The Bathurst talent, who’s appearance in the grand final against the Brisbane Broncos was just her second for the Sydney Roosters, wore a special pair of boots.

Not only were they painted by her father William ‘Bubba’ Kennedy – himself having played in the nation’s top flight – but they were designed to honour her late grandfather Alf, who died last week.

The blue paint used in the design – which gave a nod to her entire family – was to reflect her grandfather’s eyes.

“The whole thing is about my family and coming together to celebrate Pop ... I'll be thinking about him,” Kennedy told Roosters.com.au ahead of the decider.

“I can’t wait to run out in these boots knowing that he’s there with me and would be proud that I’m here.”

While her grandfather did not get to watch Sunday’s grand final – a match the Broncos won 34-12 – he did get to see her NRLW debut.

The second rower got her first taste of Australia’s top competition for women in round three against the Dragons.

The former Bathurst Panthers talent played 17 minutes off the bench that day and Alf watched every one of them.

He saw her make eight tackles and gain 10.7m for her Roosters.

He could not have been prouder as he knew how hard she had worked to get to that point.

Aside from the countless hours of training she put in, when Kennedy first linked with the Roosters she did not even have anywhere in Sydney to live.

“He got to see me play on TV in my first game against the Dragons, the family were with him in the hospital room in Bathurst,” she said.

“There were 20 family and friends surrounding him in the room, cheering me on and supporting me.

“Knowing that he was watching gave me an extra boost and made me feel proud that I have achieved this level.

“He always wanted me to be here, he followed me throughout my football career, telling me that I was good enough to be playing in Sydney with the rest of the girls.

“He was very proud of me when I made it to the Roosters, and with his support and belief, it honestly helped me get to where I am today.”

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Kennedy was a late inclusion in the Roosters’ side for the historic first NRLW grand final at Sydney’s ANZ Stadium.

With Maddison Studdon and Chloe Caldwell ruled out, Roosters coach Adam Hartigan named Kennedy on the bench for her second appearance of the season.

Her team-mates for the match included former Orange Hawk turned Jillaroo Vanessa Foliaki, and other Australian representative such as Karina Brown, Ruan Sims, Lavina O'Mealey and Isabelle Kelly.

The Roosters had lost 14-4 to the Broncos earlier in the four-team competition run over the period of the NRL finals series.

The Broncos held favouritism for the decider as that win was part of their perfect three-from-three record over the round games. 

They boasted both the best attacking and defensive record of the combatants plus a talent-packed roster including both Kiwi Ferns and Jillaroos representatives.

Still, Kennedy was hoping she and her fellow Roosters could spring an upset a week after her brother William played in the Newtown Jets side which went down to the Bulldogs in the Intrust Super Premiership decider.

She watched on from the bench as the first half unfolded.

It was tight early on as the Roosters opened scoring with a fourth minute penalty goal, conceded a try a minute later, but were back on level terms at 6-all after 10 minutes.

But then came the turning point.

Broncos five-eighth Kimiora Nati was awarded a try after Roosters winger Taleena Simon was judged to have illegally used her leg to jolt the ball free in the process of attempting to stop her.

From there the Broncos pushed on to lead 28-6 at half-time.

That is when Kennedy was injected into the contest, replacing Simon. She played a tick over 10 minutes before heading back to the bench.

She and her team-mates were given some hope as O'Mealey crossed in the 43^rd minute, but the Broncos responded to seal a 34-12 win.

Nati was named best on ground as she finished with three tries, while Brisbane’s big guns Ali Brigginshaw, Brittany Breayley and Chelsea Baker were also pivotal in the victory.

While not able to clinch the win, Kennedy still enjoyed being able to play in front of a bumper 16,214 crowd in the decider.

“It was an amazing experience, especially being part of the first ever women’s Holden premiership,” she said.

“I’m so grateful for this opportunity.”

Hartigan acknowledged that his players tried hard, but the Broncos had more desire.

“I think they came with a plan to bully us through the middle and they got some joy there,” the Roosters mentor said.

“We held our own in the second, but leaked a lot of points in the first half unfortunately. Looking back now we were just happy to be there rather than willing to compete.

“There was effort there, but it definitely wasn’t good enough.”