2008 NRL season results

Main article: 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. ^[1]

Regular season

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

• This round marked the first premiership round of the centenary season of rugby league in Australia.
• Skilled Park on the Gold Coast becomes the 70th first-grade venue used and is filled to capacity for its first NRL match with the Gold Coast Titans against the North Queensland Cowboys.
• The Titans' Jordan Atkins equalled the competition record of four tries on debut, emulating Johnno Stuntz (1908), Viv Farnsworth (1910), and Tony Nash (1942).
• The Bulldogs suffered their worst collapse when they led Parramatta 20–0 at halftime to lose 28–20 at ANZ Stadium, while that comeback was Parramatta's second largest.
• Brisbane's Corey Parker surpassed Darren Lockyer's and Michael De Vere's club record of most goals kicked in a match, scoring 10 goals out of 10.

Home	Score	Away	Match information
			Date and time	Venue	Referee	Crowd
South Sydney Rabbitohs	20-34	Sydney Roosters	14 March 2008, 7:30 pm	ANZ Stadium	Tony Archer	29,386
Gold Coast Titans	36-18	North Queensland Cowboys	14 March 2008, 8:30 pm	Skilled Park	Shayne Hayne	26,974
Parramatta Eels	28-20	Bulldogs	15 March 2008, 5:30 pm	ANZ Stadium	Jason Robinson	25,065
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	10-16	Cronulla Sharks	15 March 2008, 7:30 pm	Brookvale Oval	Jared Maxwell	15,424
Newcastle Knights	30-14	Canberra Raiders	15 March 2008, 7:30 pm	EnergyAustralia Stadium	Tony De Las Heras	17,233
Brisbane Broncos	48-12	Penrith Panthers	16 March 2008, 2:00 pm	Suncorp Stadium	Gavin Badger	31,250
Wests Tigers	24-16	St George Illawarra Dragons	16 March 2008, 3:00 pm	Sydney Football Stadium	Sean Hampstead	18,211
Melbourne Storm	32-18	New Zealand Warriors	17 March 2008, 7:00 pm	Telstra Dome	Ben Cummins	20,084

Round 2

• Newcastle Knights and Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles played out the first golden point game of the season.
• The Melbourne Storm lost their 100th ever game and their first game at Olympic Park since round 24, 2006.
• Both of National Rugby League season 2007's grand finalists, Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles and the Melbourne Storm, were beaten this round both by one point by Newcastle and Cronulla.

Home	Score	Away	Match information
			Date and time	Venue	Referee	Crowd
Sydney Roosters	14-20	Brisbane Broncos	21 March 2008, 7:30 pm	Sydney Football Stadium	Jared Maxwell	18,724
South Sydney Rabbitohs	12-25	Bulldogs	21 March 2008, 7:30 pm	ANZ Stadium	Sean Hampstead	21,839
Penrith Panthers	16-20	Canberra Raiders	22 March 2008, 5:30 pm	CUA Stadium	Jason Robinson	7,503
Newcastle Knights	13-12	Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	22 March 2008, 7:30 pm	EnergyAustralia Stadium	Ben Cummins	18,117
North Queensland Cowboys	10-30	Wests Tigers	22 March 2008, 9:30 pm	Dairy Farmers Stadium	Tony De Las Heras	20,655
New Zealand Warriors	30-16	Parramatta Eels	23 March 2008, 2:00 pm	Mt Smart Stadium	Shayne Hayne	15,250
Melbourne Storm	16-17	Cronulla Sharks	23 March 2008, 3:00 pm	Olympic Park Stadium	Tony Archer	10,720
St George Illawarra Dragons	30-12	Gold Coast Titans	24 March 2008, 7:00 pm	WIN Stadium	Gavin Badger	10,521

Round 3

• All matches this round were won by home teams.
• A new Suncorp Stadium attendance record for premiership games is set with 50,612.
• Brisbane Broncos made it three wins from their first three matches of the season for the first time since 2003.
• Newcastle Knights played their second consecutive golden point game but lost to the Parramatta Eels.
• Melbourne Storm suffered their first back-to-back loss since rounds 3 and 4, 2006.
• Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles got their biggest ever win over the New Zealand Warriors.

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time	Venue	Referee	Crowd
Brisbane Broncos	36-2	North Queensland Cowboys	28 March 2008, 8:30 pm	Suncorp Stadium	Ben Cummins	50,612
Parramatta Eels	24-23	Newcastle Knights	28 March 2008, 7:30 pm	Parramatta Stadium	Tony Archer	15,176
Sydney Roosters	10-6	Melbourne Storm	29 March 2008, 5:30 pm	Sydney Football Stadium	Shayne Hayne	12,137
Canberra Raiders	21-14	St George Illawarra Dragons	29 March 2008, 7:30 pm	Canberra Stadium	Gavin Badger	14,400
Gold Coast Titans	18-4	Cronulla Sharks	29 March 2008, 9:30 pm	Skilled Park	Jason Robinson	19,050
Penrith Panthers	26-22	South Sydney Rabbitohs	30 March 2008, 2:00 pm	CUA Stadium	Tony De Las Heras	10,839
Bulldogs	32-12	Wests Tigers	30 March 2008, 3:00 pm	ANZ Stadium	Jared Maxwell	21,546
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	52-6	New Zealand Warriors	31 March 2008, 7:00 pm	Brookvale Oval	Sean Hampstead	10,175

Round 4

• A new ANZ Stadium regular season attendance record (excluding double headers) was set when 36,526 came to the match between the Bulldogs and the Sydney Roosters.
• Golden point is invoked for the third time in 2008, the Cronulla v St. George Illawarra match going to extra time.
• The South Sydney Rabbitohs are the remaining team to yet win a game after falling for their fourth consecutive game against the Manly Sea Eagles who managed to keep them tryless by 20 points to 2.
• The Sydney Roosters' and the Bulldogs' match was labelled the "Grudge Match of the Year" as many of the Roosters high-profile players were former Bulldogs and it was their first clash since forward Willie Mason left the Bulldogs for the Roosters. However the match was one-sided as the Roosters scored a 28-point victory. Braith Anasta, a former Bulldog, was named man of the match while Mason scored two tries.

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time	Venue	Referee	Crowd
Bulldogs	12-40	Sydney Roosters	4 April 2008, 7:30 pm	ANZ Stadium	Tony Archer	36,526
Melbourne Storm	28-8	Brisbane Broncos	4 April 2008, 7:30 pm	Olympic Park Stadium	Jared Maxwell	13,831
St George Illawarra Dragons	16-18	Cronulla Sharks	5 April 2008, 5:30 pm	ANZ Stadium	Sean Hampstead	15,318
Gold Coast Titans	32-12	Canberra Raiders	5 April 2008, 7:30 pm	Skilled Park	Ben Cummins	17,381
North Queensland Cowboys	38-14	Parramatta Eels	5 April 2008, 9:30 pm	Dairy Farmers Stadium	Bernard Sutton	19,231
New Zealand Warriors	26-20	Newcastle Knights	6 April 2008, 2:00 pm	Mt Smart Stadium	Tony Le Las Heras	11,518
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	20-2	South Sydney Rabbitohs	6 April 2008, 3:00 pm	Brookvale Oval	Shayne Hayne	14,426
Wests Tigers	8-30	Penrith Panthers	7 April 2008, 7:00 pm	Campbelltown Stadium	Jason Robinson	11,898

Round 5

• For the fifth time in their ten-year history, St. George Illawarra Dragons started the season with one win and four losses.
• The New Zealand Warriors won their first match against the Bulldogs since the first week of the finals in 2003.
• Canberra Raiders won the inaugural 1989 League Legends Cup against the Wests Tigers.
• The Brisbane Broncos won their fourth straight match over the Newcastle Knights.

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time	Venue	Referee	Crowd
Melbourne Storm	26-4	Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	11 April 2008, 7:30 pm	Olympic Park Stadium	Tony Archer	13,632
Parramatta Eels	20-28	Gold Coast Titans	11 April 2008, 7:30 pm	Parramatta Stadium	Jared Maxwell	13,321
St George Illawarra Dragons	16-20	North Queensland Cowboys	12 April 2008, 5:30 pm	WIN Stadium	Tony De Las Heras	11,639
Penrith Panthers	12-28	Sydney Roosters	12 April 2008, 7:30 pm	CUA Stadium	Bernard Sutton	16,294
New Zealand Warriors	36-16	Bulldogs	13 April 2008, 12:00 pm	Mt Smart Stadium	Ben Cummins	15,912
Canberra Raiders	30-24	Wests Tigers	13 April 2008, 2:00 pm	Canberra Stadium	Sean Hampstead	12,240
Newcastle Knights	22-34	Brisbane Broncos	13 April 2008, 3:00 pm	EnergyAustralia Stadium	Shayne Hayne	21,614
South Sydney Rabbitohs	10-12	Cronulla Sharks	14 April 2008, 7:00 pm	ANZ Stadium	Jason Robinson	12,998

Round 6: Heritage round

This premiership round, 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

• South Sydney Rabbitohs lose their ninth consecutive match (from round 24, 2007), this time to the Brisbane Broncos. It was also Tonie Carroll's 200th game for the Broncos.
• The Dragons bounce back from their four-game slump causing the Sydney Roosters' first back-to-back losses for this season.
• Gold Coast recorded their fifth successive win, becoming the first of any Gold Coast team in the top grade ever to do so.
• Wests Tigers extend their winning streak against Cronulla to nine.

