Fressard racing the clock as Roosters chase grand final redemption
- Author
- Timestamp
Roosters coach John Strange has rated winger Jayme Fressard a 50-50 chance of taking her place in Sunday’s NRLW grand final.
The outside back suffered a shoulder injury in last week’s preliminary final and did not return to the field after half-time.
Fressard will be required to complete a fitness test before Saturday’s captain’s run, with Strange hopeful she will be cleared to start against the Broncos on Sunday.
Fressard finds a way
“It’s 50-50 at the moment,” Strange said at Friday’s NRLW Grand Final Press Conference. “We’ll see tomorrow.
“She did a light session with the girls, was in and out of the session last night. She’ll have a fitness test before our captain’s run tomorrow and if she passes that, she’ll be good to go but we’ll wait and see.”
Match: Roosters v Broncos
Grand Final -
home Team
Roosters
1st Position
away Team
Broncos
3rd Position
Venue: Accor Stadium, Sydney
Match broadcasters:
- WatchNRL
Sunday’s decider is a rematch of last year’s grand final, which the Broncos won 22-18 after Mele Hufanga crossed for a late try.
The Roosters enter the game in the same position as 12 months ago, riding a 12-game winning streak and looking to complete an undefeated season.
Roosters v Broncos - Grand Final, 2025
Having fallen short last year, Fressard is desperate to be part of her side’s quest for history.
“I’ve still got a fitness test to get through but hopefully it’s looking pretty positive,” Fressard said. “It was a precaution last week with this week being grand final week.
“Unfortunately last year we didn’t get that final win, which was quite devastating. It’s filled a fire in our belly for this week. If we can go undefeated the whole season, that would make up for last season.”
Should Fressard be ruled out on Saturday, Taina Naividi will likely come into the starting side.
The 25-year-old knows plenty about grand final injuries, having torn her ACL in the captain’s run the day before last year’s decider.
Taina Naividi stars on debut
While she has spent plenty of time on the wing, Naividi has also filled a new role this season as a back-up hooker and has injected energy off the bench.
Having lost two players in grand final week last year, Strange has spent plenty of time this season building depth and flexibility across multiple positions and he’s confident that will work in his side’s favour this weekend.
“The girls train in different positions so I’m not concerned,” Strange said. “We did get some injuries last year with [Tarryn Aiken], Amber Hall and Taina Naividi the day before but even last year I wasn’t concerned about that.
“The girls weren’t concerned because they train in enough positions. With Frez, she’s been in and out as well this year, she hasn’t played every game. We’ve had Taina Naividi jump in there on the wing and done a brilliant job and Mia Wood [as well]. If [Fressard] doesn’t take the field, they will and they’ll do a job for the girls.”
After 2 weeks of thrilling finals, it all comes down to this. One play can define a season. These are the moments that matter. Don't miss a second of the action with kick-off at 4.00pm Sunday live on Nine, 9Now, Kayo and Sky Sports NZ.
