- 2008 NRL season results
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The 2008 National Rugby League season consisted of 26 weekly regular season rounds, starting on 14 March, followed by four weeks of play-offs, culminating in a grand final on 5 October.
Regular season
Times for Rounds 1 - 3 are Australian Eastern Daylight Savings Time. Times for Round 4 and the remainder of the season are Australian Eastern Standard Time.
Round 1
- This round marks the first premiership round of the centenary season of rugby league in Australia.
- Skilled Park on the Gold Coast becomes the 70th first grade venue used and is filled to capacity for its first NRL match with the Gold Coast Titans against the North Queensland Cowboys.
- The Titans' Jordan Atkins equalled the competition record of four tries on debut, emulating Johnno Stuntz (1908), Viv Farnsworth (1910), and Tony Nash (1942).
- The Bulldogs suffered their worst collapse when they led Parramatta 20-0 at halftime to lose 28-20 at ANZ Stadium while that comeback was Parramatta's second largest.
- Brisbane's Corey Parker surpassed Darren Lockyer's and Michael De Vere's club record of most goals kicked in a match, scoring 10 goals out of 10.
Home Score Away Match Information Date and Time Venue Referee Crowd South Sydney Rabbitohs
20-34 Sydney Roosters
14 March 2008, 7:30 pm ANZ Stadium Tony Archer 29,386 Gold Coast Titans
36-18 North Queensland Cowboys
14 March 2008, 8:30 pm Skilled Park Shayne Hayne 26,974 Parramatta Eels
28-20 Bulldogs
15 March 2008, 5:30 pm ANZ Stadium Jason Robinson 25,065 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
10-16 Cronulla Sharks
15 March 2008, 7:30 pm Brookvale Oval Jared Maxwell 15,424 Newcastle Knights
30-14 Canberra Raiders
15 March 2008, 7:30 pm EnergyAustralia Stadium Tony De Las Heras 17,233 Brisbane Broncos
48-12 Penrith Panthers
16 March 2008, 2:00 pm Suncorp Stadium Gavin Badger 31,250 Wests Tigers
24-16 St George Illawarra Dragons
16 March 2008, 3:00 pm Sydney Football Stadium Sean Hampstead 18,211 Melbourne Storm
32-18 New Zealand Warriors
17 March 2008, 7:00 pm Telstra Dome Ben Cummins 20,084 Round 2
- Newcastle Knights and Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles played out the first golden point game of the season.
- The Melbourne Storm lost their 100th ever game and their first game at Olympic Park since round 24, 2006.
- Both of National Rugby League season 2007's grand finalists, Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles and the Melbourne Storm, were beaten this round both by one point by Newcastle and Cronulla.
Home Score Away Match Information Date and Time Venue Referee Crowd Sydney Roosters
14-20 Brisbane Broncos
21 March 2008, 7:30 pm Sydney Football Stadium Jared Maxwell 18,724 South Sydney Rabbitohs
12-25 Bulldogs
21 March 2008, 7:30 pm ANZ Stadium Sean Hampstead 21,839 Penrith Panthers
16-20 Canberra Raiders
22 March 2008, 5:30 pm CUA Stadium Jason Robinson 7,503 Newcastle Knights
13-12 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
22 March 2008, 7:30 pm EnergyAustralia Stadium Ben Cummins 18,117 North Queensland Cowboys
10-30 Wests Tigers
22 March 2008, 9:30 pm Dairy Farmers Stadium Tony De Las Heras 20,655 New Zealand Warriors
30-16 Parramatta Eels
23 March 2008, 2:00 pm Mt Smart Stadium Shayne Hayne 15,250 Melbourne Storm
16-17 Cronulla Sharks
23 March 2008, 3:00 pm Olympic Park Stadium Tony Archer 10,720 St George Illawarra Dragons
30-12 Gold Coast Titans
24 March 2008, 7:00 pm WIN Stadium Gavin Badger 10,521 Round 3
- All matches this round were won by home teams.
- A new Suncorp Stadium attendance record for premiership games is set with 50,612.
- Brisbane Broncos made it three wins from their first three matches of the season for the first time since 2003.
- Newcastle Knights played their second consecutive golden point game but lost to the Parramatta Eels.
- Melbourne Storm suffered their first back-to-back loss since rounds 3 and 4, 2006.
- Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles got their biggest ever win over the New Zealand Warriors.
Home Score Away Match Information Date and Time Venue Referee Crowd Brisbane Broncos
36-2 North Queensland Cowboys
28 March 2008, 8:30 pm Suncorp Stadium Ben Cummins 50,612 Parramatta Eels
24-23 Newcastle Knights
28 March 2008, 7:30 pm Parramatta Stadium Tony Archer 15,176 Sydney Roosters
10-6 Melbourne Storm
29 March 2008, 5:30 pm Sydney Football Stadium Shayne Hayne 12,137 Canberra Raiders
21-14 St George Illawarra Dragons
29 March 2008, 7:30 pm Canberra Stadium Gavin Badger 14,400 Gold Coast Titans
18-4 Cronulla Sharks
29 March 2008, 9:30 pm Skilled Park Jason Robinson 19,050 Penrith Panthers
26-22 South Sydney Rabbitohs
30 March 2008, 2:00 pm CUA Stadium Tony De Las Heras 10,839 Bulldogs
32-12 Wests Tigers
30 March 2008, 3:00 pm ANZ Stadium Jared Maxwell 21,546 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
52-6 New Zealand Warriors
31 March 2008, 7:00 pm Brookvale Oval Sean Hampstead 10,175 Round 4
- A new ANZ Stadium regular season attendance record (excluding double headers) was set when 36,526 came to the match between the Bulldogs and the Sydney Roosters.
- Golden point is invoked for the third time in 2008, the Cronulla v St. George Illawarra match going to extra time.
- The South Sydney Rabbitohs are the remaining team to yet win a game after falling for their fourth consecutive game against the Manly Sea Eagles who managed to keep them tryless by 20 points to 2.
- The Sydney Roosters' and the Bulldogs' match was labelled the "Grudge Match Of The Year" as many of the Roosters high profile players were former Bulldogs and it was their first clash since forward Willie Mason left the Bulldogs for the Roosters. However the match was one-sided as the Roosters scored a 28 point victory. Braith Anasta, a former Bulldog, was named man of the match while Mason scored two tries.
