The 2008 NRL season was the 101st season of professional rugby league club competition in Australia, and the eleventh run by the National Rugby League. For the second year, sixteen teams competed for the 2008 Telstra Premiership title. The season commenced with the first matches played on 14 March and ended with the Grand Final, played on 5 October. The premiership was won by the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles who set the record for the highest Grand Final victory in Australia's rugby league history.
2008 also marked the launch of the National Youth Competition, an under 20 competition running parallel to the senior competition under the sponsorship name, the Toyota Cup.
Rugby league was first introduced into Australia in 1907, with a meeting in Sydney on 8 August 1908 effectively forming a new breakaway league from the New South Wales Rugby Union. The new body was known as the New South Wales Rugby Football League, and became the first professional sporting code in Australia. In the following months, eight Sydney-based teams were formed and signed up to play in the New South Wales Rugby Football League's premiership, with another club joining a week into competition.
The New South Wales Rugby League continued to run the competition up until and including 1994 when it passed on responsibility to the Australian Rugby League, the national authority for rugby league in Australia. In 1997 a rival Super League competition run by News Limited was started and signed up several existing teams from the Australian Rugby League. After both bodies lost a lot of money that year, a truce was signed and a new competition was formed for the 1998 season, under the brand name "National Rugby League."
Regarded as the spiritual home of rugby league in Australia, Birchgrove Oval hosted the official launch of the NRL's 2008 Centenary rugby league season.[2] During the season, the NRL staged a number of celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of the sport in Australia. The opening match of the 2008 season was held between the remaining two "foundation clubs" from 1908, the Sydney Roosters and the South Sydney Rabbitohs. A 'Heritage round' was introduced to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the first round of competition in the New South Wales Rugby League, whereby teams faced opponents that entered the competition in similar time frames.
Several events took place to celebrate the 100th anniversary of landmark moments in rugby league in Australia. These events began in August 2007 with a re-enactment of the meeting which led to the formation of the New South Wales Rugby League, essentially the beginning of rugby league in Australia. In January and February 2008, several of the foundation clubs, the Newtown Jets, South Sydney Rabbitohs, Balmain Tigers, Sydney Roosters, North Sydney Bears and Western Suburbs Magpies, hosted special functions at the places they were officially formed.
The 2008 season was one week longer than the 2007 competition, allowing an extra bye on top of the existing one allocated to each club. In addition, the scheduling of the earlier representative fixtures was changed, including the removal of Monday Night Football on weekends prior to the City vs Country match and the ANZAC Test. The City vs Country fixture was pushed back to Friday night where it had been prior to 2007. Many of these initiatives were announced midway through the 2007 season by the chief executive officer of the National Rugby League, David Gallop, in an attempt to help reduce player fatigue after several complaints of player injuries caused by the short turnaround between some matches.
2008 also saw a change in how the draw is devised, with teams nominating their preferred home opponents in order of preference. The NRL consulted these requests when structuring the season's fixtures. This change is intended to maximise attendances by allowing local derbies and other high-interest matches to be played twice a year. It is a departure from previous methods, which focused on trying to produce an equally difficult playing schedule for each club.[3] The draw was released on 19 October 2007.
On the back of increasing public pressure, the National Rugby League decided to move the Grand Final back from the later timeslot of 7:00pm to 5:00pm. The Grand Final had traditionally been held on a Sunday afternoon up until 2000, after which it was relocated to the evening in order to accommodate the Channel 9's programming desires. Whilst the late night scheduling was not considered as much an issue for New South Wales audiences because of the Labour Day public holiday the following day, it was argued by many Queenslanders that such a time was unsuitable for families on the eve of a weekday. Many individuals in the general public and the media pushed for a full return to a 3:00pm kickoff time where it had been for many decades, whilst Channel 9 continued to insist on 7:00pm. As a compromise, the National Rugby League decided on a "twilight" match starting at 5:00pm. It was the first time since the 2000 season that the Grand Final was played in daylight, largely due to a change in commencement of Daylight Saving Time in New South Wales, ACT and Victoria in 2008.[4]
Teams
The number of teams in the NRL remained unchanged since the previous season, with sixteen participating in the regular season: ten from New South Wales, three from Queensland and one from each of Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. Of the ten from New South Wales, eight (St. George Illawarra are both from Sydney and Wollongong) are from Sydney's metropolitan area, with (St. George Illawarra being a Sydney and Wollongong joint venture. Just two foundation clubs from New South Wales Rugby League season 1908 played in this competition: the Sydney Roosters (formerly known as Eastern Suburbs) and the South Sydney Rabbitohs. The Melbourne Storm were the defending premiers.
