This Saturday, Millie Elliott will run out at Allianz Stadium for her 50th NRLW match. It comes in a preliminary final. It comes at home. And it comes just one week after she confirmed that 2026 will be her last season in the game.
Few milestones arrive with this kind of timing. Elliott's 50th cap is also her first appearance of this year's finals series, after the Roosters' unbeaten regular season earned them a bye straight into the second week. It is, in other words, a number that has been building for seven years and landing on the biggest stage available.
For those who know her best, the milestone is a chance to reflect on just how far Elliott's journey has come. Roosters hooker and close friend Keeley Nizza has watched it unfold from up close. "It's been a long journey for Mill. She's been such a huge part of the NRLW, I think she's one of the faces of the game," Nizza said. "I've played a lot of footy against her and she's an absolute powerhouse, so to be able to play alongside her for her 50th will be unreal."
The road to fifty has not been a straight line. Elliott made her NRLW debut with the foundation Brisbane Broncos side in 2019, winning back-to-back titles before a move to Newcastle in 2022, where she captained the Knights to their maiden premiership. She joined the Roosters in 2023 and added a fourth ring in the 2024 grand final win over Cronulla, a run that has made her the only player, male or female, to win NRLW premierships with three different clubs.
Fullback Corban Baxter, who has played alongside Elliott for the past few seasons, said the sheer weight of that trophy cabinet still catches her off guard. "She's obviously such a big part of women's rugby league, she's won so many premierships, I can't even count how many, but I've loved playing with Millie," Baxter said. "She's such a powerful player on the field, but playing with her the last couple of years here at the Roosters, I've just loved getting to know her. She's a really great friend, someone who is truly supportive, and it's a big milestone for her. I'm sure she's looking forward to it, and she'll have her family and Gigi there cheering her all the way too."
Then came the biggest success of her career. Elliott took off the entire 2025 NRLW season and State of Origin series for the birth of her daughter, Gigi, in September that year. Before making a record-breaking return to the Origin arena just seven-and-a-half months postpartum. Getting from that comeback to game number 50 has taken a full season of rebuilding, and she has done it as one of the most productive props in the competition, finishing the 2026 regular season with 231 tackles at better than 95 per cent efficiency and 1,432 running metres, an average of 130 a game.
It's a comeback that hasn't gone unnoticed inside the camp. "I definitely think this whole year has been a massive milestone for Millie," Nizza said. "Being able to see her be a mum with baby Gigi and bring her along for her footy career this year has been incredible. Millie's done so much in the game and pretty much achieved everything she can, but the one thing she's always wanted was to be an amazing mum and have an amazing family. To see her do that now, and have her family along for the ride the whole year, has been incredible."
Baxter, who returned to the field herself after having a child, said Elliott's fitness levels this year have been nothing short of remarkable. "She scored a couple of tries this year, we laughed about it earlier this week. She's part machine, she's just so fit," Baxter said. "The way she's come back after having Gigi, not taking a step backwards but taking a few forward, is really inspiring to watch. Seeing her score a couple of meat pies has been pretty fun."
Elliott herself has credited Baxter's own comeback from motherhood for making her return feel possible, a connection Baxter doesn't take lightly. "That's really nice to hear. Millie is just on another level," Baxter said. "I love seeing women who have had kids come back, and I'm proud to be one of those players. It's been great to see Millie do the same thing, and she's come back bigger and stronger than ever as we head into finals."
Beyond the field, teammates say Elliott's leadership has been just as valuable to the group this season. "She's such a leader. Having her back this year has been seamless," Nizza said. "She's always been a huge part of our squad and our team, but to have her back on the field has been incredible, and the way she's able to influence the playing group is amazing. Even last year she was still able to have such an impact on our squad, so we're just lucky to have her as part of our team, especially in the front row."
Saturday's opponent, Canberra Raiders, arrive at Allianz Stadium having fought through an elimination final to get here, a club that didn't even exist in the competition when Elliott made her NRLW debut back in 2019. For the Roosters, it is the first test of a finals campaign built on an undefeated regular season and a chance to go one better than last year's grand final heartbreak. For Elliott, it is a half-century of NRLW appearances, a home crowd, and one more step toward the premiership she wants as the final act of her career.
