Aiken hoping to help spark Roosters in new halfback role

In the final minutes of their 12-10 loss to Newcastle at McDonald Jones Stadium on Thursday night, Sydney Roosters sparkplug Tarryn Aiken was hoping for a second bolt of lightning.

Seven weeks earlier on the same ground, as NSW clung to a 10-4 lead in the final minutes of the second game of the State of Origin series, Aiken scooted across the rain-soaked field to score a try for Queensland.

That try, converted by Lauren Brown, levelled the scores at 10-10 and Brown added a field goal shortly afterwards to give the Maroons a miraculous 11-10 victory. They went on to win the series.

"Nearly, but we didn't get the result this time," Aiken told pan66.com after she almost led the Roosters to a come-from-behind triumph against the two-time defending NRLW premiers.

"We can take a lot of positives out of that, to fight back, especially with a lot of new combinations, so there's a lot of good things we can take out of it."

The Roosters trailed the Knights 10-0 as the clock ticked toward the final 10 minutes and were aching for a shot of Aiken inspiration after Newcastle's stonewall defence had denied them time and time again during the first hour.

Time for something off the cuff, Aiken chipped over the top for Jess Sergis to regather, then she took Sergis's return pass to send Jocelyn Kelleher over for a try next to the posts.

Then in the final minute, as the Roosters trailed 12-6, coach John Strange sent out a call for Aiken to trickle a grubber behind the Newcastle defensive line.

Aiken kicked, Sergis pounced, the plan worked to perfection and the margin was two points.

Kelleher could not convert from close to the posts and the Roosters fell just short, but Aiken was pleased with their resilience, especially after losing five-eighth Corban Baxter to a season-ending knee injury only a week earlier.

"That was a massive blow for us," Aiken said.

"She was a big part of our team and she was going to do a lot of ball-playing, so that hurt, but to be able to change things the way we did with only a week's notice, we did really well with that.

"It was a really tough game, and we expected that coming into Round 1.

"We had a few lapses in concentration early on in the game, but it was really good to fight back in the end and we'll be back to go again next week."

Aiken, who is in her second season at the Roosters after four years at the Broncos, is more accustomed to the five-eighth position, but said she felt comfortable in her new role at halfback.

"It's not a whole lot different, but probably over the last 12 months, I've just been learning a lot about managing and controlling a game," Aiken said.

"That's really the main difference."

Strange expected the 25-year-old playmaker to continue to improve as she adjusted to a new halves partner in the wake of Baxter's torn ACL.

"She's a great player, a world-class player, and one of the best [halves], if not the best half, in the women's game," Strange said.

"For me, when she came to this team, she was a genuine six -- a really good runner.

"We've worked all pre-season about her being a halfback, because with someone like that, you just want them on the ball a lot.

"So it will take her a little bit of time to adjust to actually being in control of the side, but I thought she did a great job there, and setting up those tries there at the end, she's someone you want to have the ball in their hands in crucial moments.

"She's done a great job and she'll get better as well."

Though named at fullback, NSW and Australian centre Isabelle Kelly joined Aiken in the halves against the Knights and Jayme Fressard played fullback.

How the Roosters line up against the Broncos at Allianz Stadium next Sunday is to be determined, but Kelly was confident they would be better for the run, no matter who plays where.

"It was a lot of fun, being a bit more involved, and you've got 'Taz' as a seven who is a natural leader, being a ball player," Kelly said of her first game at five-eighth.

"Probably a little bit clunky at my end, but like 'Strangey' said, we had built such a good connection with Corbs throughout the whole pre-season, so it was a little bit hard adjusting to that, but in saying that, it is round one and our biggest thing was our fight, and we've really worked on that."