For the first time since the 1988 introduction of teams outside of New South Wales, an under-20 competition ran incorporating sides fielded by each of the sixteen premiership clubs. The National Youth Competition, known as the Toyota Cup for sponsorship purposes was solely for under-20 players.
The Bulldogs set a club home crowd record when 36,526 spectators attended their Round 4 clash against the Sydney Roosters. The match marked Roosters forward Willie Mason's first match against his old club, and also set a record for the highest attended club match in Sydney during a premiership season (excluding finals).
Ruben Wiki became only the 10th player in history to play 300 first grade games, and is the first New Zealander to pass this milestone.
The South Sydney Rabbitohs equalled the 2nd biggest comeback in NRL history in Round 16 against the North Queensland Cowboys. After trailing 28–4 after fifty minutes, the Rabbitohs won the match 29–28.
Melbourne Storm became the first club to win three minor premierships in a row (and also three minor premierships overall) since the founding of the NRL, but these titles have since been stripped by the NRL as a result of gross salary cap infringements.
The New Zealand Warriors became the first eighth-placed club to win in the first week of the finals since the McIntyre Final 8 System was introduced in season 1999. They progressed to the preliminary final, the furthest stage that any 8th-placed team has progressed. This record stood for 12 months, when the 8th-placed team from the following season, the Parramatta Eels, went one better and made the Grand Final.
The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles' Grand Final defeat of defending premiers Melbourne Storm, 40–0, is the greatest winning margin in a Grand Final, eclipsing the record set in 1975 which was Eastern Suburbs 38–0 win over St. George Dragons. The last team to be kept scoreless in a Grand Final was Cronulla in 1978 in the Grand Final replay against Manly 16–0.
The season's leading try scorer, Manly-Warringah's Brett Stewart, equalled former Canberra Raiders flyer Brett Mullins' 1994 record for most tries scored in a season by a Fullback with 22 (19 in the regular season, 3 in the finals).
Marketing
Sponsorship
For the eighth straight season the National Rugby League's maintained its naming rights sponsor Telstra with the competition again known as the Telstra Premiership. In addition to the Telstra Premiership logo appearing over the right upper chest on each team's playing jersey, the "Centenary of Rugby league in Australia" logo was displayed just above to commemorate the competition's centenary.
Throughout the season, various charities and other non-profit organisations received exposure on Sunday Football through Rugby League's One Community Program.
Advertising
In celebration of the code's 100th anniversary the NRL and its ad agency MJW created for 2008 a Centenary Tribute ad which used historical footage of games and stars of yesteryear, blending in with action sequences of the modern day. Original epic orchestral music was used as the soundtrack. The ad opened with still imagery from 1908 to the modern day juxtaposed and rolling as though an ensemble of players are entering the Sydney Cricket Ground from the dressing rooms in the Members Stand.
The morphed film segments included a 1930s Australia v England Test with modern Australian players in the backline; Wayne Pearce in the 1980s on the sideline at the Sydney Cricket Ground next to a mud covered 1960s player and a sequence where Darren Lockyer circa 2000 takes a pass from Clive Churchill circa 1950. Clever touches include DragonsMark Gasnier backing up his uncle Reg Gasnier some 40 years apart; Sharks stars of different generations, Steve Rogers and Andrew Ettingshausen running together and Souths'Craig Wing in 2008 putting Ron Coote through a gap in 1968. The final shot shows the 2008 version of Norm Provan and Arthur Summons covered head to toe in mud & recreating the "Gladiators" image from the 1963 Grand Final acknowledged by the 2007 Grand Finalists Cameron Smith and Greg Inglis in front of iconic images of Grand Finals gone by including John Sattler being chaired from the field in 1971 while Brad Fittler celebrates his 2002 win and Bradley Clyde his 1994 premiership.[6]
For the first time since the 1999 season, the team finishing in 8th spot won more games than it had lost. It should be also noted that on that occasion, 17 teams were in the competition.
Ladder progression
Numbers highlighted in green indicate that the team finished the round inside the top 8.
Numbers highlighted in blue indicates the team finished first on the ladder in that round.
Numbers highlighted in red indicates the team finished in last place on the ladder in that round
Underlined numbers indicate that the team had a bye during that round.
The National Rugby League employs the McIntyre Final Eight System and, for the second year running, preliminary finals were allowed to be played outside of Sydney.
The New Zealand Warriors became the first 8th-placed team to beat the 1st placed Minor Premiers since the McIntyre Final Eight System came into the competition in 1999 by beating the Melbourne Storm 18–15, scoring a match winning try with only three minutes remaining.
The Brisbane Broncos won their first Qualifying Finals match since 2002.
In 2008 New Zealand's Ruben Wiki was the oldest player in the NRL at 35 years and 250 days.[8]Sam Perrett ran 3,720 metres with the ball in 2008, more than any other player in the competition.[9]
National Rugby League. National Rugby League. 8 August 2007. Retrieved on 13 August 2007.