Home Score Away Match Information Date and Time Venue Referee Crowd Bulldogs
12-40 Sydney Roosters
4 April 2008, 7:30 pm ANZ Stadium Tony Archer 36,526 Melbourne Storm
28-8 Brisbane Broncos
4 April 2008, 7:30 pm Olympic Park Stadium Jared Maxwell 13,831 St George Illawarra Dragons
16-18 Cronulla Sharks
5 April 2008, 5:30 pm ANZ Stadium Sean Hampstead 15,318 Gold Coast Titans
32-12 Canberra Raiders
5 April 2008, 7:30 pm Skilled Park Ben Cummins 17,381 North Queensland Cowboys
38-14 Parramatta Eels
5 April 2008, 9:30 pm Dairy Farmers Stadium Bernard Sutton 19,231 New Zealand Warriors
26-20 Newcastle Knights
6 April 2008, 2:00 pm Mt Smart Stadium Tony Le Las Heras 11,518 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
20-2 South Sydney Rabbitohs
6 April 2008, 3:00 pm Brookvale Oval Shayne Hayne 14,426 Wests Tigers
8-30 Penrith Panthers
7 April 2008, 7:00 pm Campbelltown Stadium Jason Robinson 11,898 Round 5
- For the fifth time in their ten year history, St. George Illawarra Dragons started the season with one win and four losses.
- The New Zealand Warriors won their first match against the Bulldogs since the first week of the finals in 2003.
- Canberra Raiders won the inaugural 1989 League Legends Cup against the Wests Tigers.
- The Brisbane Broncos won their fourth straight match over the Newcastle Knights.
Home Score Away Match Information Date and Time Venue Referee Crowd Melbourne Storm
26-4 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
11 April 2008, 7:30 pm Olympic Park Stadium Tony Archer 13,632 Parramatta Eels
20-28 Gold Coast Titans
11 April 2008, 7:30 pm Parramatta Stadium Jared Maxwell 13,321 St George Illawarra Dragons
16-20 North Queensland Cowboys
12 April 2008, 5:30 pm WIN Stadium Tony De Las Heras 11,639 Penrith Panthers
12-28 Sydney Roosters
12 April 2008, 7:30 pm CUA Stadium Bernard Sutton 16,294 New Zealand Warriors
36-16 Bulldogs
13 April 2008, 12:00 pm Mt Smart Stadium Ben Cummins 15,912 Canberra Raiders
30-24 Wests Tigers
13 April 2008, 2:00 pm Canberra Stadium Sean Hampstead 12,240 Newcastle Knights
22-34 Brisbane Broncos
13 April 2008, 3:00 pm EnergyAustralia Stadium Shayne Hayne 21,614 South Sydney Rabbitohs
10-12 Cronulla Sharks
14 April 2008, 7:00 pm ANZ Stadium Jason Robinson 12,998 Round 6: Heritage round
This premiership round was set down to celebrate the anniversary of the first round of the 1908 premiership. Teams wore jerseys reflecting their club or region's first season in the competition.
- Corey Parker played his 150th career game for the Brisbane Broncos.
- Cronulla play their first home game of the season after five rounds on the road when waiting for their home venue (Toyota Stadium) to be upgraded. It results in a golden point loss to Penrith.
- The Newcastle Knights put their season back into the positive after defeating the Sydney Roosters, bouncing back from a 20-12 half time deficit by scoring four tries within the remaining ten minutes.
- Melbourne win their twelfth straight match against Canberra after coming from 16-4 down at halftime.
- This round saw a change in the lead on the competition ladder, with the Gold coast Titans edging ahead of the Brisbane Broncos.
Home Score Away Match Information Date and Time Venue Referee Crowd Gold Coast Titans
26-24 Brisbane Broncos
18 April 2008, 7:30 pm Skilled Park Tony Archer 27,176 Parramatta Eels
16-20 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
18 April 2008, 7:30 pm Parramatta Stadium Shayne Hayne 14,025 Bulldogs
30-18 St George Illawarra Dragons
19 April 2008, 5:30 pm ANZ Stadium Bernard Sutton 14,767 North Queensland Cowboys
48-20 New Zealand Warriors
19 April 2008, 7:30 pm Dairy Farmers Stadium Jason Robinson 20,554 Cronulla Sharks
20-21 Penrith Panthers
19 April 2008, 7:30 pm Toyota Stadium Sean Hampstead 13,852 Sydney Roosters
20-34 Newcastle Knights
20 April 2008, 2:00 pm Bluetongue Stadium Steve Lyons 14,176 Wests Tigers
30-10 South Sydney Rabbitohs
20 April 2008, 3:00 pm Sydney Cricket Ground Ben Cummins 19,122 Canberra Raiders
16-23 Melbourne Storm
21 April 2008, 7:00 pm Canberra Stadium Jared Maxwell 15,550 Round 7
- South Sydney Rabbitohs lose their ninth consecutive match (from round 24, 2007), this time to the Brisbane Broncos. It was also Tonie Carroll's 200th game for the Broncos.
- The Dragons bounce back from their four game slump causing the Sydney Roosters' first back-to-back losses for this season.
- Gold Coast recorded their fifth successive win, becoming the first of any Gold Coast team in the top grade ever to do so.
- Wests Tigers extend their winning streak against Cronulla to nine.
Home Score Away Match Information Date and Time Venue Referee Crowd St George Illawarra Dragons
26-6 Sydney Roosters
25 April 2008, 3:15 pm ANZ Stadium Sean Hampstead 21,596 Brisbane Broncos
32-18 South Sydney Rabbitohs
25 April 2008, 7:45 pm Suncorp Stadium Jason Robinson 34,112 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
30-22 Bulldogs
26 April 2008, 5:30 pm Brookvale Oval Tony Archer 15,229 North Queensland Cowboys
10-12 Melbourne Storm
26 April 2008, 7:30 pm Dairy Farmers Stadium Gavin Badger 24,053 Gold Coast Titans
36-24 New Zealand Warriors
27 April 2008, 2:00 pm Skilled Park Steve Lyons 25,310 Cronulla Sharks
16-20 Wests Tigers
27 April 2008, 3:00 pm Toyota Stadium Shayne Hayne 17,241 Parramatta Eels
BYE Newcastle Knights
Penrith Panthers
BYE Canberra Raiders
Round 8
- The Newcastle Knights get their first win over the Gold Coast Titans with a thrilling 13-12 match.
- Referee Ben Cummins was hit by a foam football thrown by angry Penrith fans after the Parramatta Eels 26-18 win over the Panthers.
- The South Sydney Rabbitohs got their first win of the season.
- This round was followed by the 2008 ANZAC Test.
