An extraordinary, see-sawing NRLW grand final has ended with the Sydney Roosters returning to the summit of women’s rugby league, thanks to a 32-28, six-tries-to-five victory over the Cronulla Sharks.

The Roosters’ five-try first half, masterfully conducted by halfback Tarryn Aiken, appeared to settle the contest before the shadows had even covered the Accor Stadium playing surface on a glorious spring afternoon. But it took a late try to the Roosters’ Dally M medal winner Olivia Kernick to see off the brave Sharks, who threatened to pull off one of the great grand final comebacks.

The Sharks had already been written off this season after they lost their final three matches of the regular season. Just as they leapt off the canvas to shock Brisbane in the semi-finals, here in the grand final they came from nowhere to have the Roosters on the back foot. In an enthralling climax, Cronulla came as close as two points with just a few minutes left.

The comeback was quelled when Kernick slid through the Sharks line in front of 40,623 fans who had shown up for the grand final triple-header. The Norths Devils had recorded a victory over Newtown in the dying stages of an entertaining State Championship Game that acted as the prelude to the NRLW decider.

For the first half of the women’s showpiece, the fans watched a one-sided contest. Aiken said in the pre-match press conference she believed the players had taken the NRLW to another level this year. On Sunday, one team was slow to get the message. An aerial blitz from Roosters five-eighth Jocelyn Kelleher triggered three repeat sets. All ended in tries.

Kelleher’s targeting of Cronulla winger Cassie Staples was borderline bullying. After the third try, Sharks halfback Tayla Preston and the other Sharks winger Georgia Ravics delivered an intervention for the Cronulla No 2 in the huddle as the Roosters lined up another conversion. It seemed to work, and Staples took the next high ball comfortably.

But the Sharks – who upset minor premiers Brisbane in their semi-final – were playing whack-a-mole. It was Aiken – the winner of the Karyn Murphy Medal for player of the match – who next popped up, first sending fullback Sam Bremner around Cronulla centre Tiani Penitani in a glorious sweep that ended in a Brydie Parker try. Then another Aiken ball on the last tackle lured in Penitani, leaving Roosters centre Jess Sergis with a path the line.

The first half was a statement from the Roosters, who have not always performed when it counted in the seven seasons of the NRLW. This was their fourth grand final, no other team has made as many. But the only other clubs to have won premierships – the Broncos and Knights – have never lost a decider.

The tricolours had fluffed their lines in the semi-finals of the past two seasons despite higher seedings. But last week against the the Knights, the Roosters crushed their opponents’ hopes of a three-peat in a dominant first half.

The Sharks finally turned up at the start of the second period. Five-eighth Georgia Hannaway found Penitani on a shift left, and the Dally M centre of the year beat Sergis one-on-one. A conversion from Preston went through off the post, and all of a sudden the Sharks had life. Two more tries, including a crash play from Ellie Johnston, brought the margin back to two points with seven minutes left.

But the late four-pointer from Kernick was the decisive score, stretching the lead to eight with just a few minutes left. Penitani went over to set up a grandstand finish, but in Cronulla’s final desperate set, Sergis jumped on a loose pass to settle a compelling decider, and secure a second premiership for the Roosters.