External links
Rugby League Centenary Exhibit at nma.gov.au
December 27, 2022
2008, season, 101st, season, professional, rugby, league, club, competition, australia, eleventh, national, rugby, league, second, year, sixteen, teams, competed, 2008, telstra, premiership, title, season, commenced, with, first, matches, played, march, ended,. The 2008 NRL season was the 101st season of professional rugby league club competition in Australia and the eleventh run by the National Rugby League For the second year sixteen teams competed for the 2008 Telstra Premiership title The season commenced with the first matches played on 14 March and ended with the Grand Final played on 5 October The premiership was won by the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles who set the record for the highest Grand Final victory in Australia s rugby league history 2008 National Rugby LeagueTeams16PremiersManly Warringah 7th title Minor premiersMelbourne 1 Matches played201Points scored8470Attendance3279663Top points scorer s Luke Covell 206 Player of the yearMatt Orford Dally M Medal Top try scorer s Brett Stewart 22 20072009 2008 also marked the launch of the National Youth Competition an under 20 competition running parallel to the senior competition under the sponsorship name the Toyota Cup Contents 1 Centenary of rugby league 2 Season summary 2 1 Schedule 2 2 Teams 2 3 Records set in 2008 3 Marketing 3 1 Sponsorship 3 2 Advertising 4 Ladder 4 1 Ladder progression 5 Finals series 5 1 Finals Chart 6 Grand Final 7 Player records 7 1 Top 5 point scorers 7 2 Top 5 try scorers 8 2008 Transfers 8 1 Players 9 Related links 9 1 2008 representative games 9 2 Team season articles 10 Notes 11 References 12 External linksCentenary of rugby league EditRugby league was first introduced into Australia in 1907 with a meeting in Sydney on 8 August 1908 effectively forming a new breakaway league from the New South Wales Rugby Union The new body was known as the New South Wales Rugby Football League and became the first professional sporting code in Australia In the following months eight Sydney based teams were formed and signed up to play in the New South Wales Rugby Football League s premiership with another club joining a week into competition The New South Wales Rugby League continued to run the competition up until and including 1994 when it passed on responsibility to the Australian Rugby League the national authority for rugby league in Australia In 1997 a rival Super League competition run by News Limited was started and signed up several existing teams from the Australian Rugby League After both bodies lost a lot of money that year a truce was signed and a new competition was formed for the 1998 season under the brand name National Rugby League Regarded as the spiritual home of rugby league in Australia Birchgrove Oval hosted the official launch of the NRL s 2008 Centenary rugby league season 2 During the season the NRL staged a number of celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of the sport in Australia The opening match of the 2008 season was held between the remaining two foundation clubs from 1908 the Sydney Roosters and the South Sydney Rabbitohs A Heritage round was introduced to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the first round of competition in the New South Wales Rugby League whereby teams faced opponents that entered the competition in similar time frames Several events took place to celebrate the 100th anniversary of landmark moments in rugby league in Australia These events began in August 2007 with a re enactment of the meeting which led to the formation of the New South Wales Rugby League essentially the beginning of rugby league in Australia In January and February 2008 several of the foundation clubs the Newtown Jets South Sydney Rabbitohs Balmain Tigers Sydney Roosters North Sydney Bears and Western Suburbs Magpies hosted special functions at the places they were officially formed Season summary EditSchedule Edit Further information 2008 NRL season results The 2008 season was one week longer than the 2007 competition allowing an extra bye on top of the existing one allocated to each club In addition the scheduling of the earlier representative fixtures was changed including the removal of Monday Night Football on weekends prior to the City vs Country match and the ANZAC Test The City vs Country fixture was pushed back to Friday night where it had been prior to 2007 Many of these initiatives were announced midway through the 2007 season by the chief executive officer of the National Rugby League David Gallop in an attempt to help reduce player fatigue after several complaints of player injuries caused by