2008 NRL season results

Australia/New Zealand rugby league results January 2020 September 2011 2008 NRL season 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.NRL 2008 - Results - RLP https://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/seasons/nrl-2008/results.html 2024-02-08 www.rugbyleagueproject.org Regular season Times for Rounds 1–3 were Australian Eastern Daylight Saving Time. Times for Round 4 and the remainder of the season were Australian Eastern Standard Time. Round 1 This round marked the first premiership round of the centenary season of rugby league in Australia. Skilled Park on the Gold Coast became the 70th first-grade venue used, and was 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. HomeScoreAwayMatch informationDate and timeVenueRefereeCrowd 23x23px South Sydney Rabbitohs20-34 23x23px Sydney Roosters 14 March 2008, 7:30 pmANZ StadiumTony Archer29,386 23x23px Gold Coast Titans36-18 23x23px North Queensland Cowboys 14 March 2008, 8:30 pmSkilled ParkShayne Hayne26,974 23x23px Parramatta Eels28-20 23x23px Bulldogs 15 March 2008, 5:30 pmANZ StadiumJason Robinson25,065 23x23px Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles10-16 23x23px Cronulla Sharks 15 March 2008, 7:30 pmBrookvale OvalJared Maxwell15,424 23x23px Newcastle Knights30-14 23x23px Canberra Raiders 15 March 2008, 7:30 pmEnergyAustralia StadiumTony De Las Heras17,233 23x23px Brisbane Broncos48-12 23x23px Penrith Panthers 16 March 2008, 2:00 pmSuncorp StadiumGavin Badger31,250 23x23px Wests Tigers24-16 23x23px St George Illawarra Dragons 16 March 2008, 3:00 pmSydney Football StadiumSean Hampstead18,211 23x23px Melbourne Storm32-18 23x23px New Zealand Warriors 17 March 2008, 7:00 pmTelstra DomeBen Cummins20,084 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. HomeScoreAwayMatch informationDate and timeVenueRefereeCrowd 23x23px Sydney Roosters14-20 23x23px Brisbane Broncos 21 March 2008, 7:30 pmSydney Football StadiumJared Maxwell18,724 23x23px South Sydney Rabbitohs12-25 23x23px Bulldogs 21 March 2008, 7:30 pmANZ StadiumSean Hampstead21,839 23x23px Penrith Panthers16-20 23x23px Canberra Raiders 22 March 2008, 5:30 pmCUA StadiumJason Robinson7,503 23x23px Newcastle Knights13-12 23x23px Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 22 March 2008, 7:30 pmEnergyAustralia StadiumBen Cummins18,117 23x23px North Queensland Cowboys10-30 23x23px Wests Tigers 22 March 2008, 9:30 pmDairy Farmers StadiumTony De Las Heras20,655 23x23px New Zealand Warriors30-16 23x23px Parramatta Eels 23 March 2008, 2:00 pmMt Smart StadiumShayne Hayne15,250 23x23px Melbourne Storm16-17 23x23px Cronulla Sharks 23 March 2008, 3:00 pmOlympic Park StadiumTony Archer10,720 23x23px St George Illawarra Dragons30-12 23x23px Gold Coast Titans 24 March 2008, 7:00 pmWIN StadiumGavin Badger10,521 Round 3 All matches this round were won by home teams. A new Suncorp Stadium attendance record for premiership games was 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. HomeScoreAwayMatch informationDate and timeVenueRefereeCrowd 23x23px Brisbane Broncos36-2 23x23px North Queensland Cowboys 28 March 2008, 8:30 pmSuncorp StadiumBen Cummins50,612 23x23px Parramatta Eels24-23 23x23px Newcastle Knights 28 March 2008, 7:30 pmParramatta StadiumTony Archer15,176 23x23px Sydney Roosters10-6 23x23px Melbourne Storm 29 March 2008, 5:30 pmSydney Football StadiumShayne Hayne12,137 23x23px Canberra Raiders21-14 23x23px St George Illawarra Dragons 29 March 2008, 7:30 pmCanberra StadiumGavin Badger14,400 23x23px Gold Coast Titans18-4 23x23px Cronulla Sharks 29 March 2008, 9:30 pmSkilled ParkJason Robinson19,050 23x23px Penrith Panthers26-22 23x23px South Sydney Rabbitohs 30 March 2008, 2:00 pmCUA StadiumTony De Las Heras10,839 23x23px Bulldogs32-12 23x23px Wests Tigers 30 March 2008, 3:00 pmANZ StadiumJared Maxwell21,546 23x23px Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles52-6 23x23px New Zealand Warriors 31 March 2008, 7:00 pmBrookvale OvalSean Hampstead10,175 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 was invoked for the third time in 2008, the Cronulla v St. George Illawarra match going to extra time. The South Sydney Rabbitohs were 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. HomeScoreAwayMatch informationDate and timeVenueRefereeCrowd 23x23px Bulldogs12-40 23x23px Sydney Roosters 4 April 2008, 7:30 pmANZ StadiumTony Archer36,526 23x23px Melbourne Storm28-8 23x23px Brisbane Broncos 4 April 2008, 7:30 pmOlympic Park StadiumJared Maxwell13,831 23x23px St George Illawarra Dragons16-18 23x23px Cronulla Sharks 5 April 2008, 5:30 pmANZ StadiumSean Hampstead15,318 23x23px Gold Coast Titans32-12 23x23px Canberra Raiders 5 April 2008, 7:30 pmSkilled ParkBen Cummins17,381 23x23px North Queensland Cowboys38-14 23x23px Parramatta Eels 5 April 2008, 9:30 pmDairy Farmers StadiumBernard Sutton19,231 23x23px New Zealand Warriors26-20 23x23px Newcastle Knights 6 April 2008, 2:00 pmMt Smart StadiumTony Le Las Heras11,518 23x23px Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles20-2 23x23px South Sydney Rabbitohs 6 April 2008, 3:00 pmBrookvale OvalShayne Hayne14,426 23x23px Wests Tigers8-30 23x23px Penrith Panthers 7 April 2008, 7:00 pmCampbelltown StadiumJason Robinson11,898 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. HomeScoreAwayMatch informationDate and timeVenueRefereeCrowd 23x23px Melbourne Storm26-4 23x23px Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 11 April 2008, 7:30 pmOlympic Park StadiumTony Archer13,632 23x23px Parramatta Eels20-28 23x23px Gold Coast Titans 11 April 2008, 7:30 pmParramatta StadiumJared Maxwell13,321 23x23px St George Illawarra Dragons16-20 23x23px North Queensland Cowboys 12 April 2008, 5:30 pmWIN StadiumTony De Las Heras11,639 23x23px Penrith Panthers12-28 23x23px Sydney Roosters 12 April 2008, 7:30 pmCUA StadiumBernard Sutton16,294 23x23px New Zealand Warriors36-16 23x23px Bulldogs 13 April 2008, 12:00 pmMt Smart StadiumBen Cummins15,912 23x23px Canberra Raiders30-24 23x23px Wests Tigers 13 April 2008, 2:00 pmCanberra StadiumSean Hampstead12,240 23x23px Newcastle Knights22-34 23x23px Brisbane Broncos 13 April 2008, 3:00 pmEnergyAustralia StadiumShayne Hayne21,614 23x23px South Sydney Rabbitohs10-12 23x23px Cronulla Sharks 14 April 2008, 7:00 pmANZ StadiumJason Robinson12,998 Round 6: heritage round This premiership round, the heritage 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 played 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 resulted 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. HomeScoreAwayMatch informationDate and timeVenueRefereeCrowd Gold Coast Titans26-24 Brisbane Broncos 18 April 2008, 7:30 pmSkilled ParkTony Archer 27,176 Parramatta Eels16-20 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 18 April 2008, 7:30 pmParramatta StadiumShayne Hayne14,025 30px Bulldogs30-18 St George Illawarra Dragons 19 April 2008, 5:30 pmANZ StadiumBernard Sutton14,767 30px North Queensland Cowboys48-20 30px New Zealand Warriors 19 April 2008, 7:30 pmDairy Farmers StadiumJason Robinson20,554 Cronulla Sharks20-21 Penrith Panthers 19 April 2008, 7:30 pmToyota StadiumSean Hampstead13,852 Sydney Roosters20-34 30px Newcastle Knights 20 April 2008, 2:00 pm Bluetongue StadiumSteve Lyons14,176 Wests Tigers30-10 South Sydney Rabbitohs 20 April 2008, 3:00 pmSydney Cricket GroundBen Cummins19,122 Canberra Raiders16-23 Melbourne Storm 21 April 2008, 7:00 pmCanberra StadiumJared Maxwell15,550 Round 7 South Sydney Rabbitohs lost their ninth consecutive match (from round 24, 2007), this time to the Brisbane Broncos. This was also Tonie Carroll's 200th game for the Broncos. The Dragons bounced 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 extended their winning streak against Cronulla to nine. HomeScoreAwayMatch informationDate and timeVenueRefereeCrowd 23x23px St George Illawarra Dragons26-6 23x23px Sydney Roosters25 April 2008, 3:15 pmANZ StadiumSean Hampstead21,596 23x23px Brisbane Broncos32-18 23x23px South Sydney Rabbitohs25 April 2008, 7:45 pmSuncorp StadiumJason Robinson34,112 23x23px Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles30-22 23x23px Bulldogs26 April 2008, 5:30 pmBrookvale OvalTony Archer15,229 23x23px North Queensland Cowboys10-12 23x23px Melbourne Storm26 April 2008, 7:30 pmDairy Farmers StadiumGavin Badger24,053 23x23px Gold Coast Titans36-24 23x23px New Zealand Warriors27 April 2008, 2:00 pmSkilled ParkSteve Lyons25,310 23x23px Cronulla Sharks16-20 23x23px Wests Tigers27 April 2008, 3:00 pmToyota StadiumShayne Hayne17,241 23x23px Parramatta EelsBYE 23x23px Newcastle Knights 23x23px Penrith PanthersBYE 23x23px 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 in what was the first test match played at the Sydney Cricket Ground since 1986. HomeScoreAwayMatch informationDate and timeVenueRefereeCrowd 23x23px Newcastle Knights13-12 23x23px Gold Coast Titans3 May 2008, 5:30 pmEnergyAustralia StadiumGavin Badger21,280 23x23px Penrith Panthers18-26 23x23px Parramatta Eels3 May 2008, 7:30 pmCUA StadiumBen Cummins18,724 23x23px Wests Tigers22-34 23x23px Brisbane Broncos3 May 2008, 8:30 pmANZ StadiumTony Archer11,177 23x23px New Zealand Warriors14-6 23x23px Canberra Raiders4 May 2008, 