Home Score Away Match Information Date and Time Venue Referee Crowd Newcastle Knights
13-12 Gold Coast Titans
3 May 2008, 5:30 pm EnergyAustralia Stadium Gavin Badger 21,280 Penrith Panthers
18-26 Parramatta Eels
3 May 2008, 7:30 pm CUA Stadium Ben Cummins 18,724 Wests Tigers
22-34 Brisbane Broncos
3 May 2008, 8:30 pm ANZ Stadium Tony Archer 11,177 New Zealand Warriors
14-6 Canberra Raiders
4 May 2008, 2:00 pm Mt Smart Stadium Sean Hampstead 7,358 South Sydney Rabbitohs
28-24 North Queensland Cowboys
4 May 2008, 3:00 pm ANZ Stadium Shayne Hayne 9,818 Bulldogs
BYE St George Illawarra Dragons
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
BYE Sydney Roosters
Cronulla Sharks
BYE Melbourne Storm
Round 9
- The 0-0 halftime scoreline during the Melbourne and Newcastle match was the fourth time in three years that the first half of an NRL match has been scoreless.
- Melbourne's win over Newcastle places the 2007 minor premiership winning Storm to the top of the table for the first time in 2008. Meanwhile, last year's second finishing team, the Sea Eagles, entered the top four.
Home Score Away Match Information Date and Time Venue Referee Crowd Sydney Roosters
30-4 Canberra Raiders
10 May 2008, 5:30 pm Sydney Football Stadium Jason Robinson 10,241 Bulldogs
4-30 Penrith Panthers
10 May 2008, 7:30 pm ANZ Stadium Jared Maxwell 10,257 North Queensland Cowboys
18-24 Cronulla Sharks
10 May 2008, 7:30 pm Dairy Farmers Stadium Tony Archer 17,065 Brisbane Broncos
12-30 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
11 May 2008, 2:00 pm Suncorp Stadium Shayne Hayne 27,469 Parramatta Eels
19-18 St George Illawarra Dragons
11 May 2008, 3:00 pm ANZ Stadium Sean Hampstead 16,313 Melbourne Storm
18-4 Newcastle Knights
12 May 2008, 7:00 pm Olympic Park Stadium Ben Cummins 10,624 South Sydney Rabbitohs
BYE Gold Coast Titans
Wests Tigers
BYE New Zealand Warriors
Round 10
- The 34 players selected for State of Origin are required to stand down for this round's club matches.
- The Gold Coast Titans finally defeated the Bulldogs; the first Gold Coast team of any era - Giants, Seagulls, Chargers or Titans - to do so.
- The Brisbane Broncos recorded their first back-to-back losses of the season.
- The St. George Illawarra Dragons defeated Melbourne for the first time since 2004. Up to eight players from the usual Melbourne squad were omitted from the match due to State of Origin duties.
- The Penrith Panthers made the top eight for the first time in 2008 by beating the Warriors.
Home Score Away Match Information Date and Time Venue Referee Crowd Parramatta Eels
12-32 Sydney Roosters
16 May 2008, 7:45 pm Parramatta Stadium Shayne Hayne 16,211 Gold Coast Titans
24-20 Bulldogs
16 May 2008, 7:45 pm Skilled Park Jason Robinson 22,676 Cronulla Sharks
13-6 Brisbane Broncos
17 May 2008, 5:30 pm Toyota Stadium Jared Maxwell 13,431 St George Illawarra Dragons
36-12 Melbourne Storm
17 May 2008, 7:30 pm ANZ Stadium Phil Haines 6,881 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
38-6 North Queensland Cowboys
17 May 2008, 7:30 pm Bluetongue Stadium Ben Cummins 9,343 Penrith Panthers
46-22 New Zealand Warriors
18 May 2008, 2:00 pm CUA Stadium Tony De Las Heras 9,450 Newcastle Knights
26-38 Wests Tigers
18 May 2008, 3:00 pm EnergyAustralia Stadium Sean Hampstead 20,154 Canberra Raiders
38-10 South Sydney Rabbitohs
19 May 2008, 7:00 pm Canberra Stadium Gavin Badger 11,115 Round 11
- The Warriors' loss to the Roosters was the first home game they lost in 2008.
Home Score Away Match Information Date and Time Venue Referee Crowd Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
18-20 St George Illawarra Dragons
23 May 2008 7:45 pm Brookvale Oval Jason Robinson 12,058 South Sydney Rabbitohs
10-15 Melbourne Storm
24 May 2008 7:30 pm Bluetongue Stadium Jared Maxwell 8,761 New Zealand Warriors
12-38 Sydney Roosters
25 May 2008 2:00 pm Mt Smart Stadium Ben Cummins 11,922 Wests Tigers
20-18 Gold Coast Titans
25 May 2008 3:00 pm Leichhardt Oval Shayne Hayne 17,493 Bulldogs
30-22 Cronulla Sharks
26 May 2008 7:00 pm ANZ Stadium Tony Archer 9,289 Brisbane Broncos
BYE North Queensland Cowboys
Parramatta Eels
BYE Newcastle Knights
Penrith Panthers
BYE Canberra Raiders
Round 12
- Manly's Adam Cuthbertson is sent off during Manly's win over Canberra.
- Denan Kemp equalled the club record for most tries in a match for the Brisbane Broncos with 4 tries, one of which was the match-winner scored after the final siren.
- The Bulldogs became the first team for 2008 to be held scoreless in a match.
- North Queensland's Luke O'Donnell is also sent off in the Cowboys loss to Penrith in golden point extra time.
- Brett Finch played his 200th NRL game. He became only the 5th player to reach this milestone before reaching the age of 27.
Home Score Away Match Information Date and Time Venue Referee Crowd Brisbane Broncos
30-26 Parramatta Eels
30 May 2008, 7:45 pm Suncorp Stadium Jason Robinson 25,564 Canberra Raiders
18-31 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
30 May 2008, 7:45 pm Canberra Stadium Sean Hampstead 13,120 Melbourne Storm
46-0 Bulldogs
31 May 2008, 5:30 pm Olympic Park Stadium Shayne Hayne 12,251 North Queensland Cowboys
18-19 Penrith Panthers
31 May 2008, 7:30 pm Dairy Farmers Stadium Alan Shortall 16,553 Newcastle Knights
16-18 New Zealand Warriors
31 May 2008, 7:30 pm EnergyAustralia Stadium Jared Maxwell 15,489 South Sydney Rabbitohs
12-26 St George Illawarra Dragons
1 June 2008, 2:00 pm ANZ Stadium Gavin Badger 12,978 Cronulla Sharks
30-14 Gold Coast Titans
1 June 2008, 3:00 pm Toyota Stadium Ben Cummins 8,214 Sydney Roosters
19-10 Wests Tigers
2 June 2008, 7:45 pm Sydney Football Stadium Tony Archer 15,204 Round 13
- Players selected for State of Origin were again absent from this round's fixtures.
- South Sydney's rare win over the Warriors was their first win against them since 1999.
- Wendell Sailor makes his return to the NRL with St. George Illawarra after a seven year absence.