the short turnaround between some matches 2008 also saw a change in how the draw is devised with teams nominating their preferred home opponents in order of preference The NRL consulted these requests when structuring the season s fixtures This change is intended to maximise attendances by allowing local derbies and other high interest matches to be played twice a year It is a departure from previous methods which focused on trying to produce an equally difficult playing schedule for each club 3 The draw was released on 19 October 2007 On the back of increasing public pressure the National Rugby League decided to move the Grand Final back from the later timeslot of 7 00pm to 5 00pm The Grand Final had traditionally been held on a Sunday afternoon up until 2000 after which it was relocated to the evening in order to accommodate the Channel 9 s programming desires Whilst the late night scheduling was not considered as much an issue for New South Wales audiences because of the Labour Day public holiday the following day it was argued by many Queenslanders that such a time was unsuitable for families on the eve of a weekday Many individuals in the general public and the media pushed for a full return to a 3 00pm kickoff time where it had been for many decades whilst Channel 9 continued to insist on 7 00pm As a compromise the National Rugby League decided on a twilight match starting at 5 00pm It was the first time since the 2000 season that the Grand Final was played in daylight largely due to a change in commencement of Daylight Saving Time in New South Wales ACT and Victoria in 2008 4 Teams Edit The number of teams in the NRL remained unchanged since the previous season with sixteen participating in the regular season ten from New South Wales three from Queensland and one from each of Victoria the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand Of the ten from New South Wales eight St George Illawarra are both from Sydney and Wollongong are from Sydney s metropolitan area with St George Illawarra being a Sydney and Wollongong joint venture Just two foundation clubs from New South Wales Rugby League season 1908 played in this competition the Sydney Roosters formerly known as Eastern Suburbs and the South Sydney Rabbitohs The Melbourne Storm were the defending premiers For the first time since the 1988 introduction of teams outside of New South Wales an under 20 competition ran incorporating sides fielded by each of the sixteen premiership clubs The National Youth Competition known as the Toyota Cup for sponsorship purposes was solely for under 20 players Brisbane Broncos 21st seasonGround Suncorp StadiumCoach Wayne BennettCaptain Darren Lockyer Bulldogs 74th seasonGround ANZ StadiumCoach Steve FolkesCaptain Andrew Ryan Canberra Raiders 27th seasonGround Canberra StadiumCoach Neil HenryCaptain Alan Tongue Cronulla Sharks 42nd seasonGround Toyota StadiumCoach Ricky StuartCaptain Paul GallenGold Coast Titans 2nd seasonGround Skilled ParkCoach John CartwrightCaptain Scott Prince amp Luke Bailey Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 59th seasonGround Brookvale OvalCoach Des HaslerCaptain Matt Orford Melbourne Storm 11th seasonGround Olympic Park StadiumCoach Craig BellamyCaptain Cameron Smith Newcastle Knights 21st seasonGround EnergyAustralia StadiumCoach Brian SmithCaptain Danny BuderusNew Zealand Warriors 14th seasonGround Mt Smart StadiumCoach Ivan ClearyCaptain Steve Price North Queensland Cowboys 14th seasonGround Dairy Farmers StadiumCoach Graham Murray Ian MillwardCaptain Johnathan Thurston Parramatta Eels 62nd seasonGround Parramatta StadiumCoach Michael HaganCaptain Nathan Cayless Penrith Panthers 42nd seasonGround CUA StadiumCoach Matthew ElliottCaptain Petero CivonicevaSouth Sydney Rabbitohs 99th seasonGround ANZ StadiumCoach Jason TaylorCaptain David Kidwell amp Roy Asotasi St George Illawarra Dragons 10th seasonGround OKI Jubilee Stadium amp WIN StadiumCoach Nathan BrownCaptain Mark Gasnier Sydney Roosters 101st seasonGround Sydney Football StadiumCoach Brad FittlerCaptain Craig Fitzgibbon Braith Anasta Wests Tigers 9th seasonGround Campbelltown Stadium amp Leichhardt OvalCoach Tim SheensCaptain Brett HodgsonRecords set in 2008 Edit This section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed October 2008 Learn how and when to remove this template message Gold Coast Titans winger Jordan Atkins matched the standing record for most tries in a first grade debut set by Canterbury Bankstown s Tony Nash in season 1942 when he scored four tries in round 1 of 2008 The Brisbane Broncos set a new club home attendance record for a regular season game at Suncorp Stadium when 50 612 spectators attended their Round 