2:00 pmMt Smart StadiumSean Hampstead7,358 23x23px South Sydney Rabbitohs28-24 23x23px North Queensland Cowboys4 May 2008, 3:00 pmANZ StadiumShayne Hayne9,818 23x23px BulldogsBYE 23x23px St George Illawarra Dragons 23x23px Manly-Warringah Sea EaglesBYE 23x23px Sydney Roosters 23x23px Cronulla SharksBYE 23x23px 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 was scoreless. Melbourne's win over Newcastle placed 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. HomeScoreAwayMatch informationDate and timeVenueRefereeCrowd 23x23px Sydney Roosters30-4 23x23px Canberra Raiders10 May 2008, 5:30 pmSydney Football StadiumJason Robinson10,241 23x23px Bulldogs4-30 23x23px Penrith Panthers10 May 2008, 7:30 pmANZ StadiumJared Maxwell10,257 23x23px North Queensland Cowboys18-24 23x23px Cronulla Sharks10 May 2008, 7:30 pmDairy Farmers StadiumTony Archer17,065 23x23px Brisbane Broncos12-30 23x23px Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles11 May 2008, 2:00 pmSuncorp StadiumShayne Hayne27,469 23x23px Parramatta Eels19-18 23x23px St George Illawarra Dragons11 May 2008, 3:00 pmANZ StadiumSean Hampstead16,313 23x23px Melbourne Storm18-4 23x23px Newcastle Knights12 May 2008, 7:00 pmOlympic Park StadiumBen Cummins10,624 23x23px South Sydney RabbitohsBYE 23x23px Gold Coast Titans 23x23px Wests TigersBYE 23x23px New Zealand Warriors Round 10 The 34 players selected for State of Origin were 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. HomeScoreAwayMatch informationDate and timeVenueRefereeCrowd 23x23px Parramatta Eels12-32 23x23px Sydney Roosters16 May 2008, 7:45 pmParramatta StadiumShayne Hayne16,211 23x23px Gold Coast Titans24-20 23x23px Bulldogs16 May 2008, 7:45 pmSkilled ParkJason Robinson22,676 23x23px Cronulla Sharks13-6 23x23px Brisbane Broncos17 May 2008, 5:30 pmToyota StadiumJared Maxwell13,431 23x23px St George Illawarra Dragons36-12 23x23px Melbourne Storm17 May 2008, 7:30 pmANZ StadiumPhil Haines6,881 23x23px Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles38-6 23x23px North Queensland Cowboys17 May 2008, 7:30 pmBluetongue StadiumBen Cummins9,343 23x23px Penrith Panthers46-22 23x23px New Zealand Warriors18 May 2008, 2:00 pmCUA StadiumTony De Las Heras9,450 23x23px Newcastle Knights26-38 23x23px Wests Tigers18 May 2008, 3:00 pmEnergyAustralia StadiumSean Hampstead20,154 23x23px Canberra Raiders38-10 23x23px South Sydney Rabbitohs19 May 2008, 7:00 pmCanberra StadiumGavin Badger11,115 Round 11 The Warriors' loss to the Roosters was the first home game they lost in 2008. HomeScoreAwayMatch informationDate and timeVenueRefereeCrowd 23x23px Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles18-20 23x23px St George Illawarra Dragons23 May 2008 7:45 pmBrookvale OvalJason Robinson12,058 23x23px South Sydney Rabbitohs10-15 23x23px Melbourne Storm24 May 2008 7:30 pmBluetongue StadiumJared Maxwell8,761 23x23px New Zealand Warriors12-38 23x23px Sydney Roosters25 May 2008 2:00 pmMt Smart StadiumBen Cummins11,922 23x23px Wests Tigers20-18 23x23px Gold Coast Titans25 May 2008 3:00 pmLeichhardt OvalShayne Hayne17,493 23x23px Bulldogs30-22 23x23px Cronulla Sharks26 May 2008 7:00 pmANZ StadiumTony Archer9,289 23x23px Brisbane BroncosBYE 23x23px North Queensland Cowboys 23x23px Parramatta EelsBYE 23x23px Newcastle Knights 23x23px Penrith PanthersBYE 23x23px Canberra Raiders Round 12 Manly's Adam Cuthbertson was 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 four, 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 was 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. HomeScoreAwayMatch informationDate and timeVenueRefereeCrowd 23x23px Brisbane Broncos30-26 23x23px Parramatta Eels30 May 2008, 7:45 pmSuncorp StadiumJason Robinson25,564 23x23px Canberra Raiders18-31 23x23px Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles30 May 2008, 7:45 pmCanberra StadiumSean Hampstead13,120 23x23px Melbourne Storm46-0 23x23px Bulldogs31 May 2008, 5:30 pmOlympic Park StadiumShayne Hayne12,251 23x23px North Queensland Cowboys18-19 23x23px Penrith Panthers31 May 2008, 7:30 pmDairy Farmers StadiumAlan Shortall16,553 23x23px Newcastle Knights16-18 23x23px New Zealand Warriors31 May 2008, 7:30 pmEnergyAustralia StadiumJared Maxwell15,489 23x23px South Sydney Rabbitohs12-26 23x23px St George Illawarra Dragons1 June 2008, 2:00 pmANZ StadiumGavin Badger12,978 23x23px Cronulla Sharks30-14 23x23px Gold Coast Titans1 June 2008, 3:00 pmToyota StadiumBen Cummins8,214 23x23px Sydney Roosters19-10 23x23px Wests Tigers2 June 2008, 7:45 pmSydney Football StadiumTony Archer15,204 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 