Sydney Roosters players Millie Elliott and Corban Baxter confirmed on Wednesday that this NRLW season will be their last, with both to retire at the end of the campaign. Elliott, 28, and Baxter, 32, have played in the NRLW since its second season in 2019, and the Roosters are unbeaten this year heading into the finals.
Millie Elliott and Corban Baxter to retire at end of NRLW season
Sydney Roosters players Millie Elliott and Corban Baxter confirmed on Wednesday that this NRLW season will be their last, with both to retire at the end of the campaign. Elliott, 28, and Baxter, 32, have played in the NRLW since its second season in 2019, and the Roosters are unbeaten this year heading into the finals.
Elliott's decision to retire comes at 28, while she hopes to play for Australia at the end-of-year World Cup. After having a child last year, the front-rower wants to prioritise a growing family.
Baxter said she made the call after returning from an ACL rupture suffered last year and, at 32, felt her body was finding it hard to keep up with the demands. She has still starred for the Roosters at fullback.
Both players have been prominent in the NRLW since its second season in 2019, when Baxter missed the opening four-week competition through a shoulder injury. Elliott was the first player to win premierships at three clubs and has been among the competition's most prominent voices on its growth and direction.
Elliott won two premierships at Brisbane in 2019 and 2020, one at Newcastle in 2022 and another at the Roosters in 2024. She was the Roosters' captain for their premiership in 2021 and has set the culture for the club, now a powerhouse of the competition. The Roosters are unbeaten this year and their only defeat in the past two seasons came in the 2025 decider against Brisbane.
In a career interrupted at times by pregnancy and injury, Elliott played her first of seven Tests for Australia in 2016 and also played seven State of Origin matches for NSW.
- The source states that the pair confirmed their retirements on Wednesday and also that Baxter said on Thursday she had made the call; it does not reconcile the two days.
- The source does not state whether the 2021 Roosters captaincy it mentions refers to Elliott or Baxter, or why a 2021 Roosters premiership is not listed among the titles it attributes to Elliott.
- The source does not state how many premierships Baxter has won or which clubs she has played for beyond the Roosters.
- The source includes no direct quotation from Baxter.
- The source does not state what Baxter plans to do after retiring, or whether she is in contention for Australia's end-of-year World Cup squad.
- The source does not state when the NRLW finals begin or when the season ends.
Read the original at ABC News Australia