempt from out wide, gave the Roosters a 12-0 advantage.

While some brilliance from Cassey Tohi-Hiku, who split the line before linking with captain Mahalia Murphy to score, saw the deficit cut in half on 24 minutes, the joy was short lived as Olivia Kernick hit back following the Roosters earning back-to-back sets at the other end. 

But after racking up a second four-pointer through a spectacular bomb claim by Zali Fay on 43 minutes, Parramatta suddenly had all the momentum and with Kelly off the field they looked a good chance of going on to draw even midway through the second stanza. 

However a tipping point in the game soon arrived and from there the Roosters never really looked back.

Jayme Fressard earned a penalty with a spirited run on 49 minutes, before her side went coast-to-coast in a movement that saw the ball change hands five times before Bremner flew through a gap for her second. 

Amber Hall Try

Another penalty minutes later led to another Tricolours try, this time scored through powerhouse forward Amber Hall who got over the line for her fifth in six games. 

A sixth four-pointer followed from Fressard, but to their credit the Eels managed to stop the rot a short time later and even got one back thanks to energetic interchange forward Rosemarie Beckett, with that score effectively ending the Roosters' hopes of claiming the minor premiership. 

Match Snapshot

  • The Roosters have advanced to the NRLW finals for the fifth season in a row.
  • Captain Isabelle Kelly was ruled out early in the second half with a suspected dislocated elbow which will have her in doubt for the finals. 
  • The Eels have now lost their past six games on home soil at CommBank Stadium.
  • The Roosters have now won four of their five games against the Eels in the NRLW.

Zali Fay Try

  • The Roosters made nine line breaks in the win and broke through 38 would-be tackles. 
  • Roosters forwards Tiana Davison, Amber Hall, Olivia Kernick and Millie Elliott all hit triple figures in metres gained. 
  • With her try in the second half Amber Hall has now scored four times in her past five games.

Play of the Game

With uncertainty surrounding the return date of Queensland playmaker Tarryn Aiken, confident plays like this from halfback Jocelyn Kelleher shape as being key to the Roosters' premiership hopes. The in-form 24-year-old pulled the strings brilliantly across the 70 minutes at CommBank Stadium, with this try assist for Olivia Kernick the pick of the bunch from her highlight reel. 

Olivia Kernick Try

What They Said

Roosters: Round 9

Eels: Round 9

Acknowledgement of Country

National Rugby League respects and honours the Traditional Custodians of the land and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and future. We acknowledge the stories, traditions and living cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on the lands we meet, gather and play on.