returned to the NRL with St. George Illawarra after a seven-year absence. The Sydney Roosters failed to score against Manly for the second time in a row, having lost 0-56 in Round 17, 2007. For the first time, the Gold Coast Titans held their opposition scoreless with an 18-0 win over the Melbourne Storm at Skilled Park, in the process maintaining their undefeated home record in 2008. HomeScoreAwayMatch informationDate and timeVenueRefereeCrowd 23x23px St George Illawarra Dragons28-10 23x23px Brisbane Broncos6 June 2008, 7:45 pmANZ StadiumBen Cummins11,234 23x23px New Zealand Warriors28-35 23x23px South Sydney Rabbitohs6 June 2008, 8:00 pmMt Smart StadiumTony De Las Heras13,112 23x23px Bulldogs12-22 23x23px Newcastle Knights7 June 2008, 5:30 pmANZ StadiumSean Hampstead9,565 23x23px Wests Tigers40-16 23x23px North Queensland Cowboys7 June 2008, 7:30 pmCampbelltown StadiumGavin Badger10,488 23x23px Parramatta Eels30-12 23x23px Canberra Raiders7 June 2008, 7:30 pmParramatta StadiumAlan Shortall10,195 23x23px Penrith Panthers22-24 23x23px Cronulla Sharks8 June 2008, 2:00 pmCUA StadiumJared Maxwell10,543 23x23px Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles42-0 23x23px Sydney Roosters8 June 2008, 3:00 pmBrookvale OvalShayne Hayne13,842 23x23px Gold Coast Titans18-0 23x23px Melbourne Storm9 June 2008, 7:00 pmSkilled ParkJason Robinson19,409 Round 14 For the first time since 2005, the Cronulla Sharks managed to win three consecutive games. The Cowboys lost their seventh consecutive match for the first time since 1999. HomeScoreAwayMatch informationDate and timeVenueRefereeCrowd 23x23px Sydney Roosters32-12 23x23px Penrith Panthers13 June 2008, 7:45 pmSydney Football StadiumSean Hampstead9,724 23x23px Cronulla Sharks24-8 23x23px New Zealand Warriors14 June 2008, 7:30 pmToyota StadiumBen Cummins9,023 23x23px Canberra Raiders34-16 23x23px Brisbane Broncos15 June 2008, 2:00 pmCanberra StadiumJason Robinson11,157 23x23px Wests Tigers6-44 23x23px Parramatta Eels15 June 2008, 3:00 pmANZ StadiumTony Archer22,170 23x23px North Queensland Cowboys18-30 23x23px Newcastle Knights16 June 2008, 7:00 pmDairy Farmers StadiumShayne Hayne14,234 23x23px BulldogsBYE 23x23px St George Illawarra Dragons 23x23px Manly-Warringah Sea EaglesBYE 23x23px South Sydney Rabbitohs 23x23px Melbourne StormBYE 23x23px Gold Coast Titans Round 15 Both Friday night games were won by the home teams by one point, so both avoided heading into extra time. The Bulldogs suffered their second thrashing in five weeks, this time 18-58 by Canberra, the most points the Bulldogs had 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 were 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 ended Parramatta's clean run with their Toyota Park Stadium. However, this resulted in Cronulla losing their key man and Blues five-eighth Greg Bird, having been injured in Cronulla's 16-14 win over Parramatta. South Sydney earned 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 full-time. Their win saw the Rabbitohs move out of last place for the first time this season after 15 rounds, slipping North Queensland to their long-held position. HomeScoreAwayMatch informationDate and timeVenueRefereeCrowd 23x23px Brisbane Broncos19-18 23x23px Wests Tigers20 June 2008, 7:45 pmSuncorp StadiumSean Hampstead27,864 23x23px St George Illawarra Dragons13-12 23x23px Penrith Panthers20 June 2008, 7:45 pmANZ StadiumJared Maxwell9,032 23x23px Bulldogs18-58 23x23px Canberra Raiders21 June 2008, 5:30 pmANZ StadiumGavin Badger9,845 23x23px Melbourne Storm48-20 23x23px North Queensland Cowboys21 June 2008, 7:30 pmOlympic Park StadiumBernard Sutton10,880 23x23px New Zealand Warriors14-20 23x23px Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles22 June 2008, 2:00 pmMt Smart StadiumTony De Las Heras7,141 23x23px Newcastle Knights14-16 23x23px Sydney Roosters22 June 2008, 2:00 pmEnergyAustralia StadiumTony Archer19,253 23x23px Cronulla Sharks16-14 23x23px Parramatta Eels22 June 2008, 3:00 pmToyota StadiumShayne Hayne17,547 23x23px South Sydney Rabbitohs24-23 23x23px Gold Coast Titans23 June 2008, 7:00 pmANZ StadiumSteve Lyons9,827 Round 16 Once again, players selected for State of Origin duties were 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 lost 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. HomeScoreAwayMatch informationDate and timeVenueRefereeCrowd 23x23px Sydney Roosters24-14 23x23px Bulldogs27 June 2008, 7:45 pmSydney Football StadiumJared Maxwell9,271 23x23px Penrith Panthers12-12 23x23px Brisbane Broncos27 June 2008, 7:45 pmCUA StadiumGavin Badger9,967 23x23px Gold Coast Titans22-26 