2008 NRL season

101st season of National Rugby League September 2020 February 2014 2008 National Rugby League National Rugby League 2007.png 125px 16 Manly 16 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 7th NoneHoneysett Stuart Read Brent Shocking end to the Melbourne Storm era 23 April 2010 The Australian http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/sport/shocking-end-to-the-melbourne-storm-era/story-e6frg7mf-1225857195771 https://web.archive.org/web/20101025120203/http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/sport/shocking-end-to-the-melbourne-storm-era/story-e6frg7mf-1225857195771 dead 25 October 2010 201 8470 16,317 3,279,663 Cronulla 16 Luke Covell (206) Manly 16 Brett Stewart (22) Manly 16 Matt Orford Dally M Medal Bulldogs 5th 2007 2009 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 biggest grand final winning margin (40–0) 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. Centenary of rugby league 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. Walshaw Nick Birchgrove Oval alive again The Daily Telegraph Australia News Limited 7 March 2008 http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/birchgrove-oval-alive-again/story-e6frexnr-1111115731155 9 January 2011 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 Schedule 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.http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,22521852-23214,00.html Clubs can choose home opponents Fox Sports 2008-03-23 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 Nine Network'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.NRL Moves Grand Final kick-off time https://web.archive.org/web/20080219231238/http://svc002.wic107cx.server-web.com/News/Latest/NewsArticle/tabid/76/NewsId/7688/Default.aspx 19 February 2008 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. Brisbane Broncos 21st seasonGround: Suncorp StadiumCoach: Wayne BennettCaptain: Darren LockyerBulldogs 74th seasonGround: ANZ StadiumCoach: Steve FolkesCaptain: Andrew RyanCanberra Raiders 27th seasonGround: Canberra StadiumCoach: Neil HenryCaptain: Alan TongueCronulla Sharks 42nd seasonGround: Toyota StadiumCoach: Ricky StuartCaptain: Paul GallenGold Coast Titans 2nd seasonGround: Skilled ParkCoach: John CartwrightCaptain: Scott Prince & Luke BaileyManly Warringah Sea Eagles 59th seasonGround: Brookvale OvalCoach: Des HaslerCaptain: Matt OrfordMelbourne Storm 11th seasonGround Olympic Park StadiumCoach: Craig BellamyCaptain: Cameron SmithNewcastle Knights 21st seasonGround: EnergyAustralia StadiumCoach: Brian SmithCaptain: Danny BuderusNew Zealand Warriors 14th seasonGround: Mt. Smart StadiumCoach: Ivan ClearyCaptain: Steve PriceNorth Queensland Cowboys 14th seasonGround: Dairy Farmers StadiumCoach: Graham Murray→Ian MillwardCaptain: Johnathan ThurstonParramatta Eels 62nd seasonGround: Parramatta StadiumCoach: Michael HaganCaptain: Nathan CaylessPenrith Panthers 42nd seasonGround: CUA StadiumCoach: Matthew ElliottCaptain: Petero CivonicevaSouth Sydney Rabbitohs 99th seasonGround: ANZ StadiumCoach: Jason TaylorCaptain: David Kidwell & Roy AsotasiSt. George Illawarra Dragons 10th seasonGround: OKI Jubilee Stadium & WIN StadiumCoach: Nathan BrownCaptain: Mark GasnierSydney Roosters 101st seasonGround: Sydney Football StadiumCoach: Brad FittlerCaptain: Craig Fitzgibbon→Braith AnastaWests Tigers 9th seasonGround: Campbelltown Stadium & Leichhardt OvalCoach: Tim SheensCaptain: Brett Hodgson Records set in 2008 October 2008 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.1993 NSWRL - Brisbane vs St. George 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 FB 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. 