- The Sydney Roosters fail to score against Manly for the second time in a row, losing 0-56 in Round 17, 2007.
- For the first time, the Gold Coast Titans held their opposition scoreless with a 18-0 win over the Melbourne Storm at Skilled Park, in the process maintaining their undefeated home record in 2008.
Home Score Away Match Information Date and Time Venue Referee Crowd St George Illawarra Dragons
28-10 Brisbane Broncos
6 June 2008, 7:45 pm ANZ Stadium Ben Cummins 11,234 New Zealand Warriors
28-35 South Sydney Rabbitohs
6 June 2008, 8:00 pm Mt Smart Stadium Tony De Las Heras 13,112 Bulldogs
12-22 Newcastle Knights
7 June 2008, 5:30 pm ANZ Stadium Sean Hampstead 9,565 Wests Tigers
40-16 North Queensland Cowboys
7 June 2008, 7:30 pm Campbelltown Stadium Gavin Badger 10,488 Parramatta Eels
30-12 Canberra Raiders
7 June 2008, 7:30 pm Parramatta Stadium Alan Shortall 10,195 Penrith Panthers
22-24 Cronulla Sharks
8 June 2008, 2:00 pm CUA Stadium Jared Maxwell 10,543 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
42-0 Sydney Roosters
8 June 2008, 3:00 pm Brookvale Oval Shayne Hayne 13,842 Gold Coast Titans
18-0 Melbourne Storm
9 June 2008, 7:00 pm Skilled Park Jason Robinson 19,409 Round 14
- For the first time since 2005, the Cronulla Sharks have managed to win two consecutive games.
- The Cowboys lost their seventh consecutive match for the first time since 1999.
Home Score Away Match Information Date and Time Venue Referee Crowd Sydney Roosters
32-12 Penrith Panthers
13 June 2008, 7:45 pm Sydney Football Stadium Sean Hampstead 9,724 Cronulla Sharks
24-8 New Zealand Warriors
14 June 2008, 7:30 pm Toyota Stadium Ben Cummins 9,023 Canberra Raiders
34-16 Brisbane Broncos
15 June 2008, 2:00 pm Canberra Stadium Jason Robinson 11,157 Wests Tigers
6-44 Parramatta Eels
15 June 2008, 3:00 pm ANZ Stadium Tony Archer 22,170 North Queensland Cowboys
18-30 Newcastle Knights
16 June 2008, 7:00 pm Dairy Farmers Stadium Shayne Hayne 14,234 Bulldogs
BYE St George Illawarra Dragons
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
BYE South Sydney Rabbitohs
Melbourne Storm
BYE Gold Coast Titans
Round 15
- Both Friday night games were won by the home teams by one point which both avoided heading into extra time.
- The Bulldogs suffered their second thrashing in five weeks, this time 18-58 by Canberra and is the most points the Bulldogs have ever conceded in 49 seasons (since 1959).
- The Cowboys suffered their 8th loss in a row, this time going down 48-20 to the Melbourne Storm in Melbourne and are now in grave danger along with South Sydney for wooden spoon contenders.
- The Roosters maintained their seven-year undefeated streak in Newcastle, grittingly winning 16-14.
- The Sharks have ended Parramatta's clean run with their Toyota Park Stadium however, it resulted with Cronulla losing their key man and Blues five-eighth Greg Bird, injured in Cronulla's 16-14 win over Parramatta.
- South Sydney earn their third win of the season in a tough affair with Gold Coast 24-23 with only a penalty goal from Isaac Luke putting them in front into fulltime. Their win sees the Rabbitohs move out of last place for the first time this season after 15 rounds, slipping North Queensland to their long held position. This said, the Titans have never won at ANZ Stadium.
Home Score Away Match Information Date and Time Venue Referee Crowd Brisbane Broncos
19-18 Wests Tigers
20 June 2008, 7:45 pm Suncorp Stadium Sean Hampstead 27,864 St George Illawarra Dragons
13-12 Penrith Panthers
20 June 2008, 7:45 pm ANZ Stadium Jared Maxwell 9,032 Bulldogs
18-58 Canberra Raiders
21 June 2008, 5:30 pm ANZ Stadium Gavin Badger 9,845 Melbourne Storm
48-20 North Queensland Cowboys
21 June 2008, 7:30 pm Olympic Park Stadium Bernard Sutton 10,880 New Zealand Warriors
14-20 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
22 June 2008, 2:00 pm Mt Smart Stadium Tony De Las Heras 7,141 Newcastle Knights
14-16 Sydney Roosters
22 June 2008, 2:00 pm EnergyAustralia Stadium Tony Archer 19,253 Cronulla Sharks
16-14 Parramatta Eels
22 June 2008, 3:00 pm Toyota Stadium Shayne Hayne 17,547 South Sydney Rabbitohs
24-23 Gold Coast Titans
23 June 2008, 7:00 pm ANZ Stadium Steve Lyons 9,827 Round 16
- Once again players selected for State of Origin duties are unable to play in this round.
- The Penrith Panthers and the Brisbane Broncos played out the first draw of the season, and the sixth golden point game.
- The Gold Coast Titans finally lose at home, going down to the St George Illawarra Dragons.
- The South Sydney Rabbitohs equalled the second biggest ever comeback in Rugby League History coming from 24 points down to win by a point against wooden spoon contenders the North Queensland Cowboys at Dairy Farmers Stadium.
- The New Zealand Warriors defeated the Wests Tigers at Leichhardt Oval for the first time in the Warriors' history.
- The Parramatta Eels' win over the Melbourne Storm was their first since 2005, and first at home since 2001.
- The Cronulla Sharks maintained their four-year unbeaten streak against the Canberra Raiders at Canberra Stadium.
Home Score Away Match Information Date and Time Venue Referee Crowd Sydney Roosters
24-14 Bulldogs
27 June 2008, 7:45 pm Sydney Football Stadium Jared Maxwell 9,271 Penrith Panthers
12-12 Brisbane Broncos
27 June 2008, 7:45 pm CUA Stadium Gavin Badger 9,967 Gold Coast Titans
22-26 St George Illawarra Dragons
28 June 2008, 5:30 pm Skilled Park Bernard Sutton 26,453 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
28-12 Newcastle Knights
28 June 2008, 7:30 pm Bluetongue Stadium Shayne Hayne 13,798 North Queensland Cowboys
28-29 South Sydney Rabbitohs
28 June 2008, 7:30 pm Dairy Farmers Stadium Tony De Las Heras 15,631 Wests Tigers
26-28 New Zealand Warriors
29 June 2008, 2:00 pm Leichhardt Oval Steve Lyons 15,027 Parramatta Eels
24-22 Melbourne Storm
29 June 2008, 3:00 pm Parramatta Stadium Ben Cummins 12,597 Canberra Raiders
24-36 Cronulla Sharks
30 June 2008, 7:00 pm Canberra Stadium Sean Hampstead 9,136 Round 17
- The Dragons have protected their 5-year unbeaten streak in Newcastle with a 24-16 victory over the Knights, which is also St George Illawarra's seventh consecutive victory.