23x23px St George Illawarra Dragons28 June 2008, 5:30 pmSkilled ParkBernard Sutton26,453 23x23px Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles28-12 23x23px Newcastle Knights28 June 2008, 7:30 pmBluetongue StadiumShayne Hayne13,798 23x23px North Queensland Cowboys28-29 23x23px South Sydney Rabbitohs28 June 2008, 7:30 pmDairy Farmers StadiumTony De Las Heras15,631 23x23px Wests Tigers26-28 23x23px New Zealand Warriors29 June 2008, 2:00 pmLeichhardt OvalSteve Lyons15,027 23x23px Parramatta Eels24-22 23x23px Melbourne Storm29 June 2008, 3:00 pmParramatta StadiumBen Cummins12,597 23x23px Canberra Raiders24-36 23x23px Cronulla Sharks30 June 2008, 7:00 pmCanberra StadiumSean Hampstead9,136 Round 17 The Dragons protected their five-year unbeaten streak in Newcastle with a 24–16 victory over the Knights, which was 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 was unbeaten as coach against his old club. Penrith's win over Parramatta was somewhat soured when Penrith captain Petero Civoniceva was racially taunted by Eels fans at Parramatta Stadium. For the second week in a row, the South Sydney Rabbitohs came back to win, this time coming from 18 points down early in the second half against the Bulldogs in extra time, scoring four consecutive games for the first time in 14 years. HomeScoreAwayMatch informationDate and timeVenueRefereeCrowd 23x23px Gold Coast Titans14-34 23x23px Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles4 July 2008, 7:45 pmSkilled ParkJared Maxwell21,374 23x23px Newcastle Knights16-24 23x23px St George Illawarra Dragons5 July 2008, 7:30 pmEnergyAustralia StadiumSean Hampstead22,348 23x23px Melbourne Storm30-14 23x23px Canberra Raiders6 July 2008, 2:00 pmOlympic Park StadiumBen Cummins11,719 23x23px Parramatta Eels16-22 23x23px Penrith Panthers6 July 2008, 3:00 pmParramatta StadiumShayne Hayne 14,459 23x23px Bulldogs30-34 23x23px South Sydney Rabbitohs7 July 2008, 7:00 pmANZ StadiumJason Robinson15,562 23x23px Brisbane BroncosBYE 23x23px North Queensland Cowboys 23x23px Sydney RoostersBYE 23x23px Cronulla Sharks 23x23px Wests TigersBYE 23x23px New Zealand Warriors Round 18 The Gold Coast Titans beat the Sydney Roosters at the Sydney Football Stadium, 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 the 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 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. HomeScoreAwayMatch informationDate and timeVenueRefereeCrowd 23x23px Penrith Panthers18-30 23x23px Newcastle Knights11 July 2008, 7:45 pmCUA StadiumGavin Badger10,029 23x23px Sydney Roosters28-32 23x23px Gold Coast Titans11 July 2008, 7:45 pmSydney Football StadiumBen Cummins10,762 23x23px New Zealand Warriors24-14 23x23px North Queensland Cowboys12 July 2008, 5:30 pmMt Smart StadiumSean Hampstead7,722 23x23px Cronulla Sharks6-34 23x23px Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles12 July 2008, 7:30 pmToyota StadiumJason Robinson18,217 23x23px South Sydney Rabbitohs32-20 23x23px Parramatta Eels12 July 2008, 7:30 pmANZ StadiumMatt Cecchin17,897 23x23px St George Illawarra Dragons12-19 23x23px Canberra Raiders 13 July 2008, 2:00 pmWIN Stadium Tony De Las Heras 14,040 23x23px Brisbane Broncos18-26 23x23px Bulldogs13 July 2008, 3:00 pmSuncorp StadiumTony Archer37,683 23x23px Wests Tigers18-30 23x23px Melbourne Storm14 July 2008, 7:00 pmCampbelltown StadiumJared Maxwell16,653 Round 19 North Queensland's eleventh consecutive loss was 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 were injured 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 and 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. HomeScoreAwayMatch informationDate and timeVenueRefereeCrowd 23x23px North Queensland Cowboys18-32 23x23px Brisbane Broncos18 July 2008, 7:35 pmDairy Farmers StadiumBen Cummins22,048 23x23px Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles28-10 23x23px Parramatta Eels18 July 2008, 7:35 pmBrookvale OvalShayne Hayne18,970 23x23px Gold Coast Titans22-36 23x23px Penrith Panthers19 July 2008, 5:30 pmSkilled ParkMatt Cecchin17,759 23x23px Bulldogs22-40 23x23px New Zealand Warriors19 July 2008, 7:30 pmANZ StadiumTony De Las Heras12,973 23x23px Cronulla Sharks16-13 23x23px Newcastle Knights19 July 2008, 7:30 pmToyota StadiumTony Archer10,112 23x23px Canberra Raiders34-12 23x23px Sydney Roosters20 July 2008, 2:00 pmCanberra StadiumJarred Maxwel13,417 23x23px South Sydney Rabbitohs12-36 23x23px Wests Tigers20 July 2008, 3:00 pmANZ StadiumJason Robinson21,818 23x23px Melbourne Storm26-0 23x23px St George Illawarra Dragons21 July 2008, 7:00 pmOlympic Park StadiumGavin Badger9,335 