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 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 & 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.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuhCPjvn83Y</ 2008 Centenary tribute ad</ref> Regular season 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 26 F1 F2 F3 GF Brisbane BroncosPEN+36SYD+6NQL+34MEL−20NEW+12GCT−2SOU+14WTI+12MAN−18CRO−7XPAR+4SGI−18CAN−18WTI+1PEN0*XCBY−8NQL+14CRO+6CAN+28NZL−4SGI−4GCT+4*CBY+14NEW+22SYD+8MEL−2 Canberra RaidersNEW−16PEN+4SGI+7GCT−20WTI+6MEL−7XNZL−8SYD−26SOU+28XMAN−13PAR−18BRI+18CBY+40CRO−12MEL−16SGI+7SYD+22GCT+42BRI−28PEN+62NEW+20SOU+15NQL−12CBY+18CRO−26 Canterbury-Bankstown BulldogsPAR−8SOU+13WTI+20SYD−28NZL−20SGI+12MAN−8XPEN−26GCT−4CRO+8MEL−46NEW−10XCAN−40SYD−10SOU−4*BRI+8NZL−18SGI−30WTI−52NQL−24PEN−36PAR−14BRI−14CAN−18 Cronulla-Sutherland SharksMAN+6MEL+1GCT−14SGI+2*SOU+2PEN−1*WTI−4XNQL+6BRI+7CBY−8GCT+16PEN+2NZL+16PAR+2CAN+12XMAN−28NEW+3BRI−6SGI+1SOU+14NZL−14SYD+20WTI+26NQL+6CAN+26XMEL−28 Gold Coast TitansNQL+18SGI−18CRO+14CAN+20PAR+8BRI+2NZL+12NEW−1XCBY+4WTI−2CRO−16MEL+18XSOU−1SGI−4MAN−20SYD+4PEN−14CAN−42MEL−40NEW−20NQL+6BRI−4*MAN−18WTI−16 Manly Warringah Sea EaglesCRO−6NEW−1*NZL+46SOU+18MEL−22PAR+4CBY+8XBRI+18NQL+32SGI−2CAN+13SYD+42XNZL+6NEW+16GCT+20CRO+28PAR+18SYD−22PEN+20MEL−6SOU−8WTI+32GCT+18PEN+18SGI+32XNZL+26MEL+40 Melbourne StormNZL+14CRO−1SYD−4BRI+20MAN+22CAN+7NQL+2XNEW+14SGI−24SOU+5CBY+46GCT−18XNQL+28PAR−2CAN+16WTI+12SGI+26NZL−2GCT+40MAN+6SYD+24PEN+34NEW−1SOU+38NZL−3BRI+2CRO+28MAN−40 Newcastle KnightsCAN+16MAN+1*PAR−1*NZL−6BRI−12SYD+14XGCT+1MEL−14WTI−12XNZL−2CBY+10NQL+12SYD−2MAN−16SGI−8PEN+12CRO−3SOU+27PAR+20GCT+20CAN−20NQL+14MEL+1BRI−22 New Zealand WarriorsMEL−14PAR+14MAN−46NEW+6CBY+20NQL−28GCT−12CAN+8XPEN−24SYD−26NEW+2SOU−7CRO−16MAN−6WTI+2XNQL+10CBY+18MEL+2SOU−2BRI+4CRO+14SGI−28PEN+22PAR+22MEL+3SYD+17MAN−26 North Queensland CowboysGCT−18WTI−20BRI−34PAR+24SGI+4NZL+28MEL−2SOU−4CRO−6MAN−32XPEN−1*WTI−24NEW−12MEL−28SOU−1XNZL−10BRI−14PAR−12SYD−12CBY+24GCT−6NEW−14CAN+12CRO−6 Parramatta EelsCBY+8NZL−14NEW+1*NQL−24GCT−8MAN−4XPEN+8SGI+1SYD−20XBRI−4CAN+18WTI+38CRO−2MEL+2PEN−6SOU−12MAN−18NQL+12NEW−20SYD+4WTI+28CBY+14SGI−26NZL−22 Penrith PanthersBRI−36CAN−4SOU+4WTI+22SYD−16CRO+1*XPAR−8CBY+26NZL+24XNQL+1*CRO−2SYD−20SGI−1BRI0*PAR+6NEW−12GCT+14WTI+14MAN−20CAN−62CBY+36MEL−34NZL−22MAN−18 South Sydney RabbitohsSYD−14CBY−13PEN−4MAN−18CRO−2WTI−20BRI−14NQL+4XCAN−28MEL−5SGI−14NZL+7XGCT+1NQL+1CBY+4*PAR+12WTI−24NEW−27NZL+2CRO−14MAN+8CAN−15SYD−2MEL−38 St. George Illawarra DragonsWTI−8GCT+18CAN−7CRO−2*NQL−4CBY−12SYD+20XPAR−1MEL+24MAN+2SOU+14BRI+18XPEN+1GCT+4NEW+8CAN−7MEL−26CBY+30CRO−1WTI−8BRI+4NZL+28PAR+26SYD−10MAN−32 Sydney RoostersSOU+14BRI−6MEL+4CBY+28PEN+16NEW−14SGI−20XCAN+26PAR+20NZL+26WTI+9MAN−42PEN+20NEW+2CBY+10XGCT−4CAN−22MAN+22NQL+12PAR−4MEL−24CRO−20SOU+2SGI+10BRI−8NZL−17 Wests TigersSGI+8NQL+20CBY−20PEN−22CAN−6SOU+20CRO+4BRI−12XNEW+12GCT+2SYD−9NQL+24PAR−38BRI−1NZL−2XMEL−12SOU+24PEN−14CBY+52SGI+8PAR−28MAN−32CRO−26GCT+16 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 26 F1 F2 F3 GF Bold – Home game X – Bye * – Golden point game Opponent for round listed above margin Ladder 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. In addition, no minor premiership was awarded for the third consecutive season. The Melbourne Storm were initially declared minor premiers, but were stripped of the honour after being found guilty of salary cap breaches. Finals series 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 final match since 2002. HomeScoreAwayMatch informationDate and timeVenueRefereeCrowd Qualifying finals Eastern Suburbs Sydney Roosters16 – 24 Brisbane Brisbane Broncos12 September 2008, 8:00pmSydney Football