3 match against the North Queensland Cowboys However this did not beat their all time club record of 58 583 set at their former home ANZ Stadium Brisbane 1993 2003 in Round 22 of the 1993 season against the St George Dragons 5 The Bulldogs set a club home crowd record when 36 526 spectators attended their Round 4 clash against the Sydney Roosters The match marked Roosters forward Willie Mason s first match against his old club and also set a record for the highest attended club match in Sydney during a premiership season excluding finals Ruben Wiki became only the 10th player in history to play 300 first grade games and is the first New Zealander to pass this milestone The South Sydney Rabbitohs equalled the 2nd biggest comeback in NRL history in Round 16 against the North Queensland Cowboys After trailing 28 4 after fifty minutes the Rabbitohs won the match 29 28 The North Queensland Cowboys recorded their longest losing streak of 13 matches round 7 21 Melbourne Storm became the first club to win three minor premierships in a row and also three minor premierships overall since the founding of the NRL but these titles have since been stripped by the NRL as a result of gross salary cap infringements The New Zealand Warriors became the first eighth placed club to win in the first week of the finals since the McIntyre Final 8 System was introduced in season 1999 They progressed to the preliminary final the furthest stage that any 8th placed team has progressed This record stood for 12 months when the 8th placed team from the following season the Parramatta Eels went one better and made the Grand Final The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles Grand Final defeat of defending premiers Melbourne Storm 40 0 is the greatest winning margin in a Grand Final eclipsing the record set in 1975 which was Eastern Suburbs 38 0 win over St George Dragons The last team to be kept scoreless in a Grand Final was Cronulla in 1978 in the Grand Final replay against Manly 16 0 The season s leading try scorer Manly Warringah s Brett Stewart equalled former Canberra Raiders flyer Brett Mullins 1994 record for most tries scored in a season by a Fullback with 22 19 in the regular season 3 in the finals Marketing EditSponsorship Edit For the eighth straight season the National Rugby League s maintained its naming rights sponsor Telstra with the competition again known as the Telstra Premiership In addition to the Telstra Premiership logo appearing over the right upper chest on each team s playing jersey the Centenary of Rugby league in Australia logo was displayed just above to commemorate the competition s centenary Following their successful sponsorship of Friday Night Football in 2007 the Foster s Group decided to change the specific brand sponsorship from their Carlton Draught product to now represent Victoria Bitter Harvey Norman continued its sponsorship of the State of Origin series while AAMI also continued its association with the annual City vs Country Origin clash Additionally Bundaberg Rum maintained naming rights to both the ANZAC Test and Monday Night Football Throughout the season various charities and other non profit organisations received exposure on Sunday Football through Rugby League s One Community Program Advertising Edit In celebration of the code s 100th anniversary the NRL and its ad agency MJW created for 2008 a Centenary Tribute ad which used historical footage of games and stars of yesteryear blending in with action sequences of the modern day Original epic orchestral music was used as the soundtrack The ad opened with still imagery from 1908 to the modern day juxtaposed and rolling as though an ensemble of players are entering the Sydney Cricket Ground from the dressing rooms in the Members Stand The morphed film segments included a 1930s Australia v England Test with modern Australian players in the backline Wayne Pearce in the 1980s on the sideline at the Sydney Cricket Ground next to a mud covered 1960s player and a sequence where Darren Lockyer circa 2000 takes a pass from Clive Churchill circa 1950 Clever touches include Dragons Mark Gasnier backing up his uncle Reg Gasnier some 40 years apart Sharks stars of different generations Steve Rogers and Andrew Ettingshausen running together and Souths Craig Wing in 2008 putting Ron Coote through a gap in 1968 The final shot shows the 2008 version of Norm Provan and Arthur Summons covered head to toe in mud amp recreating the Gladiators image from the 1963 Grand Final acknowledged by the 2007 Grand Finalists Cameron Smith and Greg Inglis in front of iconic images of Grand Finals gone by including John Sattler being chaired from the field in 1971 while Brad Fittler