Round 20 All matches on 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. Future Dally M Medallist and Sharks 2016 premiership player Ben Barba made his NRL debut for the Bulldogs in this match.https://www.espn.com.au/nrl/story/_/id/25898215/a-line-ben-barba-league-career A timeline of Ben Barba's league career ESPN Matt Encarnacion 1 February 2019 19 May 2023 There were four games with crowds under 10,000. HomeScoreAwayMatch informationDate and timeVenueRefereeCrowd 23x23px Parramatta Eels16-4 23x23px North Queensland Cowboys25 July 2008, 7:35 pmParramatta StadiumSteve Lyons 7,253 23x23px Brisbane Broncos18-12 23x23px Cronulla Sharks25 July 2008, 7:35 pmSuncorp StadiumShayne Hayne27,905 23x23px Canberra Raiders46-4 23x23px Gold Coast Titans26 July 2008, 5:30 pmCanberra StadiumTony De Las Heras8,700 23x23px Penrith Panthers24-10 23x23px Wests Tigers26 July 2008, 7:30 pmCUA StadiumTony Archer14,075 23x23px New Zealand Warriors8-6 23x23px Melbourne Storm27 July 2008, 12:00 pmMt Smart StadiumJarred Maxwell 8,752 23x23px Newcastle Knights39-12 23x23px South Sydney Rabbitohs27 July 2008, 2:00 pmEnergyAustralia StadiumBen Cummins23,182 23x23px Sydney Roosters34-12 23x23px Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles27 July 2008, 3:00 pmSydney Football StadiumJason Robinson 22,681 23x23px St George Illawarra Dragons30-0 23x23px Bulldogs28 July 2008, 7:00 pmANZ StadiumSean 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. HomeScoreAwayMatch informationDate and timeVenueRefereeCrowd 23x23px Melbourne Storm44-4 23x23px Gold Coast Titans1 August 2008, 7:35 pmOlympic Park StadiumTony De Las Heras9,400 23x23px Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles30-10 23x23px Penrith Panthers1 August 2008, 7:35 pmBrookvale OvalShayne Hayne7,862 23x23px Cronulla Sharks13-12 23x23px St George Illawarra Dragons2 August 2008, 5:30 pmToyota StadiumJared Maxwell18,256 23x23px South Sydney Rabbitohs18-16 23x23px New Zealand Warriors2 August 2008, 7:30 pmANZ StadiumSteve Lyons9,276 23x23px North Queensland Cowboys20-32 23x23px Sydney Roosters2 August 2008, 7:30 pmDairy Farmers StadiumSean Hampstead14,061 23x23px Wests Tigers56-4 23x23px Bulldogs3 August 2008, 2:00 pmANZ StadiumBen Cummins16,121 23x23px Brisbane Broncos34-6 23x23px Canberra Raiders3 August 2008, 3:00 pmSuncorp StadiumTony Archer28,103 23x23px Newcastle Knights32-12 23x23px Parramatta Eels4 August 2008, 7:00 pmEnergy Australia StadiumJason Robinson16,435 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 win over the Bulldogs. The Canberra Raiders recorded their highest score in a match, beating the previous best of 68, set in 1993, it was the equal 3rd highest score in history and the highest score by any team since 2003 when Parramatta also scored 74. Raiders' five-eighth Terry Campese scored 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.Henderson Philip Roosters, Eels play for Jack Gibson Cup The sydney Morning Herald Australia Fairfax Digital 6 August 2008 http://news.smh.com.au/sport/roosters-eels-play-for-jack-gibson-cup-20080806-3r1e.html 4 February 2010 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20080806195201/http://news.smh.com.au/sport/roosters-eels-play-for-jack-gibson-cup-20080806-3r1e.html 6 August 2008 HomeScoreAwayMatch informationDate and timeVenueRefereeCrowd 23x23px Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles10-16 23x23px Melbourne Storm8 August 2008, 7:35 pmBrookvale OvalTony Archer18,442 23x23px St George Illawarra Dragons10-18 23x23px Wests Tigers8 August 2008, 7:35 pmWIN StadiumShayne Hayne14,207 23x23px New Zealand Warriors16-12 23x23px Brisbane Broncos9 August 2008, 5:30 pmMt Smart StadiumSean Hampstead13,007 23x23px Bulldogs12-36 23x23px North Queensland Cowboys9 August 2008, 7:30 pmSuncorp StadiumBernard Sutton8,549 23x23px Cronulla Sharks28-14 23x23px South Sydney Rabbitohs9 August 2008, 7:30 pmToyota StadiumBen Cummins12,618 23x23px Canberra Raiders74-12 23x23px Penrith Panthers10 August 2008, 2:00 pmCanberra StadiumJason Robinson6,500 23x23px Sydney Roosters24-28 23x23px Parramatta Eels10 August 2008, 3:00 pmSydney Football StadiumJared Maxwell12,468 23x23px Gold Coast Titans12-32 23x23px Newcastle Knights11 August 2008, 7:00 pmSkilled ParkSteve Lyons15,136 Round 23 The St George Illawarra Dragons 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 got 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 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. HomeScoreAwayMatch informationDate and timeVenueRefereeCrowd 23x23px Melbourne Storm30-6 23x23px Sydney Roosters15 August 2008, 7:35 pmOlympic