- 2008 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks season
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2008 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks League 3rd NRL 2008 record W18 L8 D0 Away record 38 Points for 487 (82 tries, 78 goals, 3 field goals) Points against 422 (74 tries, 62 goals, 2 field goals) Team information Coach Ricky Stuart Captain Paul Gallen
Greg BirdGround Toyota Stadium Average attendance 12,965 Top scorers Tries Luke Covell (15) Goals Luke Covell (73) Points Luke Covell (206) < 2007 2009 > In NRL season 2008, the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks were real premiership contenders, finishing the regular season in 3rd place, only to be knocked out in the finals by eventual runners-up Melbourne.
Contents
Season summary
The Sharks began the season on a positive note, with a victory over 2007 runners-up Manly Sea Eagles in Round 1 followed by a shock 17-16 victory over 2007 grand final winners Melbourne in Round 2. The match against the Storm was marred by a on-field brawl after an illegal tackle by Cronulla's Ben Ross on Melbourne's Cooper Cronk, resulting in both Ross and Melbourne's Brett White being sent off and later being referred to the NRL judiciary.[1]
The Sharks' season of promise was however marred by the late season suspension of star player Greg Bird, following its round 24, 20-0 win over top four contenders the Sydney Roosters at home. Bird was accused of glassing his then-girlfriend Katie Milligan and was stood down by the club just a fortnight out from the finals. Furthermore, five-eighth Brett Seymour suffered a knee injury during the finals; robbing the Sharks of any valuable halves experience at the wrong end of the season. Bird was later sacked by the Sharks; since then he has been exonerated over the glassing incident and he now plays for the Gold Coast Titans.
The Sharks ended the season joint minor premiers with Manly and Melbourne (third on points differential) and many believed this was the year Cronulla would finally win its maiden premiership. The Sharks won its first final in style, thrashing the Canberra Raiders 36-10 at home with Misi Taulapapa, a Warriors outcast scoring a hat-trick. Due to the Melbourne Storm losing its first final, the Sharks earned the week off along with Manly. It was during this time that Seymour suffered his knee injury, ending his 2008 season. The Sharks' season ended with a disappointing 28-0 defeat at the hands of the Melbourne Storm whose captain Cameron Smith was suspended a week earlier for a grapple tackle on Brisbane's Sam Thaiday.
Ladder
Team Pld W D L B PF PA PD Pts 1 Melbourne
24 17 0 7 2 584 282 +302 38 2 Manly-Warringah
24 17 0 7 2 645 355 +290 38 3 Cronulla
24 17 0 7 2 451 384 +67 38 4 Sydney Roosters
24 15 0 9 2 511 446 +65 34 5 Brisbane
24 14 1 9 2 560 452 +108 33 6 Canberra
24 13 0 11 2 640 527 +113 30 7 St. George Illawarra
24 13 0 11 2 489 378 +111 30 8 New Zealand
24 13 0 11 2 502 567 -65 30 9 Newcastle
24 12 0 12 2 516 486 +30 28 10 Wests Tigers
24 11 0 13 2 528 560 -32 26 11 Parramatta
24 11 0 13 2 501 547 -46 26 12 Penrith
24 10 1 13 2 504 611 -107 25 13 Gold Coast
24 10 0 14 2 476 586 -110 24 14 South Sydney
24 8 0 16 2 453 666 -213 20 15 North Queensland
24 5 0 19 2 474 638 -164 14 16 Bulldogs
24 5 0 19 2 433 782 -349 14 Results
Round 1 15 March 2008 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 10 – 16 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Brookvale Oval 19:30 Tries:
Anthony Watmough
Michael Bani
Goals:
Matt Orford 1/2Tries:
Bryson Goodwin
Brett Kearney
Goals:
Luke Covell 4/5Attendance: 15,424
Referee: Jarred Maxwell
Round 2 23 March 2008 Melbourne Storm 16 – 17 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Olympic Park 15:00 Tries:
Russell Aitken
Brett White
Israel Folau
Goals:
Cameron Smith 2/3Tries:
David Simmons
Brett Kearney
Paul Gallen
Goals:
Luke Covell 2/5
Field Goals:
Brett Kimmorley (1)Attendance: 10,720
Referee: Tony Archer
Round 3 29 March 2008 Gold Coast Titans 18 – 4 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Skilled Park 20:30 Attendance: 19,050
Referee: Jason Robinson
Round 4 5 April 2008 St. George Illawarra Dragons 16 – 18 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks OKI Jubilee Stadium 17:30 Tries:
Josh Morris
Lagi Setu
Ben Hornby
Goals:
Mark Gasnier 0/2
Jamie Soward 2/2Tries:
Greg Bird
Brett Kearney
Bryson Goodwin
Goals:
Luke Covell 3/4Attendance: 15,318
Referee: Sean Hampstead
Round 5 14 April 2008 South Sydney Rabbitohs 10 – 12 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks ANZ Stadium 19:00 Tries:
John Sutton
Beau Champion
Goals:
Nathan Merritt 1/2Tries:
Greg Bird
