Aiken missed the 2025 grand final through an ACL injury, a loss the Roosters felt keenly. This time, she is determined not to let the title slip.
The Roosters have been undefeated all season and booked their third consecutive grand final spot with a 20-10 preliminary final victory over the Raiders last weekend. The only match that caused concern was a round-three clash in Canberra, which the team described as a "loss in our eyes" despite winning. The Roosters trailed for nearly half of their total 70 minutes and two seconds of trailing for the entire season in that game alone.
"I think we probably learnt a lot about ourselves in that game, and what works for us as a team," Aiken said. "We had gone away and experimented with a few things before that game. But after that game, we went back to the drawing board and worked. Spoke about what strengths are good for our team and as individual players and went back to our strengths as a team."
Aiken is not one to lose her cool often, but that round-three match drew a rare reaction. Teammate Olivia Kernick recalled the moment. "It was pretty funny," Kernick said. "It was pretty early on. We don't really hear from her, she's very calm, cool and collected on field." Kernick added: "If she's spraying you, you know we're all doing something wrong."
Captain Isabelle Kelly had high praise for Aiken. "She's the best half in the game," Kelly said. "She gets a lot of recognition, but the way that she ..."
Asked about the team's strengths, Aiken was coy. "Can't tell you that," she said with a smirk. The Roosters will hope their strengths hold up in the grand final as they seek to reclaim the premiership that slipped away last year.