StadiumTony Archer18,343 Cronulla Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks36 – 10 Canberra Canberra Raiders13 September 2008, 6:30pmToyota StadiumJared Maxwell18,252 Manly Manly Warringah Sea Eagles38 – 6 St. George St. George Illawarra Dragons13 September 2008, 8:30pmBrookvale OvalShayne Hayne19,227 Melbourne Melbourne Storm15 – 18 23px New Zealand Warriors14 September 2008, 4:00pmOlympic ParkJason Robinson15,193 Semifinals 23x23px New Zealand Warriors30 – 13 Eastern Suburbs Sydney Roosters19 September 2008, 8:30pmMt. Smart StadiumTony Archer25,595 Brisbane Brisbane Broncos14 – 16 Melbourne Melbourne Storm20 September 2008, 7:45pmSuncorp StadiumShayne Hayne50,466 Preliminary finals Cronulla Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks0 – 28 Melbourne Melbourne Storm26 September 2008, 7:45pmSydney Football StadiumTony Archer27,570 Manly Manly Warringah Sea Eagles32 – 6 23x23px New Zealand Warriors27 September 2008, 7:45pmSydney Football StadiumShayne Hayne32,095 Finals chart Grand final 2008 NRL Grand Final #f1f5fc Sunday, 5 October 5:00pm (AEDT) Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles Manly 16 40 – 0 1st: 8 - 02nd: 32 - 0Report Melbourne 16 Melbourne Storm Tries: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 ANZ Stadium Tony Archer 80,388D'Souza Miguel Grand Final History http://wwos.ninemsn.com.au/league/2009-grand-final/grandFinal_History.swf https://web.archive.org/web/20140819082626/http://wwos.ninemsn.com.au/league/2009-grand-final/grandFinal_History.swf dead 19 August 2014 wwos.ninemsn.com.au Australian Associated Press 8 September 2013 Clive Churchill Medal: Brent Kite Player records In 2008 New Zealand's Ruben Wiki was the oldest player in the NRL at 35 years and 250 days. Toohey Barry Still some bite in old Mad Dog The Daily Telegraph Australia News Limited 2 February 2011 http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/nrl/still-some-bite-in-old-mad-dog/story-e6frfgbo-1225998290314 2 February 2011 Sam Perrett ran 3,720 metres with the ball in 2008, more than any other player in the competition.Proszenko Adrian Gallen set to smash record http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/gallen-set-to-smash-record-20120505-1y5lo.html 7 May 2012 The Sydney Morning Herald 6 May 2012 Top 5 point scorers PtsPlayerTGlsFG196Cronulla Luke Covell14700169Parramatta Luke Burt11621160Melbourne Cameron Smith4720153Manly Matt Orford2721150Newcastle Kurt Gidley9570 Top 5 try scorers TryPlayer19Manly Brett Stewart17Brisbane Denan Kemp1623px Manu Vatuvei16Melbourne Greg Inglis15Eastern Suburbs Shaun Kenny-Dowall15Canberra Adrian Purtell 2008 transfers Players Player2007 club2008 club Shaun Berrigan Brisbane Brisbane Broncos Hull FC Super League: Hull F.C. Dane Carlaw Brisbane Brisbane Broncos Catalans Super League: Catalans Dragons Petero Civoniceva Brisbane Brisbane Broncos 23px Penrith Panthers Craig Frawley Brisbane Brisbane Broncos Retirement Andrew Lomu Brisbane Brisbane Broncos Retirement Brent Tate Brisbane Brisbane Broncos 23px New Zealand Warriors Brad Thorn Brisbane Brisbane Broncos Crusaders (Super 14) Matt Bickerstaff Canberra Canberra Raiders Retirement Michael Dobson Canberra Canberra Raiders Hull Kingston Rovers Super League: Hull Kingston Rovers Andrew Dunemann Canberra Canberra Raiders Retirement David Howell Canberra Canberra Raiders Harlequins Super League: Harlequins RL Willie Mason Canterbury Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Eastern Suburbs Sydney Roosters Mark O'Meley Canterbury Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Eastern Suburbs Sydney Roosters Adam Perry Canterbury Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Retirement Cameron