- The Melbourne Storm won their 13th straight match against the Canberra Raiders, ensuring their coach Craig Bellamy is unbeaten as coach against his old club.
- Penrith's win over Parramatta was some-what soured when Penrith Panthers captain, Petero Civoniceva,was racially taunted by Eels fans at Parramatta Stadium.
- For the second week in a row, the South Sydney Rabbitohs have comeback to win, this time coming from 18 points down early in the second half to win against the Bulldogs in extra time scoring four consecutive games for the first time in 14 years.
Home Score Away Match Information Date and Time Venue Referee Crowd Gold Coast Titans
14-34 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
4 July 2008, 7:45 pm Skilled Park Jared Maxwell 21,374 Newcastle Knights
16-24 St George Illawarra Dragons
5 July 2008, 7:30 pm EnergyAustralia Stadium Sean Hampstead 22,348 Melbourne Storm
30-14 Canberra Raiders
6 July 2008, 2:00 pm Olympic Park Stadium Ben Cummins 11,719 Parramatta Eels
16-22 Penrith Panthers
6 July 2008, 3:00 pm Parramatta Stadium Shayne Hayne 14,459 Bulldogs
30-34 South Sydney Rabbitohs
7 July 2008, 7:00 pm ANZ Stadium Jason Robinson 15,562 Brisbane Broncos
BYE North Queensland Cowboys
Sydney Roosters
BYE Cronulla Sharks
Wests Tigers
BYE New Zealand Warriors
Round 18
- The Gold Coast Titans beat the Sydney Roosters at the Sydney Football Stadium, in doing so becoming the first Gold Coast team of any era to do so.
- The New Zealand Warriors condemned the North Queensland Cowboys to their record 10th loss in succession.
- South Sydney won their fifth match in succession for the first time since 1994
- The Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles took outright top spot on the NRL Ladder after beating the Cronulla Sharks at Toyota Stadium.
- The St George Illawarra Dragons were, for the second time in three years denied a record-equalling 8th straight victory when they succumbed to the Canberra Raiders who won their first match at WIN Stadium since 1995.
- Darren Lockyer made a successful comeback for the Brisbane Broncos who suffered a shock defeat to the Bulldogs.
- Wests Tigers captain Brett Hodgson, the only remaining player to have played for the now merged Western Suburbs Magpies club, played his last ever match at Campbelltown Stadium. The team wore the iconic black-and-white Magpies uniform to celebrate this occasion.
- During the Monday night match with the Tigers, Melbourne Storm veteran Matt Geyer became the first Storm player to play 250 games for the club.
Home Score Away Match Information Date and Time Venue Referee Crowd Penrith Panthers
18-30 Newcastle Knights
11 July 2008, 7:45 pm CUA Stadium Gavin Badger 10,029 Sydney Roosters
28-32 Gold Coast Titans
11 July 2008, 7:45 pm Sydney Football Stadium Ben Cummins 10,762 New Zealand Warriors
24-14 North Queensland Cowboys
12 July 2008, 5:30 pm Mt Smart Stadium Sean Hampstead 7,722 Cronulla Sharks
6-34 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
12 July 2008, 7:30 pm Toyota Stadium Jason Robinson 18,217 South Sydney Rabbitohs
32-20 Parramatta Eels
12 July 2008, 7:30 pm ANZ Stadium Matt Cecchin 17,897 St George Illawarra Dragons
12-19 Canberra Raiders
13 July 2008, 2:00 pm WIN Stadium Tony De Las Heras 14,040 Brisbane Broncos
18-26 Bulldogs
13 July 2008, 3:00 pm Suncorp Stadium Tony Archer 37,683 Wests Tigers
18-30 Melbourne Storm
14 July 2008, 7:00 pm Campbelltown Stadium Jared Maxwell 16,653 Round 19
- North Queensland's now eleventh consecutive loss is the worst such streak in the club's history.
- The Manly Sea Eagles beat the Parramatta Eels despite losing captain/halfback Matt Orford, five-eighth Jamie Lyon and forwards Jason King and Luke Williamson. Lyon and King injured themselves early in the first half (Orford and Williamson had been ruled unfit to play before the game).
- The Warriors posted just their third away win of 2008 by thumping the Bulldogs by 40 points to 22 to achieve their first win over the Bulldogs at ANZ Stadium.
- Dragons prop Jason Ryles became the fourth player to be sent off this season for intentionally kicking Storm prop Jeff Lima. Melbourne's Billy Slater, Adam Blair and Dragons' Jamie Soward were also sin-binned for fighting. St. George Illawarra failed to score for the first time since Round 3, 2000 - a scoring streak of 219 matches.
- Gavin Badger was dropped from refereeing for the following week as a result of several bad decisions in the Melbourne Storm- St. George Illawarra game.
Home Score Away Match Information Date and Time Venue Referee Crowd North Queensland Cowboys
18-32 Brisbane Broncos
18 July 2008, 7:35 pm Dairy Farmers Stadium Ben Cummins 22,048 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
28-10 Parramatta Eels
18 July 2008, 7:35 pm Brookvale Oval Shayne Hayne 18,970 Gold Coast Titans
22-36 Penrith Panthers
19 July 2008, 5:30 pm Skilled Park Matt Cecchin 17,759 Bulldogs
22-40 New Zealand Warriors
19 July 2008, 7:30 pm ANZ Stadium Tony De Las Heras 12,973 Cronulla Sharks
16-13 Newcastle Knights
19 July 2008, 7:30 pm Toyota Stadium Tony Archer 10,112 Canberra Raiders
34-12 Sydney Roosters
20 July 2008, 2:00 pm Canberra Stadium Jarred Maxwel 13,417 South Sydney Rabbitohs
12-36 Wests Tigers
20 July 2008, 3:00 pm ANZ Stadium Jason Robinson 21,818 Melbourne Storm
26-0 St George Illawarra Dragons
21 July 2008, 7:00 pm Olympic Park Stadium Gavin Badger 9,335 Round 20
- All matches this round were won by the home teams.
- Top two sides Melbourne and Manly were beaten by 2 and 22 points respectively.
- The St. George Illawarra Dragons defeated the Bulldogs for the first time since 2003.
