At the height of their powers, Sydney Roosters stars Corban Baxter and Millie Elliott have chosen to walk away from professional rugby league at season's end — not because the game has finished with them, but because something else has called them home. Between them, they carry four premierships, international caps, and a captaincy that delivered the Roosters their first NRLW title. Their retirements, announced in September 2026, are less an ending than a question posed to the sport itself: what does it ask of the women who play it, and what does it still refuse to give?
Roosters stars Elliott and Baxter retire at peak, prioritizing family
They're at the top of their game and could continue to play on.
Mark
So both of these players are retiring while they're still playing at their best. That's unusual, isn't it?
Mimi
It is. And that's what makes it striking. Baxter captained the Roosters to their first premiership. Elliott won four premierships total and represented Australia. These aren't players fading out—they're walking away at the top.
Luke
But we should be careful about the framing here. The source says they're "at the top of their game" according to their coach. That's one voice. We don't have quotes from other coaches, other players, or independent assessment of their current form.
Mark
Fair point. But the reason they're giving is family, right? They both have young children.
Mimi
Yes. Baxter has two sons—Carter and Beaudy. Elliott has a daughter, Gigi. And Baxter was visibly emotional talking about her family at the press conference. She said her husband Matt and her parents have been her support system.
Luke
The emotional moment is real and it's in the source. But we should note that we're getting this story entirely from the club's announcement and the players' own statements. We don't have independent reporting on what their lives actually look like, what the demands of the sport are, or whether there are structural issues in women's rugby league that make this choice feel necessary.
Mark
So what we know for certain is: they're retiring, they're citing family as the reason, and their coach says they could keep playing.
Mimi
That's right. And the coach frames it as a "selfless" decision—putting family first even though they could continue. Whether that framing is complete or whether there are other factors we're not seeing, that's the question Luke is raising.
Luke
Exactly. The story is real. The retirements are real. The family commitments are real. But the full picture of why elite women's athletes feel they have to make this choice—that's bigger than what one press conference can tell us.
Mark
So this is a symptom of something larger.
Mimi
It appears to be. Two of the best players in the women's game stepping away at their peak to be present for their families. That suggests something about how the sport is structured, how it demands time, how it intersects with motherhood.
Luke
And that's the story worth following. Not just the retirements themselves, but what they reveal about the sport.
Il Polso
- Two of the NRLW's most decorated players are retiring at their peak — not through injury or form, but by deliberate choice, which makes the loss all the sharper.
- Baxter's voice broke at the press conference when she spoke of her family, a moment that carried the full weight of years spent balancing elite sport with motherhood.
- Elliott returned from a year away to have her daughter, proved she still belonged at the highest level, and then decided that proving it was enough.
- Head coach John Strange called it 'the hardest thing' to witness — watching players at the top of their game choose to leave — and named it, quietly, as something special.
- The Roosters will play out the finals with both women still in the lineup, but the season's end will close an era that the competition may struggle to replace.
At the height of their powers, Sydney Roosters stars Corban Baxter and Millie Elliott have chosen to walk away from professional rugby league at season's end — not because the game has finished with them, but because something else has called them home. Between them, they carry four premierships, international caps, and a captaincy that delivered the Roosters their first NRLW title. Their retirements, announced in September 2026, are less an ending than a question posed to the sport itself: what does it ask of the women who play it, and what does it still refuse to give?
On Wednesday, the Sydney Roosters confirmed that Corban Baxter and Millie Elliott would retire from professional rugby league at the close of the 2026 season. The announcement carried an unusual weight: both players are performing at the peak of their careers, and both could continue. They have chosen not to.
Baxter has been a Rooster since the competition's first season in 2018, a journey that ended in captaining the club to its maiden NRLW premiership. She has represented New South Wales, the Australian Jillaroos, and the Māori All Stars. At the press conference, she spoke warmly of head coach John Strange, who had supported her return to the field after the birth of her son Beaudy. When she turned to speak about her family — her husband Matt, her sons Carter and Beaudy, her parents Gina and Mike — her voice broke. "Family means a lot," she said. The decision to retire, she made clear, was about being present for them in a way that elite sport no longer allows.