Phelps Canterbury Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Wigan Super League: Wigan Warriors Brent Sherwin Canterbury Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Castleford Super League: Castleford Tigers Adam Dykes Cronulla Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Hull FC Super League: Hull F.C. Josh Hannay Cronulla Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Crusaders Celtic Crusaders (National League One) Phillip Leuluai Cronulla Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Salford City Salford City Reds (National League One) Henry Perenara Cronulla Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Retirement Craig Stapleton Cronulla Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Salford City Salford City Reds (National League One) Matt Hilder Gold Coast Titans Gold Coast Titans Newcastle Newcastle Knights Richard Mathers Gold Coast Titans Gold Coast Titans Wigan Super League: Wigan Warriors Jake Webster Gold Coast Titans Gold Coast Titans Hull Kingston Rovers Super League: Hull Kingston Rovers Travis Burns Manly Manly Warringah Sea Eagles North Queensland North Queensland Cowboys Shayne Dunley Manly Manly Warringah Sea Eagles Retirement Chris Hicks Manly Manly Warringah Sea Eagles Warrington Super League: Warrington Wolves Michael Monaghan Manly Manly Warringah Sea Eagles Warrington Super League: Warrington Wolves Ben Cross Melbourne Melbourne Storm Newcastle Newcastle Knights Garret Crossman Melbourne Melbourne Storm Hull Kingston Rovers Super League: Hull Kingston Rovers Matt King Melbourne Melbourne Storm Warrington Super League: Warrington Wolves Clint Newton Melbourne Melbourne Storm Hull Kingston Rovers Super League: Hull Kingston Rovers Matt Rua Melbourne Melbourne Storm Retirement Daniel Abraham Newcastle Newcastle Knights North Queensland North Queensland Cowboys Riley Brown Newcastle Newcastle Knights Eastern Suburbs Sydney Roosters George Carmont Newcastle Newcastle Knights Wigan Super League: Wigan Warriors Luke Davico Newcastle Newcastle Knights Retirement Andrew Johns Newcastle Newcastle Knights Retirement Josh Perry Newcastle Newcastle Knights Manly Manly Warringah Sea Eagles Kirk Reynoldson Newcastle Newcastle Knights St. George St. George Illawarra Dragons Mitchell Sargent Newcastle Newcastle Knights Castleford Super League: Castleford Tigers Brad Tighe Newcastle Newcastle Knights 23px Penrith Panthers Adam Woolnough Newcastle Newcastle Knights 23px Penrith Panthers Louis Anderson 23px New Zealand Warriors Warrington Super League: Warrington Wolves Todd Byrne 23px New Zealand Warriors Hull FC Super League: Hull F.C. George Gatis 23px New Zealand Warriors Huddersfield Super League: Huddersfield Giants Tony Martin 23px New Zealand Warriors Wakefield Super League: Wakefield Trinity Wildcats Brenton Bowen North Queensland North Queensland Cowboys Gold Coast Titans Gold Coast Titans Paul Bowman North Queensland North Queensland Cowboys Retirement David Faiumu North Queensland North Queensland Cowboys Huddersfield Super League: Huddersfield Giants Rod Jensen North Queensland North Queensland Cowboys Huddersfield Super League: Huddersfield Giants Shane Muspratt North Queensland North Queensland Cowboys Mackay Cutters (Queensland Cup) Jason Smith North Queensland North Queensland Cowboys Retirement Neil Sweeney North Queensland North Queensland Cowboys Retirement Aaron Cannings Parramatta Parramatta Eels Gold Coast Titans Gold Coast Titans Richie Faʻaoso Parramatta Parramatta Eels Newcastle Newcastle Knights Ian Hindmarsh Parramatta Parramatta Eels Retirement PJ Marsh Parramatta Parramatta Eels Brisbane Brisbane Broncos Tim Smith Parramatta Parramatta Eels Wigan Super League: Wigan Warriors Timana Tahu Parramatta Parramatta Eels New South Wales Waratahs (Super 14) Joel Clinton 23px Penrith Panthers Brisbane Brisbane Broncos Matthew Cross 23px Penrith Panthers Gold Coast Titans Gold Coast Titans Craig Gower 23px Penrith Panthers Aviron Bayonnais (French rugby union) Bryan Norrie 23px Penrith Panthers Cronulla Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Peter Wallace 23px Penrith Panthers Brisbane Brisbane Broncos Nick Youngquest 23px Penrith Panthers Canterbury Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Peter Cusack South Sydney South Sydney Rabbitohs Hull FC Super League: Hull F.C. Joe Galuvao South Sydney South Sydney Rabbitohs Parramatta Parramatta Eels Paul Mellor South Sydney South Sydney Rabbitohs Retirement David Peachey South Sydney South Sydney Rabbitohs Retirement Shane Rigon South Sydney South Sydney Rabbitohs Retirement Stuart Webb South Sydney South Sydney Rabbitohs St. George St. George Illawarra Dragons Sam Isemonger St. George St. George Illawarra Dragons Retirement Wes Naiqama St. George St. George Illawarra Dragons Newcastle Newcastle Knights Corey Payne St. George St. George Illawarra Dragons Wests Tigers Wests Tigers Adam Peek St. George St. George Illawarra Dragons Cronulla Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Ashton Sims St. George St. George Illawarra Dragons Brisbane Brisbane Broncos Danny Wicks St. George St. George Illawarra Dragons Newcastle Newcastle Knights Chris Beattie Eastern Suburbs Sydney Roosters Lézignan Sangliers Ashley Harrison Eastern Suburbs Sydney Roosters Gold Coast Titans Gold Coast Titans Heath L'Estrange Eastern Suburbs Sydney Roosters Manly Manly Warringah Sea Eagles Joel Monaghan Eastern Suburbs Sydney Roosters Canberra Canberra Raiders Danny Nutley Eastern Suburbs Sydney Roosters Cronulla Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Craig Wing Eastern Suburbs Sydney Roosters South Sydney South Sydney Rabbitohs Daniel Fitzhenry Wests Tigers Wests Tigers Hull Kingston Rovers Super League: Hull Kingston Rovers Ben Galea Wests Tigers Wests Tigers Hull Kingston Rovers Super League: Hull Kingston Rovers Jason Moodie Wests Tigers Wests Tigers Retirement Paul Whatuira Wests Tigers Wests Tigers Huddersfield Super League: Huddersfield Giants Ben Harris Bradford Super League: Bradford Bulls North Queensland North Queensland Cowboys Ian Henderson Bradford Super League: Bradford Bulls 23px New Zealand Warriors Mathew Head Hull FC Super League: Hull F.C. Wests Tigers Wests Tigers Brent Grose Warrington Super League: Warrington Wolves Eastern Suburbs Sydney Roosters Michael Sullivan Warrington Super League: Warrington Wolves Canterbury Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs David Vaealiki Wigan Super League: Wigan Warriors Manly Manly Warringah Sea Eagles Sean Rudder Ricoh Black Rams (Japanese rugby union) Eastern Suburbs Sydney Roosters Wendell Sailor N/A St. George St. George Illawarra Dragons Related links 2008 NRL season results 2008 NRL Under-20s season 2008 Dally M Awards 2008 representative games City vs Country Origin ANZAC Centenary Test State of Origin 2008 2008 Rugby League World Cup Team season articles 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 2008 Notes 33em References 33em http://203.166.101.37/NRL08/crowdstotal.asp?lyear=2008 Club Season Crowds NRLStats 2008-03-23 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20080829134009/http://203.166.101.37/NRL08/crowdstotal.asp?lyear=2008 29 August 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 Rugby league centenary exhibit at nma.gov.au https://web.archive.org/web/20090627142501/http://www.nma.gov.au/exhibitions/league_of_legends/ 27 June 2009