- There were 4 games with crowds under 10000
Home Score Away Match Information Date and Time Venue Referee Crowd Parramatta Eels
16-4 North Queensland Cowboys
25 July 2008, 7:35 pm Parramatta Stadium Steve Lyons 7,253 Brisbane Broncos
18-12 Cronulla Sharks
25 July 2008, 7:35 pm Suncorp Stadium Shayne Hayne 27,905 Canberra Raiders
46-4 Gold Coast Titans
26 July 2008, 5:30 pm Canberra Stadium Tony De Las Heras 8,700 Penrith Panthers
24-10 Wests Tigers
26 July 2008, 7:30 pm CUA Stadium Tony Archer 14,075 New Zealand Warriors
8-6 Melbourne Storm
27 July 2008, 12:00 pm Mt Smart Stadium Jarred Maxwell 8,752 Newcastle Knights
39-12 South Sydney Rabbitohs
27 July 2008, 2:00 pm EnergyAustralia Stadium Ben Cummins 23,182 Sydney Roosters
34-12 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
27 July 2008, 3:00 pm Sydney Football Stadium Jason Robinson 22,681 St George Illawarra Dragons
30-0 Bulldogs
28 July 2008, 7:00 pm ANZ Stadium Sean Hampstead 7,802 Round 21
- The Sharks defeated the Dragons for the fourth consecutive time.
- The Cowboys lost their 13th match in succession, leading up to a possible wooden spoon battle with the Bulldogs.
- The Wests Tigers equalled their 2005 record for best victory (54-2) by beating the Bulldogs 56-4
Home Score Away Match Information Date and Time Venue Referee Crowd Melbourne Storm
44-4 Gold Coast Titans
1 August 2008, 7:35 pm Olympic Park Stadium Tony De Las Heras 9,400 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
30-10 Penrith Panthers
1 August 2008, 7:35 pm Brookvale Oval Shayne Hayne 7,862 Cronulla Sharks
13-12 St George Illawarra Dragons
2 August 2008, 5:30 pm Toyota Stadium Jared Maxwell 18,256 South Sydney Rabbitohs
18-16 New Zealand Warriors
2 August 2008, 7:30 pm ANZ Stadium Steve Lyons 9,276 North Queensland Cowboys
20-32 Sydney Roosters
2 August 2008, 7:30 pm Dairy Farmers Stadium Sean Hampstead 14,061 Wests Tigers
56-4 Bulldogs
3 August 2008, 2:00 pm ANZ Stadium Ben Cummins 16,121 Brisbane Broncos
34-6 Canberra Raiders
3 August 2008, 3:00 pm Suncorp Stadium Tony Archer 28,103 Newcastle Knights
32-12 Parramatta Eels
4 August 2008, 7:00 pm Energy Australia Stadium Jason Robinson 16,435 Round 22
- Melbourne's victory over Manly was their first win at Brookvale Oval since 1999, and their third straight against the Sea-Eagles.
- North Queensland ended a 13-game losing streak with a convincing win over the Bulldogs.
- The Canberra Raiders recorded their highest score in a match, beating the previous best of 68, set in 1993. Raiders' five-eighth Terry Campese scores 36 points (four tries and 10 goals), a feat bettered only three times in history.
- The Eels and Roosters contested the inaugural Jack Gibson Cup this round, with Parramatta claiming the trophy.[1]
Home Score Away Match Information Date and Time Venue Referee Crowd Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
10-16 Melbourne Storm
8 August 2008, 7:35 pm Brookvale Oval Tony Archer 18,442 St George Illawarra Dragons
10-18 Wests Tigers
8 August 2008, 7:35 pm WIN Stadium Shayne Hayne 14,207 New Zealand Warriors
16-12 Brisbane Broncos
9 August 2008, 5:30 pm Mt Smart Stadium Sean Hampstead 13,007 Bulldogs
12-36 North Queensland Cowboys
9 August 2008, 7:30 pm Suncorp Stadium Bernard Sutton 8,549 Cronulla Sharks
28-14 South Sydney Rabbitohs
9 August 2008, 7:30 pm Toyota Stadium Ben Cummins 12,618 Canberra Raiders
74-12 Penrith Panthers
10 August 2008, 2:00 pm Canberra Stadium Jason Robinson 6,500 Sydney Roosters
24-28 Parramatta Eels
10 August 2008, 3:00 pm Sydney Football Stadium Jared Maxwell 12,468 Gold Coast Titans
12-32 Newcastle Knights
11 August 2008, 7:00 pm Skilled Park Steve Lyons 15,136 Round 23
- The St George Illawarra Dragons have now recorded their seventh straight victory over the Brisbane Broncos, with ex-Bronco Wendell Sailor scoring his first NRL try since he switched to rugby union against his former club.
- The Gold Coast Titans have gotten one step closer to completing a clean sweep over the fellow Queensland teams in the competition this season, beating the North Queensland Cowboys.
- Manly-Warringah have conceded more than 40 points in a match for the first time since 2005. This was also South Sydney's highest score achieved under coach Jason Taylor.
- Parramatta's win over the Wests Tigers brought them to eight consecutive wins against their opposing club.
- After the completion of round 23, the Melbourne Storm reclaimed the top spot on the competition ladder, taking advantage of Manly's loss to Souths.
- Panthers Vs Bulldogs became the longest match without extra time due to Referee Gavin Badger's referrals to Video Referee, Russell Smith.
Home Score Away Match Information Date and Time Venue Referee Crowd Melbourne Storm
30-6 Sydney Roosters
15 August 2008, 7:35 pm Olympic Park Stadium Shayne Hayne 13,335 Brisbane Broncos
20-24 St George Illawarra Dragons
15 August 2008, 7:35 pm Suncorp Stadium Jared Maxwell 33,237 New Zealand Warriors
18-4 Cronulla Sharks
16 August 2008, 5:30 pm Mt Smart Stadium Tony Archer 10,417 North Queensland Cowboys
20-26 Gold Coast Titans
16 August 2008, 7:30 pm Dairy Farmers Stadium Bernard Sutton 17,065 Penrith Panthers
52-16 Bulldogs
16 August 2008, 7:30 pm CUA Stadium Gavin Badger 7,841 Canberra Raiders
38-18 Newcastle Knights
17 August 2008, 2:00 pm Canberra Stadium Ben Cummins 12,206 South Sydney Rabbitohs
40-32 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
17 August 2008, 3:00 pm ANZ Stadium Steve Lyons 11,114 Parramatta Eels
40-12 Wests Tigers
18 August 2008, 7:00 pm Parramatta Stadium Matt Cecchin 13,065 Round 24
- For the second time this season, the Sydney Roosters were held scoreless, against a top four team.