celebrates his 2002 win and Bradley Clyde his 1994 premiership 6 Ladder Edit2008 NRL seasonvtePos Team Pld W D L B PF PA PD Pts1 Melbourne Storm 24 17 0 7 2 584 282 302 382 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles P 24 17 0 7 2 645 355 290 383 Cronulla Sutherland Sharks 24 17 0 7 2 451 384 67 384 Sydney Roosters 24 15 0 9 2 511 446 65 345 Brisbane Broncos 24 14 1 9 2 560 452 108 336 Canberra Raiders 24 13 0 11 2 640 527 113 307 St George Illawarra Dragons 24 13 0 11 2 489 378 111 308 New Zealand Warriors 24 13 0 11 2 502 567 65 309 Newcastle Knights 24 12 0 12 2 516 486 30 2810 Wests Tigers 24 11 0 13 2 528 560 32 2611 Parramatta Eels 24 11 0 13 2 501 547 46 2612 Penrith Panthers 24 10 1 13 2 504 611 107 2513 Gold Coast Titans 24 10 0 14 2 476 586 110 2414 South Sydney Rabbitohs 24 8 0 16 2 453 666 213 2015 North Queensland Cowboys 24 5 0 19 2 474 638 164 1416 Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs 24 5 0 19 2 433 782 349 14For the first time since the 1999 season the team finishing in 8th spot won more games than it had lost It should be also noted that on that occasion 17 teams were in the competition Ladder progression Edit Numbers highlighted in green indicate that the team finished the round inside the top 8 Numbers highlighted in blue indicates the team finished first on the ladder in that round Numbers highlighted in red indicates the team finished in last place on the ladder in that round Underlined numbers indicate that the team had a bye during that round Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 261 Melbourne 2 2 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 14 16 18 18 20 22 22 24 26 28 28 30 32 34 36 36 382 Manly Warringah 0 0 2 4 4 6 8 10 12 14 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 30 32 32 32 34 36 383 Cronulla Sutherland 2 4 4 6 8 8 8 10 12 14 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 26 28 28 30 32 32 34 36 384 Sydney 2 2 4 6 8 8 8 10 12 14 16 18 18 20 22 24 26 26 26 28 30 30 30 30 32 345 Brisbane 2 4 6 6 8 8 10 12 12 12 14 16 16 16 18 19 21 21 23 25 27 27 27 29 31 336 Canberra 0 2 4 4 6 6 8 8 8 10 12 12 12 14 16 16 16 18 20 22 22 24 26 28 28 307 St George Illawarra 0 2 2 2 2 2 4 6 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 22 22 24 24 24 26 28 30 308 New Zealand 0 2 2 4 6 6 6 8 10 10 10 12 12 12 12 14 16 18 20 22 22 24 26 26 28 309 Newcastle 2 4 4 4 4 6 8 10 10 10 12 12 14 16 16 16 16 18 18 20 22 24 24 26 28 2810 Wests 2 4 4 4 4 6 8 8 10 12 14 14 16 16 16 16 18 18 20 20 22 24 24 24 24 2611 Parramatta 2 2 4 4 4 4 6 8 10 10 12 12 14 16 16 18 18 18 18 20 20 22 24 26 26 2612 Penrith 0 0 2 4 4 6 8 8 10 12 14 16 16 16 16 17 19 19 21 23 23 23 25 25 25 2513 Gold Coast 2 2 4 6 8 10 12 12 14 16 16 16 18 20 20 20 20 22 22 22 22 22 24 24 24 2414 South Sydney 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 4 4 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 16 16 18 18 20 20 20 2015 North Queensland 0 0 0 2 4 6 6 6 6 6 8 8 8 8 8 8 10 10 10 10 10 12 12 12 14 1416 Bulldogs 0 2 4 4 4 6 6 8 8 8 10 10 10 12 12 12 12 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14Finals series EditFurther information 2008 NRL season results Finals The National Rugby League employs the McIntyre Final Eight System and for the second year running preliminary finals were allowed to be played outside of Sydney The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles recorded the biggest winning Grand Final margin in Australia s rugby league history after defeating the Melbourne Storm 40 0 eclipsing the 38 0 score line set by Eastern Suburbs over St George Dragons in 1975 The New Zealand Warriors became the first 8th placed team to beat the 1st placed Minor Premiers since the McIntyre Final Eight System came into the competition in 1999 by beating the Melbourne Storm 18 15 scoring a match winning try with only three minutes remaining The Brisbane Broncos won their first Qualifying Finals match since 2002 Home Score Away Match InformationDate and Time Venue Referee CrowdQUALIFYING FINALS Sydney Roosters 16 24 Brisbane Broncos 12 September 2008 8 00pm Sydney Football Stadium Tony Archer 18 343 Cronulla Sharks 36 10 Canberra Raiders 13 September 2008 6 30pm Toyota Stadium Jared Maxwell 18 252 Manly Sea Eagles 38 6 St George Illawarra Dragons 13 September 2008 8 30pm Brookvale Oval Shayne Hayne 19 227 Melbourne Storm 15 18 New Zealand Warriors 14 September 2008 4 00pm Olympic Park Jason Robinson 15 193SEMI FINALS New Zealand Warriors 30 13 Sydney Roosters 19 September 2008 8 30pm Mt Smart Stadium Tony Archer 25 595 Brisbane Broncos 14 16 Melbourne Storm 20 September 2008 7 45pm Suncorp Stadium Shayne Hayne 50 466PRELIMINARY FINALS Cronulla Sharks 0 28 Melbourne