Park StadiumShayne Hayne13,335 23x23px Brisbane Broncos20-24 23x23px St George Illawarra Dragons15 August 2008, 7:35 pmSuncorp StadiumJared Maxwell33,237 23x23px New Zealand Warriors18-4 23x23px Cronulla Sharks16 August 2008, 5:30 pmMt Smart StadiumTony Archer10,417 23x23px North Queensland Cowboys20-26 23x23px Gold Coast Titans16 August 2008, 7:30 pmDairy Farmers StadiumBernard Sutton17,065 23x23px Penrith Panthers52-16 23x23px Bulldogs16 August 2008, 7:30 pmCUA StadiumGavin Badger7,841 23x23px Canberra Raiders38-18 23x23px Newcastle Knights17 August 2008, 2:00 pmCanberra StadiumBen Cummins12,206 23x23px South Sydney Rabbitohs40-32 23x23px Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles17 August 2008, 3:00 pmANZ StadiumSteve Lyons11,114 23x23px Parramatta Eels40-12 23x23px Wests Tigers18 August 2008, 7:00 pmParramatta StadiumMatt Cecchin13,065 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 on Saturday night, 23 August 2008. After trailing 19–6 at halftime, the Canberra Raiders tallied 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 won their first match at CUA Stadium since 2003. HomeScoreAwayMatch informationDate and timeVenueRefereeCrowd 23x23px Cronulla Sharks20-0 23x23px Sydney Roosters22 August 2008, 7:35 pmToyota StadiumJason Robinson10,013 23x23px Brisbane Broncos25-21 23x23px Gold Coast Titans22 August 2008, 7:35 pmSuncorp StadiumBen Cummins39,757 23x23px Wests Tigers16-48 23x23px Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles23 August 2008, 5:30 pmANZ StadiumTony Archer27,564 23x23px Bulldogs12-26 23x23px Parramatta Eels23 August 2008, 7:30 pmANZ StadiumSteve Lyons27,564 23x23px Newcastle Knights38-24 23x23px North Queensland Cowboys23 August 2008, 7:30 pmEnergyAustralia StadiumSean Hampstead10,323 23x23px South Sydney Rabbitohs25-40 23x23px Canberra Raiders24 August 2008, 2:00 pmANZ StadiumJared Maxwell10,128 23x23px St George Illawarra Dragons34-6 23x23px New Zealand Warriors24 August 2008, 3:00 pmWIN StadiumShayne Hayne11,583 23x23px Penrith Panthers6-40 23x23px Melbourne Storm25 August 2008, 7:00 pmCUA StadiumMatt Cecchin8,813 Round 25 After nine previous meetings, the Cronulla Sharks defeated the Wests Tigers for the first time since 2003. The Canterbury Bulldogs 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 four hopes. Steve Menzies played his last Premiership match at Brookvale Oval. The Brisbane Broncos won their fifth match in a row at ANZ Stadium. HomeScoreAwayMatch informationDate and timeVenueRefereeCrowd 23x23px Sydney Roosters22-20 23x23px South Sydney Rabbitohs29 August 2008, 7:35 pmSydney Football StadiumSteve Lyons18,127 23x23px Wests Tigers6-32 23x23px Cronulla Sharks29 August 2008, 7:35 pmLeichhardt OvalSean Hampstead10,766 23x23px Newcastle Knights17-16 23x23px Melbourne Storm30 August 2008, 5:30 pmEnergyAustralia StadiumShayne Hayne19,568 23x23px North Queensland Cowboys22-10 23x23px Canberra Raiders30 August 2008, 7:30 pmDairy Farmers StadiumMatt Cecchin14,981 23x23px St George Illawarra Dragons40-14 23x23px Parramatta Eels30 August 2008, 7:30 pmANZ StadiumTony Archer17,103 23x23px New Zealand Warriors42-20 23x23px Penrith Panthers31 August 2008, 2:00 pmMt Smart StadiumBen Cummins15,214 23x23px Bulldogs22-36 23x23px Brisbane Broncos31 August 2008, 3:00 pmANZ StadiumJared Maxwell7,685 23x23px Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles28-10 23x23px Gold Coast Titans1 September 2008, 7:00 pmBrookvale OvalJason Robinson14,755 Round 26 Wayne Bennett celebrated his last regular season game as the Broncos coach after 21 years of coaching them since their opening season in 1988. Defender Tonie Carroll also celebrated playing his last regular season game for the Broncos after serving 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 saw them make the finals for the first time since 2004 when they finished as 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 club's 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 in round 11. The Bulldogs picked up their first wooden spoon since 2002, when they were controversially stripped of 37 points for their salary-cap breach. The Melbourne Storm racked 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 had not been seen since Manly did so in 1995, 96, and 97. The game also commemorated Melbourne's longest serving player, Matt Geyer, who played his last regular season game to defeat the South Sydney Rabbitohs at Olympic Park Stadium in Melbourne 42–4. The Canberra Raiders scored 52 against the Bulldogs, the second time in the season the Raiders had put 50 or more on the Bulldogs (following the 58-18 demolition