Luke Covell
Goals:
Luke Covell 2/3Attendance: 12,988
Referee: Jason Robinson
Round 6 19 April 2008 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 20 – 21 Penrith Panthers Toyota Stadium 19:30 Tries:
Greg Bird (2)
Lance Thompson
Fraser Anderson
Goals:
Luke Covell 2/4Tries:
Nathan Smith
Michael Jennings
Michael Gordon
Luke Rooney
Goals:
Jarrod Sammut 2/4
Field Goals:
Jarrod Sammut (1)Attendance: 13,852
Referee: Sean Hampstead
Round 7 27 April 2008 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 16 – 20 Wests Tigers Toyota Stadium 15:00 Tries:
Brett Kearney
Brett Seymour
Goals:
Luke Covell 4/5Tries:
Chris Lawrence (2)
Chris Heighington
Brett Hodgson
Goals:
Brett Hodgson 2/4Attendance: 17,241
Referee: Shayne Hayne
Round 9 10 May 2008 North Queensland Cowboys 18 – 24 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Dairy Farmers Stadium 19:30 Tries:
Mark Henry
Carl Webb
Luke O'Donnell
Goals:
Johnathan Thurston 3/3Tries:
Brett Kearney
Fraser Anderson
Luke Douglas
Paul Gallen
Goals:
Luke Covell 4/5Attendance: 17,065
Referee: Tony Archer
Round 10 17 May 2008 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 13 – 6 Brisbane Broncos Toyota Stadium 17:30 Tries:
Misi Taulapapa
Brett Kearney
Goals:
Luke Covell 2/3
Field Goals:
Brett Kimmorley (1)Tries:
Tonie Carroll
Goals:
Michael Ennis 1/1Attendance: 13,431
Referee: Jarred Maxwell
Round 11 26 May 2008 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 30 – 22 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks ANZ Stadium 19:00 Attendance: 9,289
Referee: Tony Archer
Round 12 1 June 2008 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 32 – 14 Gold Coast Titans Toyota Stadium 15:00 Attendance: 8,214
Referee: Ben Cummins
Round 13 8 June 2008 Penrith Panthers 22 – 24 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Penrith Stadium 14:00 Attendance: 10,543
Referee: Jarred Maxwell
Round 14 14 June 2008 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 24 – 8 New Zealand Warriors Toyota Stadium 19:30 Attendance: 9,023
Referee: Ben Cummins
Round 15 22 June 2008 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 16 – 14 Parramatta Eels Toyota Stadium 15:00 Attendance: 17,547
Referee: Shayne Hayne
Round 16 30 June 2008 Canberra Raiders 24 – 36 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Canberra Stadium 19:00 Attendance: 9,136
Referee: Sean Hampstead
Round 18 12 July 2008 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 6 – 34 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles Toyota Stadium 19:30 Attendance: 18,217
Referee: Jason Robinson
Round 19 19 July 2008 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 16 – 13 Newcastle Knights Toyota Stadium 19:30 Attendance: 10,112
Referee: Tony Archer
Round 20 25 July 2008 Brisbane Broncos 18 – 12 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Suncorp Stadium 19:30 Attendance: 27,905
Referee: Shayne Hayne
Round 21 2 August 2008 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 13 – 12 St. George Illawarra Dragons Toyota Stadium 17:30 Attendance: 18,256
Referee: Jarred Maxwell
Round 22 9 August 2008 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 28 – 14 South Sydney Rabbitohs Toyota Stadium 19:30 Attendance: 12,618
Referee: Ben Cummins
Round 23 16 August 2008 New Zealand Warriors 18 – 4 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Mount Smart Stadium 19:30 Attendance: 10,417
Referee: Tony Archer
Round 24 22 August 2008 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 20 – 0 Sydney Roosters Toyota Stadium 19:30 Attendance: 10,013
Referee: Jason Robinson
Round 25 29 August 2008 Wests Tigers 6 – 32 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Leichhardt Oval 19:30 Attendance: 10,766
Referee: Sean Hampstead
Round 26 6 September 2008 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 28 – 22 North Queensland Cowboys Toyota Stadium 19:30 Attendance: 7,057
Referee: Ben Cummins
Qualifying Final 13 September 2008 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 36 – 10 Canberra Raiders Toyota Stadium 18:30 Tries:
Misi Taulapapa (3)
Brett Seymour
Luke Covell
Ben Pomeroy
Brett Kearney
Goals:
Luke Covell 3/7
Brett Kimmorley 1/1Tries:
Marshall Chalk
Colin Best
Goals:
Terry Campese 1/2Attendance: 18,252
Referee: Jarred Maxwell
Preliminary Final 26 September 2008 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 0 – 28 Melbourne Storm Sydney Football Stadium 19:45 Tries:
Steve Turner (2)
Israel Folau
Adam Blair
Matt Geyer
Goals:
Steve Turner 4/5Attendance: 27,570
Referee: Tony ArcherReferences
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- 2008 NRL season by club
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