Elliott took 2025 away from the game to have her daughter Gigi, returned this season, and immediately recaptured the form that makes her one of the competition's premier forwards. Yet she too has decided the time has come. "Coming back after becoming a mum was something that meant a lot to me," she said. "I'm at peace with the decision and excited about what comes next."
Strange reflected on the difficulty of watching it unfold. "They're both playing great footy," he said. "The decision they've made is purely for other people — they're putting their families first, which is really special, especially because they could continue to play on."
The Roosters will carry both players through the finals series before an era quietly closes. What remains, beyond the premierships and the representative jerseys, is a harder question about what elite women's sport still demands of the people who give themselves to it.
On Wednesday, the Sydney Roosters announced that two of their most accomplished players—Corban Baxter and Millie Elliott—would retire from professional rugby league at the end of the 2026 season. Both are performing at the peak of their powers. Both could continue playing at the highest level. Neither will.
Baxter has been a Rooster since the competition's inaugural season in 2018, six years of service that culminated in captaining the club to its first NRLW premiership. She is a decorated representative player who has worn the jerseys of New South Wales, the Australian Jillaroos, and the Māori All Stars. Elliott arrived at the Roosters in 2023 as an already-established star, having won three premierships elsewhere before adding a fourth in 2024. She too has represented her state and country at the highest level. By any measure, these are two of the most successful players in the women's game.
At the press conference where the retirements were announced, Baxter spoke about her journey with the club and the people who had shaped it. She thanked her coaches, particularly head coach John Strange, who had supported her return to playing after the birth of her son. She thanked the Sharks for giving her the chance to start her career. And then she spoke about her family—her husband Matt, her two sons Carter and Beaudy, her parents Gina and Mike. As she did, her voice broke. "Family means a lot," she said. "Every time I talk about them I get emotional."
She described how Carter had been there from the very beginning, how they had grown up together through the highs and lows of rugby league. Beaudy came along later, and Strange had been instrumental in welcoming her back after his birth, ensuring she could continue playing the sport she loved while being present for her family. The decision to retire, she made clear, was about being there for them in a way that a continued elite career would not allow.
Elliott took a year away from the sport in 2025 to give birth to her daughter, Gigi. She returned this season and immediately recaptured the form that makes her one of the competition's premier forwards. Yet she too has decided that now is the time to step away. "Coming back to play this season after becoming a mum was something that meant a lot to me," she said. "I wanted to challenge myself to get back out there and contribute to this team, and I'm really proud that I've been able to do that." But looking ahead, her focus has shifted. "I'm at peace with the decision and excited about what comes next, but right now my focus is on enjoying the remainder of the season and hopefully finishing my career in the best possible way with this group."
Head coach John Strange reflected on what made these decisions remarkable. "They're both playing great footy," he said. "So I think that's probably the hardest thing that I could see for both Corbs and Millie is they're at the top of their game." The choice they had made, he emphasized, was not about declining ability or waning passion for the sport. It was about priorities that had shifted. "The decision they've made is purely for other people," Strange said. "They've spoken about their kids and their support network that they've got and that they've been leaning on for quite a number of years, so they're putting them first and making sure that they're there for their family which is really special, especially because they are at the top of their game at the moment and could continue to play on."
The Roosters will finish out the 2026 season with both players in the lineup, competing in the finals series with two of their most experienced and accomplished performers still on the field. But when the season ends, an era closes. The question that lingers is not whether these players could have continued—they clearly could have—but what it says about the structure of elite women's sport that two of its brightest stars must choose between their careers and their families.
Citazioni salienti
Family means a lot. Every time I talk about them I get emotional.— Corban Baxter, at retirement announcement
They're at the top of their game. The decision they've made is purely for other people. They're putting their families first.— John Strange, Roosters NRLW head coach
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