job in Round 15). They were the 6th team in history to achieve this feat, and the first team since Parramatta did it to Newtown in 1983. This was the second time the Bulldogs had been on the receiving end of this feat, the other being in their debut season, 1935. The Parramatta and Warriors games drew 5,102 people, the lowest crowd of the season. HomeScoreAwayMatch informationDate and timeVenueRefereeCrowd 23x23px Brisbane Broncos24-2 23x23px Newcastle Knights5 September 2008, 7:35 pmSuncorp StadiumTony Archer37,552 23x23px Sydney Roosters10-0 23x23px St George Illawarra Dragons5 September 2008, 7:35 pmSydney Football StadiumShayne Hayne14,127 23x23px Penrith Panthers16-34 23x23px Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles6 September 2008, 5:30 pmCUA StadiumJared Maxwell6,086 23x23px Parramatta Eels6-28 23x23px New Zealand Warriors6 September 2008, 7:30 pmParramatta StadiumJason Robinson5,102 23x23px Cronulla Sharks28-22 23x23px North Queensland Cowboys6 September 2008, 7:30 pmToyota StadiumBen Cummins7,057 23x23px Canberra Raiders52-34 23x23px Bulldogs7 September 2008, 2:00 pmCanberra StadiumSean Hampstead15,411 23x23px Gold Coast Titans12-28 23x23px Wests Tigers7 September 2008, 3:00 pmSkilled ParkBernard Sutton20,723 23x23px Melbourne Storm42-4 23x23px South Sydney Rabbitohs7 September 2008, 7:00 pmOlympic Park StadiumSteve Lyons13,875 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 proceeded to the preliminary finals. In the semifinals, 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 it was Suncorp Stadium; for North Queensland it was Dairy Farmers Stadium; for Melbourne it was the Telstra Dome or the MCG; and for New Zealand it was Mt Smart Stadium. 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 The Sydney Roosters made 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 revisited the finals series since 2005 and hosted a home final for the first time since 2001, in which they comfortably defeated the Canberra Raiders. Both Melbourne and Manly faced sides that had defeated them during the season and held 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 had won four of their 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 were 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' striking 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 earned them a home final against the Sydney Roosters. HomeScore AwayMatch informationDate and timeVenueRefereeCrowd 23x23px Sydney Roosters16 – 24 23x23px Brisbane Broncos12 September 2008, 7:45 pmSydney Football StadiumTony Archer18,343 23x23px Cronulla Sharks36 – 10 23x23px Canberra Raiders13 September 2008, 6:30 pmToyota StadiumJared Maxwell18,252 23x23px Manly Sea Eagles38 – 6 23x23px St. George Illawarra Dragons13 September 2008, 8:30 pmBrookvale OvalShayne Hayne19,227 23x23px Melbourne Storm15 – 18 23x23px New Zealand Warriors14 September 2008, 4:00 pmOlympic Park StadiumJason Robinson15,193 Semifinals 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 became 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. They went on to play Cronulla in the preliminary final. HomeScore AwayMatch informationDate and timeVenueRefereeCrowd 23x23px New Zealand Warriors30 – 13 23x23px Sydney Roosters19 September 2008, 6:30 pmMt. Smart StadiumTony Archer25,595 23x23px Brisbane Broncos14 – 16 23x23px Melbourne Storm20 September 2008, 7:45 pmSuncorp StadiumShayne Hayne50,466 Preliminary finals The Sydney Football Stadium was allocated for both preliminary finals. Due to both sides being 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.Incomplete sentence. August 2026 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 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 three rugby league grand finals in a row.Preliminary Finals at SFS HomeScore AwayMatch informationDate and timeVenueRefereeCrowd 23x23px Cronulla Sharks0 – 28 23x23px Melbourne Storm26 September 2008, 7:45 pmSydney Football StadiumTony Archer27,570 23x23px Manly Sea Eagles32 - 6 23x23px New Zealand Warriors27 September 2008, 7:45 pmSydney Football StadiumShayne Hayne32,095 Grand final 2008 NRL Grand Final Manly's 40 to nil victory against Melbourne win in the 2008 Grand Final was 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). HomeScore AwayClive Churchill MedallistMatch informationDate and timeVenueRefereeCrowd 23x23px Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles40 - 0 23x23px Melbourne StormBrent Kite (Manly)5 October 2008, 5:00 pmANZ StadiumTony Archer80,388 References External links 2008 trial games Results Category:National Rugby League season results