- For the second consecutive time at Suncorp Stadium, the Brisbane Broncos and Gold Coast Titans were brought into golden point, with the Broncos taking out both games. This denied the Titans a complete clean sweep over their fellow Queensland teams.
- The NRL schedule staged its first double-header since Round 1 of the 2004 season. ANZ Stadium featured both the Wests Tigers vs Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles match and the Bulldogs vs Parramatta Eels game in sequence with one another during Saturday night of 23 August 2008.
- After trailing 19-6 at halftime, the Canberra Raiders were able to tally 34 points in the second half to stun the South Sydney Rabbitohs 25-40 .
- The New Zealand Warriors' poor record at Wollongong's WIN Stadium continued as they had not won at that ground since 1996.
- Melbourne wins their first match at CUA Stadium since 2003.
Home Score Away Match Information Date and Time Venue Referee Crowd Cronulla Sharks
20-0 Sydney Roosters
22 August 2008, 7:35 pm Toyota Stadium Jason Robinson 10,013 Brisbane Broncos
25-21 Gold Coast Titans
22 August 2008, 7:35 pm Suncorp Stadium Ben Cummins 39,757 Wests Tigers
16-48 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
23 August 2008, 5:30 pm ANZ Stadium Tony Archer 27,564 Bulldogs
12-26 Parramatta Eels
23 August 2008, 7:30 pm ANZ Stadium Steve Lyons 27,564 Newcastle Knights
38-24 North Queensland Cowboys
23 August 2008, 7:30 pm EnergyAustralia Stadium Sean Hampstead 10,323 South Sydney Rabbitohs
25-40 Canberra Raiders
24 August 2008, 2:00 pm ANZ Stadium Jared Maxwell 10,128 St George Illawarra Dragons
34-6 New Zealand Warriors
24 August 2008, 3:00 pm WIN Stadium Shayne Hayne 11,583 Penrith Panthers
6-40 Melbourne Storm
25 August 2008, 7:00 pm CUA Stadium Matt Cecchin 8,813 Round 25
- After nine previous meetings, the Cronulla Sharks defeated the Wests Tigers for the first time since 2003.
- The Canterbury Bulldogs have suffered their 7th straight loss in a game to farewell long time Bulldogs hooker Corey Hughes.
- Wendell Sailor scored his first NRL hat-trick since 2001.
- The Cowboys broke the Raiders top 4 hopes.
- Steve Menzies played his last Premiership match at Brookvale Oval.
- The Brisbane Broncos won their fifth match in a row at ANZ Stadium.
Home Score Away Match Information Date and Time Venue Referee Crowd Sydney Roosters
22-20 South Sydney Rabbitohs
29 August 2008, 7:35 pm Sydney Football Stadium Steve Lyons 18,127 Wests Tigers
6-32 Cronulla Sharks
29 August 2008, 7:35 pm Leichhardt Oval Sean Hampstead 10,766 Newcastle Knights
17-16 Melbourne Storm
30 August 2008, 5:30 pm EnergyAustralia Stadium Shayne Hayne 19,568 North Queensland Cowboys
22-10 Canberra Raiders
30 August 2008, 7:30 pm Dairy Farmers Stadium Matt Cecchin 14,981 St George Illawarra Dragons
40-14 Parramatta Eels
30 August 2008, 7:30 pm ANZ Stadium Tony Archer 17,103 New Zealand Warriors
42-20 Penrith Panthers
31 August 2008, 2:00 pm Mt Smart Stadium Ben Cummins 15,214 Bulldogs
22-36 Brisbane Broncos
31 August 2008, 3:00 pm ANZ Stadium Jared Maxwell 7,685 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
28-10 Gold Coast Titans
1 September 2008, 7:00 pm Brookvale Oval Jason Robinson 14,755 Round 26
- Wayne Bennett celebrated his last regular season game as the well respected Broncos coach after 21 years of coaching the Brisbane Broncos since their opening season in 1988. Along with Bennett, the bruising defender Tonie Carroll also celebrated playing his last regular season game for the Broncos after servicing for twelve seasons and playing over 200 games for the maroon-and-golds. The Broncos also recorded their fifth straight win over the Knights, knocking them out of finals contention.
- The Sydney Roosters' physical 10-0 win over St. George Illawarra Dragons sees them make the finals for the first time since 2004 when they finished off runners-up to the Bulldogs. It was also the first time the Roosters had held an opposing team scoreless since 2004.
- The New Zealand Warriors finals-earning win over the Eels at Parramatta Stadium was their first win at Parramatta since the clubs first season in 1995.
- The Tigers levelled their all-time record against the Gold Coast Titans by beating them 28-12, having already beaten them 20-18 back in round 11.
- The Bulldogs picks up their first wooden spoon since 2002, when they were then controversially stripped of 37 points for their salary-cap breach.
- The Melbourne Storm rack up their record third consecutive minor premiership for the first time in the NRL competition, taking hold of pole position in seasons 2006, 2007 and now 2008. A feat which hasn't been known since Manly did so in 1995, 96, and 97. The game also to commemorate Melbourne's longest serving player, Matt Geyer, who played his last regular season game to gracefully defeat the South Sydney Rabbitohs at Olympic Park Stadium in Melbourne 42 points to 4.
- The Parramatta and Warriors games got 5,102 people the lowest crowd of the season
Home Score Away Match Information Date and Time Venue Referee Crowd Brisbane Broncos
24-2 Newcastle Knights
5 September 2008, 7:35 pm Suncorp Stadium Tony Archer 37,552 Sydney Roosters
10-0 St George Illawarra Dragons
5 September 2008, 7:35 pm Sydney Football Stadium Shayne Hayne 14,127 Penrith Panthers
16-34 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
6 September 2008, 5:30 pm CUA Stadium Jared Maxwell 6,086 Parramatta Eels
6-28 New Zealand Warriors
6 September 2008, 7:30 pm Parramatta Stadium Jason Robinson 5,102 Cronulla Sharks
28-22 North Queensland Cowboys
6 September 2008, 7:30 pm Toyota Stadium Ben Cummins 7,057 Canberra Raiders
52-34 Bulldogs
7 September 2008, 2:00 pm Canberra Stadium Sean Hampstead 15,411 Gold Coast Titans
12-28 Wests Tigers
7 September 2008, 3:00 pm Skilled Park Bernard Sutton 20,723 Melbourne Storm
42-4 South Sydney Rabbitohs
7 September 2008, 7:00 pm Olympic Park Stadium Steve Lyons 13,875 Finals
The NRL employs the McIntyre Final Eight System.
- In the qualifying finals, matches were played at the higher placed team's home ground. 1st and 2nd highest placed winning teams then proceeded to the preliminary finals.