Storm 26 September 2008 7 45pm Sydney Football Stadium Tony Archer 27 570 Manly Sea Eagles 32 6 New Zealand Warriors 27 September 2008 7 45pm Sydney Football Stadium Shayne Hayne 32 095Finals Chart Edit Qualifying finalsSemifinalsPreliminary finalsFinal1 Melbourne158 New Zealand181W Manly324W New Zealand30 New Zealand62 Manly382L Sydney13 Manly407 St George Illawarra6 Melbourne03 Cronulla362W Cronulla06 Canberra103W Brisbane14 Melbourne281L Melbourne164 Sydney165 Brisbane24Grand Final EditMain article 2008 NRL Grand Final Sunday 5 October5 00pm AEDT Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 40 0 Melbourne StormTries Michael Robertson 34 47 51 3Matt Ballin 24 1Brent Kite 58 1David Williams 67 1Steve Menzies 72 1Steven Bell 76 1Goals Steve Matai 2 4 48 59 Jamie Lyon 2 2 74 78 Matt Orford 0 2 1st 8 02nd 32 0ReportANZ StadiumAttendance 80 388 7 Clive Churchill Medal Brent KiteReferee Tony ArcherPlayer records EditIn 2008 New Zealand s Ruben Wiki was the oldest player in the NRL at 35 years and 250 days 8 Sam Perrett ran 3 720 metres with the ball in 2008 more than any other player in the competition 9 Top 5 point scorers Edit Pts Player T Gls FG196 Luke Covell 14 70 0169 Luke Burt 11 62 1160 Cameron Smith 4 72 0153 Matt Orford 2 72 1150 Kurt Gidley 9 57 0Top 5 try scorers Edit Try Player19 Brett Stewart17 Denan Kemp16 Greg Inglis16 Manu Vatuvei15 Shaun Kenny Dowall15 Adrian Purtell2008 Transfers EditPlayers Edit Player 2007 Club 2008 ClubShaun Berrigan Brisbane Broncos Super League Hull F C Dane Carlaw Brisbane Broncos Super League Catalans DragonsPetero Civoniceva Brisbane Broncos Penrith PanthersCraig Frawley Brisbane Broncos RetirementAndrew Lomu Brisbane Broncos RetirementBrent Tate Brisbane Broncos New Zealand WarriorsBrad Thorn Brisbane Broncos Crusaders Super 14 Matt Bickerstaff Canberra Raiders RetirementMichael Dobson Canberra Raiders Super League Hull Kingston RoversAndrew Dunemann Canberra Raiders RetirementDavid Howell Canberra Raiders Super League Harlequins RLWillie Mason Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs Sydney RoostersMark O Meley Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs Sydney RoostersAdam Perry Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs RetirementCameron Phelps Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs Super League Wigan WarriorsBrent Sherwin Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs Super League Castleford TigersAdam Dykes Cronulla Sutherland Sharks Super League Hull F C Josh Hannay Cronulla Sutherland Sharks Celtic Crusaders National League One Phillip Leuluai Cronulla Sutherland Sharks Salford City Reds National League One Henry Perenara Cronulla Sutherland Sharks RetirementCraig Stapleton Cronulla Sutherland Sharks Salford City Reds National League One Matt Hilder Gold Coast Titans Newcastle KnightsRichard Mathers Gold Coast Titans Super League Wigan WarriorsJake Webster Gold Coast Titans Super League Hull Kingston RoversTravis Burns Manly Warringah Sea Eagles North Queensland CowboysShayne Dunley Manly Warringah Sea Eagles RetirementChris Hicks Manly Warringah Sea Eagles Super League Warrington WolvesMichael Monaghan Manly Warringah Sea Eagles Super League Warrington WolvesBen Cross Melbourne Storm Newcastle KnightsGarret Crossman Melbourne Storm Super League Hull Kingston RoversMatt King Melbourne Storm Super League Warrington WolvesClint Newton Melbourne Storm Super League Hull Kingston RoversMatt Rua Melbourne Storm RetirementDaniel Abraham Newcastle Knights North Queensland CowboysRiley Brown Newcastle Knights Sydney RoostersGeorge Carmont Newcastle Knights Super League Wigan WarriorsLuke Davico Newcastle Knights RetirementAndrew Johns Newcastle Knights RetirementJosh Perry Newcastle Knights Manly Warringah Sea EaglesKirk Reynoldson Newcastle Knights St George Illawarra DragonsMitchell Sargent Newcastle Knights Super League Castleford TigersBrad Tighe Newcastle Knights Penrith PanthersAdam Woolnough Newcastle Knights Penrith PanthersLouis Anderson New Zealand Warriors Super League Warrington WolvesTodd Byrne New Zealand Warriors Super League Hull F C George Gatis New Zealand Warriors Super League Huddersfield GiantsTony Martin New Zealand Warriors Super League Wakefield Trinity WildcatsBrenton Bowen North Queensland Cowboys Gold Coast TitansPaul Bowman North Queensland Cowboys RetirementDavid Faiumu North Queensland Cowboys Super League Huddersfield GiantsRod Jensen North Queensland Cowboys Super League Huddersfield GiantsShane Muspratt North Queensland Cowboys Mackay Cutters Queensland Cup Jason Smith North Queensland Cowboys RetirementNeil Sweeney North Queensland Cowboys RetirementAaron Cannings Parramatta Eels Gold Coast