2008 NRL season results

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.[1]

Regular season

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Times for Rounds 1–3 are Australian Eastern Daylight Saving Time. Times for Round 4 and the remainder of the season are Australian Eastern Standard Time.

Round 1

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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

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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

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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

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  • 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

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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

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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 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

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  • 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

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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

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  • 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

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  • 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

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  • 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

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  • 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

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  • 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 an 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

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  • For the first time since 2005, the Cronulla Sharks have managed to win three 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

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  • 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 full-time. 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.
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

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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

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  • 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 is 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.
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

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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

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  • 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 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.
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

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  • 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.[2]
  • There were four 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

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  • 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

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  • 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 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.[3]
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

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  • 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.
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

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  • 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 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.
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

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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

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  • Wayne Bennett celebrated his last regular season game as the Broncos coach after 21 years of coaching the Brisbane Broncos since their opening season in 1988. Along with Bennett, the 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 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 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 then 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 hasn't been known since Manly did so in 1995, 96, and 97. The game was also to commemorate 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 2nd time in the season the Raiders had put 50 or more on the Bulldogs (following the 58-18 demolition job in Round 15), they became the 6th team in history to achieve this feat and the first team since Parramatta did it to Newtown in 1983. It was the 2nd 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 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

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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.

Qualifying Finals

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  • 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 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 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' 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 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

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  • 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

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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

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  • 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

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  1. ^ "NRL 2008 - Results - RLP". www.rugbyleagueproject.org. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  2. ^ Encarnacion, Matt (1 February 2019). "A timeline of Ben Barba's league career". ESPN. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  3. ^ Henderson, Philip (6 August 2008). "Roosters, Eels play for Jack Gibson Cup". The sydney Morning Herald. Australia: Fairfax Digital. Archived from the original on 6 August 2008. Retrieved 4 February 2010.
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