- In the semi finals, matches were played at the 3rd and 4th highest winning team's home ground, provided it had a capacity of 25,000. Eligible venues were: Stadium Australia, Sydney Football Stadium, Suncorp Stadium, Dairy Farmers Stadium, EnergyAustralia Stadium, Canberra Stadium, Telstra Dome, Melbourne Cricket Ground and Mount Smart Stadium.
- In the preliminary finals, matches were played at the highest placed winning teams from the qualifying finals "home region" ground. For Sydney teams, Newcastle, St. George Illawarra and Canberra, this was the Sydney Football Stadium or Stadium Australia. For Brisbane and the Gold Coast - Suncorp Stadium, North Queensland - Dairy Farmers Stadium, Melbourne - the Telstra Dome or the MCG, and for New Zealand, Mt Smart Stadium.
- Both Melbourne Storm and Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles finished first and second for the second year running. Brisbane Broncos and New Zealand Warriors were the only other teams which had visited the finals series in the previous year.
- The Broncos played in their 17th successive finals campaign, second only to St. George's streak of 23 seasons from 1951 to 1973.
Qualifying Finals Semi Finals Preliminary Finals Grand Final 1 Melbourne Storm 15 8 NZ Warriors 18 1W Manly Sea Eagles 32 2 Manly Sea Eagles 38 4W NZ Warriors 30 NZ Warriors 6 7 St. George Illawarra 6 2L Sydney Roosters 13 Manly Sea Eagles 40 Melbourne Storm 0 3 Cronulla Sharks 36 2W Cronulla Sharks 0 6 Canberra Raiders 10 3W Brisbane Broncos 14 Melbourne Storm 28 1L Melbourne Storm 16 4 Sydney Roosters 16 5 Brisbane Broncos 24 Qualifying Finals
- The Sydney Roosters make a return to the finals after a three year absence, their last being in 2004 when they were runners-up to the now wooden-spooned Bulldogs.
- The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks make a revisit to the finals series since 2005 and host a home final for the first time since 2001, in which they comfortably defeated the Canberra Raiders.
- Both Melbourne and Manly faced sides that have defeated them during the season and hold some records against the top two teams this year. Manly took on the 7th ranked St. George Illawarra Dragons who defeated Manly at Brookvale Oval 20-18 in round 11 and have currently won four of ther past six games at Brookvale Oval, while Melbourne faced the Warriors, who were recently outdone against the New Zealand club in Auckland by a mere 8-6 and are one of the two teams in the past three years that have defeated the Storm at Melbourne.
- Cronulla's defeat over the Canberra Raiders gave them their seventh consecutive finals defeat, last achieving a finals victory in 2000.
- The New Zealand Warriors' stiking last-minute win over Melbourne made them the first 8th-placed team to defeat the season's minor premiers at their home ground in NRL history since the McIntyre System was introduced in 1999. This landmark win deserved them a home final against the Sydney Roosters.
Home Score Away Match Information Date and Time Venue Referee Crowd Sydney Roosters
16 – 24 Brisbane Broncos
12 September 2008, 7:45 pm Sydney Football Stadium Tony Archer 18,343 Cronulla Sharks
36 – 10 Canberra Raiders
13 September 2008, 6:30 pm Toyota Stadium Jared Maxwell 18,252 Manly Sea Eagles
38 – 6 St. George Illawarra Dragons
13 September 2008, 8:30 pm Brookvale Oval Shayne Hayne 19,227 Melbourne Storm
15 – 18 New Zealand Warriors
14 September 2008, 4:00 pm Olympic Park Stadium Jason Robinson 15,193 Semi finals
- For the second year running Manly had the week off whilst for the first time since 1999 Cronulla hosted a home preliminary final.
- Both matches this weekend were NRL grand final rematches; the New Zealand Warriors faced the Sydney Roosters whom they lost to in the 2002 decider, whilst Melbourne travelled to Brisbane to take on their 2006 Grand Final nemesis the Broncos.
- New Zealand become the first team to get to a preliminary final from 8th position, beating the Roosters 30-13.
- After trailing for all but the last 46 seconds of the match, Melbourne got out of jail in a controversial match against the Brisbane Broncos with a Greg Inglis try and subsequently ended their season, and that of the Broncos' coaching career of Wayne Bennett, and went on to play Cronulla in the preliminary final.
Home Score Away Match Information Date and Time Venue Referee Crowd New Zealand Warriors
30 – 13 Sydney Roosters
19 September 2008, 6:30 pm Mt. Smart Stadium Tony Archer 25,595 Brisbane Broncos
14 – 16 Melbourne Storm
20 September 2008, 7:45 pm Suncorp Stadium Shayne Hayne 50,466 Preliminary finals
- The Sydney Football Stadium was allocated for both Preliminary Finals, due to both sides from the Sydney region the home stadium could have been allocated to either the Sydney Football Stadium, or the larger ANZ Stadium. It was stated that due to both clubs ranking in the lower half of average attendances for home games in 2008.
- Melbourne, under stand-in captain Cooper Cronk defeated the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 28-0, keeping them scoreless for the first time since 2003. The Storm thus made it to their third consecutive Grand Final, joining the likes of the South Sydney Rabbitohs, Sydney Roosters, Balmain Tigers, St. George Dragons, Western Suburbs Magpies, Parramatta Eels, Canterbury Bulldogs, Canberra Raiders and the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles to qualify for at least 3 rugby league Grand Finals in a row.Preliminary Finals at SFS
Home Score Away Match Information Date and Time Venue Referee Crowd Cronulla Sharks
0 – 28 Melbourne Storm
26 September 2008, 7:45 pm Sydney Football Stadium Tony Archer 27,570 Manly Sea Eagles
32 - 6 New Zealand Warriors
27 September 2008, 7:45 pm Sydney Football Stadium Shayne Hayne 32,095 Grand Final
- Manly's 40 to nil victory against Melbourne win in the 2008 Grand Final is the largest on record, surpassing the Eastern Suburbs' 38-0 win over St. George in 1975.
- On the other hand, the runners-up Melbourne Storm became the first team since 1978 to be held scoreless in a Grand Final (when Cronulla suffered so 16-0 against Manly.)
Home Score Away Clive Churchill Medallist Match Information Date and Time Venue Referee Crowd Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
40 - 0 Melbourne Storm
Brent Kite (Manly) 5 October 2008, 5:00 pm ANZ Stadium Tony Archer 80,388 References
- ^ Henderson, Philip (2008-08-06). "Roosters, Eels play for Jack Gibson Cup". The sydney Morning Herald (Australia: Fairfax Digital). http://news.smh.com.au/sport/roosters-eels-play-for-jack-gibson-cup-20080806-3r1e.html. Retrieved 2010-02-04.
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