TitansRichie Faʻaoso Parramatta Eels Newcastle KnightsIan Hindmarsh Parramatta Eels RetirementPJ Marsh Parramatta Eels Brisbane BroncosTim Smith Parramatta Eels Super League Wigan WarriorsTimana Tahu Parramatta Eels New South Wales Waratahs Super 14 Joel Clinton Penrith Panthers Brisbane BroncosMatthew Cross Penrith Panthers Gold Coast TitansCraig Gower Penrith Panthers Aviron Bayonnais French rugby union Bryan Norrie Penrith Panthers Cronulla Sutherland SharksPeter Wallace Penrith Panthers Brisbane BroncosNick Youngquest Penrith Panthers Canterbury Bankstown BulldogsPeter Cusack South Sydney Rabbitohs Super League Hull F C Joe Galuvao South Sydney Rabbitohs Parramatta EelsPaul Mellor South Sydney Rabbitohs RetirementDavid Peachey South Sydney Rabbitohs RetirementShane Rigon South Sydney Rabbitohs RetirementStuart Webb South Sydney Rabbitohs St George Illawarra DragonsSam Isemonger St George Illawarra Dragons RetirementWes Naiqama St George Illawarra Dragons Newcastle KnightsCorey Payne St George Illawarra Dragons Wests TigersAdam Peek St George Illawarra Dragons Cronulla Sutherland SharksAshton Sims St George Illawarra Dragons Brisbane BroncosDanny Wicks St George Illawarra Dragons Newcastle KnightsChris Beattie Sydney Roosters Lezignan SangliersAshley Harrison Sydney Roosters Gold Coast TitansHeath L Estrange Sydney Roosters Manly Warringah Sea EaglesJoel Monaghan Sydney Roosters Canberra RaidersDanny Nutley Sydney Roosters Cronulla Sutherland SharksCraig Wing Sydney Roosters South Sydney RabbitohsDaniel Fitzhenry Wests Tigers Super League Hull Kingston RoversBen Galea Wests Tigers Super League Hull Kingston RoversJason Moodie Wests Tigers RetirementPaul Whatuira Wests Tigers Super League Huddersfield GiantsBen Harris Super League Bradford Bulls North Queensland CowboysIan Henderson Super League Bradford Bulls New Zealand WarriorsMathew Head Super League Hull F C Wests TigersBrent Grose Super League Warrington Wolves Sydney RoostersMichael Sullivan Super League Warrington Wolves Canterbury Bankstown BulldogsDavid Vaealiki Super League Wigan Warriors Manly Warringah Sea EaglesSean Rudder Ricoh Black Rams Japanese rugby union Sydney RoostersWendell Sailor N A St George Illawarra DragonsRelated links Edit2008 NRL season results 2008 NRL Under 20s season 2008 Dally M Awards2008 representative games Edit City vs Country Origin ANZAC Centenary Test State of Origin 2008 2008 Rugby League World Cup Team season articles Edit Brisbane Broncos 2008 Bulldogs season 2008 Canberra Raiders season 2008 Cronulla Sutherland Sharks 2008 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 2008 Melbourne Storm 2008 North Queensland Cowboys season 2008 Sydney Roosters season 2008 Wests Tigers 2008Notes Edit Stuart Honeysett and Brent Read 23 April 2010 Shocking end to the Melbourne Storm era The Australian Walshaw Nick 7 March 2008 Birchgrove Oval alive again The Daily Telegraph Australia News Limited Retrieved 9 January 2011 Clubs can choose home opponents Fox Sports Retrieved 23 March 2008 NRL Moves Grand Final kick off time Archived 19 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine 1993 NSWRL Brisbane vs St George https www youtube com watch v BuhCPjvn83Y lt 2008 Centenary tribute ad D Souza Miguel Grand Final History wwos ninemsn com au Australian Associated Press Archived from the original on 19 August 2014 Retrieved 8 September 2013 Toohey Barry 2 February 2011 Still some bite in old Mad Dog The Daily Telegraph Australia News Limited Retrieved 2 February 2011 Proszenko Adrian 6 May 2012 Gallen set to smash record The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 7 May 2012 References Edit Club Season Crowds NRLStats Archived from the original on 29 August 2008 Retrieved 23 March 2008 National Rugby League Centenary The revolution of rugby National Rugby League 8 August 2007 Retrieved on 13 August 2007 National Rugby League Centenary grass roots celebrations National Rugby League 8 August 2007 Retrieved on 13 August 2007 Australian Associated Press Quayle back for momentous day in league National Rugby League 8 August 2007 Retrieved on 13 August 2007 Australian Associated Press Rugby League exhibit at National Museum National Rugby League 8 August 2007 Retrieved on 13 August 2007 Australian Associated Press Kangaroos to meet NZ in centenary test National Rugby League 8 August 2007 Retrieved on 13 August 2007 National Rugby League League Still Making History 100 Years On National Rugby League 8 August 2007 Retrieved on 13 August 2007 External links EditRugby League Centenary Exhibit at nma gov au Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 2008 NRL season amp oldid 1127482281, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
