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Brisbane Broncos hooker Jada Ferguson reveals Roosters star Tarryn Aiken urged her back to rugby league, as the two prepare to face off in Sunday's NRLW grand final.
Brisbane Broncos hooker Jada Ferguson has credited rival Tarryn Aiken with drawing her back to rugby league, as the pair prepare to clash in Sunday's NRLW grand final.
Ferguson was aged out of the game after under-12s in her hometown of Toowoomba, where opportunities for girls beyond that level were scarce. She turned to rugby sevens instead, until Queensland Maroons superstar Aiken intervened. Aiken will line up against Ferguson for the Sydney Roosters in the decider. Ferguson said she did not return to rugby league until she was 18, when she moved to the Gold Coast for university.
Aiken's Influence on Ferguson's Career Path
We played touch together, and she said come to league, come to league, Ferguson said of Aiken. I played with her at Tweed Seagulls, and then in my first year of league I made under-19s Origin and then got selected in the Broncos squad. She has had a big impact on getting me over to rugby league, so it is exciting to verse her and hopefully beat them, Ferguson said. She helps me to be confident in myself.
She is just a good mentor as well as a player. Ferguson added that Aiken does so well in the game and her eyes-up footy is unreal. She can make and break a game, she pulls off stuff that is pretty freakish. The pair have gone on to represent Queensland together, featuring in the 2025 series defeat.
Ferguson's touch football background has seeped into her rugby league career, finishing third for dummy-half runs in 2026 with 52 and equal-first across the past three seasons with 148. She has cast her eye towards an Aiken reunion for Australia at this year's World Cup. When Ferguson arrived at Red Hill, Aiken was the marquee halfback of the Broncos, inspiring the club's 2019 and 2020 premierships. The latter came against her current Roosters outfit, with Tamika Upton at fullback.
The Legacy of Brisbane's Championship Team
That title was a fourth for the Broncos, having won consecutive titles with the Newcastle Knights. Upton has been heralded the best player in the women's rugby league space, with three Dally M Medals to show for it. But there is a strong case for Aiken to be considered in similar regard. Upton said Aiken is an incredible player she played a lot with.
She is probably the brains, but she has also got the strike as well. She has the talent to get through the line, but she is also one of the most talented at setting up other people around her, which is why they are such a good team. Upton added that their relationship goes way back, as she played a bit of touch football with Aiken in their junior years.
It is no coincidence she is as good as she is. She works very hard, and she is a very diligent trainer. Brisbane edge forward and fellow Maroon Romy Teitzel said the team has seen what Aiken can do single-handedly for the Roosters, Jillaroos, and even alongside her in the Queensland arena.
Teitzel said Aiken creates opportunities out of nothing, so she will be very dangerous for us, but she is one player out of 17 who take the field for them this weekend. I also like my halfbacks as well, they can create some pretty cool opportunities.
Aiken's Return to the Grand Final Stage
Having missed last year's decider between the powerhouse clubs due to a knee injury, Aiken is now out to ensure the career of retiring former teammate Ali Brigginshaw does not end on a high note. Aiken became the first player to be named in the Players' Dream Team for a fifth time this year. She will enter the decider fresh off scoring the match-winning try against the Canberra Raiders to seal a preliminary final victory in an undefeated campaign.
Sydney seek to extract revenge from Brisbane's 22-18 victory in 2025. Brigginshaw said she is just really proud to see Aiken out there. I know she is an enemy on Sunday, but she is also been a teammate of mine, and to see her go down last year hurt. To see her back out there, we would rather take on the best, Brigginshaw said of the 27-year-old.
The Rivalry of Two Elite Playmakers
Brigginshaw added that Aiken is a big game player performing very highly. She directs that team, but they have got Tarryn Aiken, and we have got Jesse Southwell, so it is the battle of the sevens out there. That is what I am excited to see, two of the best going at it. Stepping into Aiken's old jersey this year has been arguably the brightest light in the NRLW.
Southwell is relishing the challenge, before watching her childhood club, the Knights, end a 25-year wait between NRL grand final appearances. Southwell said she personally did not think she would be alive to see it, which is crazy. Newcastle would be buzzing right now, and it was buzzing when we made those grand finals.
The 21-year-old has gone on to hoist the silverware twice with Newcastle, guided New South Wales to State of Origin glory, represented Australia three times, and even won gold in rugby sevens at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Southwell will seek to become a dual-club premiership-winner after guiding Newcastle to consecutive titles in 2021 and 2022. But she concedes if not for Aiken, the trail may never have been blazed for her to attain such lofty heights.
Southwell's Ascent and Aiken's Enduring Impact
Southwell took elements of the 2024 Golden Boot winner's running game and took it further to lead the competition in line engagements with 80. She said she has definitely loved watching Aiken, who is an outstanding player. Her stats speak for itself, she is one of the best players in rugby league. You take things from different types of players, and Aiken is no exception.
You want to be the best, and you have got to watch the best, so I am learning a lot of different things from different players, and she is definitely one of them.
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brisbanetimes:This story was compiled and edited by the HeadTopics newsroom and HT AI from the reports above.
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