Can Gayle give her Broncos sisters the perfect going away gift?

Grand final week can be a rollercoaster for any player but for Broncos five-eighth Gayle Broughton there's the added emotion of knowing this is her last game for the club.

The NRLW decider will be her final trot in maroon and gold - colours she has held near and dear for the past three seasons - - before joining the Warriors for the 2026 season.

“It probably didn’t sink in until I had to pack up my house over these last couple of weeks… I love these girls, they’re everything to me, they’re the closest thing to my sisters," Broughton said.

"It’s going to be one hell of a ride next weekend and there’s no better team to do it with than this group.”

The decision to head back over the ditch came from a need for her and partner Tahlia Lawrence to be closer to family with their young son Eastyn.

“(The decision) was purely based around my son. My partner's whanau as well, they're all back in New Zealand,” Broughton said.

“If there’s one thing I’ve learnt since becoming a parent… there’s always two of you. I love it here at the Broncos, I've loved it here the last three years. And I was happy to retire here, but some things are just bigger than footy and especially when it comes to your children.

“I'll do anything for my son. I'd move heaven and earth for him. If that means moving back home to make sure that we’ve got more support, then I'll jump on the first plane there. I'm excited to get back to NZ.”

Broughton, who developed her skills playing for New Zealand Rugby Sevens where she earned a silver medal at the Rio Olympics in Tokyo before joining Parramatta Eels in 2022, said she was confident the Broncos could get the job done against the Roosters.

“We always knew this prelim was going to be a completely different Newcastle side to when we played them down in Newcastle and we just had to take it up another notch,” Broughton said.

“We knew the Knights weren’t going to be an easy game at all. It just showed in that last 20, they gave everything they had and just a huge credit to our girls, we stuck in there and we didn’t let them go through.

“I think we only completed at 50 per cent and for us, that's not good enough, especially against the Roosters side. We need to fine-tune."

Having been part of the Eels side that lost the 2022 grand final to Newcastle, Broughton is pumped to be getting another chance to add a premiership to her incredible list of achievements.

“Feeling super confident. For me, my left edge, but also my other half pairing, Ali, and Tamika, they both just give me the confidence to be able to play and do my role,” Broughton said.

“We just need to stick to our structure. Nothing changes for - taking it day by day and doing the little things right.

“It's going to take a lot (to beat the Roosters). The effort we showed (against the Knights) was great but we’re really going to have to step up our A -game.

“I have the upmost belief in out team to really take it to the end. Actions will speak louder than words on Sunday.

"The Roosters are a phenomenal side, they've got strike power all over the field and I think it's going to be one hell of a battle, but that's what grand finals are for.

“I think I'm quite lucky with my experience. I've played in some pretty big games in my life… Commonwealth Games, Olympic finals. I know it all too well and the preparation during the week can be quite a lot for a lot of people.

“There’s going to be a lot of media, lots of people wanting tickets… lots of cousins I haven't met before. But I'm quite chill, I'll have my son during the week and, my partner down there.

"I’ve got my mum, my brothers all down in Sydney, my grandparents are there at the moment. So everything just stays completely the same as every other week.

“Grand finals, you can never really put into words the type of experience it is. It's just a different ball game.

“Not a lot of people get to embrace the grand finals so we just need to enjoy it. Enjoy the moment, enjoy the atmosphere. It's going to be awesome."

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