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time	Venue	Referee	Crowd
St George Illawarra Dragons	26-6	Sydney Roosters	25 April 2008, 3:15 pm	ANZ Stadium	Sean Hampstead	21,596
Brisbane Broncos	32-18	South Sydney Rabbitohs	25 April 2008, 7:45 pm	Suncorp Stadium	Jason Robinson	34,112
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	30-22	Bulldogs	26 April 2008, 5:30 pm	Brookvale Oval	Tony Archer	15,229
North Queensland Cowboys	10-12	Melbourne Storm	26 April 2008, 7:30 pm	Dairy Farmers Stadium	Gavin Badger	24,053
Gold Coast Titans	36-24	New Zealand Warriors	27 April 2008, 2:00 pm	Skilled Park	Steve Lyons	25,310
Cronulla Sharks	16-20	Wests Tigers	27 April 2008, 3:00 pm	Toyota Stadium	Shayne Hayne	17,241
Parramatta Eels	BYE	Newcastle Knights
Penrith Panthers	BYE	Canberra Raiders

Round 8

• The Newcastle Knights get their first win over the Gold Coast Titans with a thrilling 13-12 match.
• Referee Ben Cummins was hit by a foam football thrown by angry Penrith fans after the Parramatta Eels 26-18 win over the Panthers.
• The South Sydney Rabbitohs got their first win of the season.
• This round was followed by the 2008 ANZAC Test in what was the first test match played at the Sydney Cricket Ground since 1986.

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time	Venue	Referee	Crowd
Newcastle Knights	13-12	Gold Coast Titans	3 May 2008, 5:30 pm	EnergyAustralia Stadium	Gavin Badger	21,280
Penrith Panthers	18-26	Parramatta Eels	3 May 2008, 7:30 pm	CUA Stadium	Ben Cummins	18,724
Wests Tigers	22-34	Brisbane Broncos	3 May 2008, 8:30 pm	ANZ Stadium	Tony Archer	11,177
New Zealand Warriors	14-6	Canberra Raiders	4 May 2008, 2:00 pm	Mt Smart Stadium	Sean Hampstead	7,358
South Sydney Rabbitohs	28-24	North Queensland Cowboys	4 May 2008, 3:00 pm	ANZ Stadium	Shayne Hayne	9,818
Bulldogs	BYE	St George Illawarra Dragons
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	BYE	Sydney Roosters
Cronulla Sharks	BYE	Melbourne Storm

Round 9

• The 0-0 halftime scoreline during the Melbourne and Newcastle match was the fourth time in three years that the first half of an NRL match has been scoreless.
• Melbourne's win over Newcastle places the 2007 minor premiership winning Storm to the top of the table for the first time in 2008. Meanwhile, last year's second finishing team, the Sea Eagles, entered the top four.

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time	Venue	Referee	Crowd
Sydney Roosters	30-4	Canberra Raiders	10 May 2008, 5:30 pm	Sydney Football Stadium	Jason Robinson	10,241
Bulldogs	4-30	Penrith Panthers	10 May 2008, 7:30 pm	ANZ Stadium	Jared Maxwell	10,257
North Queensland Cowboys	18-24	Cronulla Sharks	10 May 2008, 7:30 pm	Dairy Farmers Stadium	Tony Archer	17,065
Brisbane Broncos	12-30	Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	11 May 2008, 2:00 pm	Suncorp Stadium	Shayne Hayne	27,469
Parramatta Eels	19-18	St George Illawarra Dragons	11 May 2008, 3:00 pm	ANZ Stadium	Sean Hampstead	16,313
Melbourne Storm	18-4	Newcastle Knights	12 May 2008, 7:00 pm	Olympic Park Stadium	Ben Cummins	10,624
South Sydney Rabbitohs	BYE	Gold Coast Titans
Wests Tigers	BYE	New Zealand Warriors

Round 10

• The 34 players selected for State of Origin are required to stand down for this round's club matches.
• The Gold Coast Titans finally defeated the Bulldogs; the first Gold Coast team of any era - Giants, Seagulls, Chargers or Titans - to do so.
• The Brisbane Broncos recorded their first back-to-back losses of the season.
• The St. George Illawarra Dragons defeated Melbourne for the first time since 2004. Up to eight players from the usual Melbourne squad were omitted from the match due to State of Origin duties.
• The Penrith Panthers made the top eight for the first time in 2008 by beating the Warriors.

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time	Venue	Referee	Crowd
Parramatta Eels	12-32	Sydney Roosters	16 May 2008, 7:45 pm	Parramatta Stadium	Shayne Hayne	16,211
Gold Coast Titans	24-20	Bulldogs	16 May 2008, 7:45 pm	Skilled Park	Jason Robinson	22,676
Cronulla Sharks	13-6	Brisbane Broncos	17 May 2008, 5:30 pm	Toyota Stadium	Jared Maxwell	13,431
St George Illawarra Dragons	36-12	Melbourne Storm	17 May 2008, 7:30 pm	ANZ Stadium	Phil Haines	6,881
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	38-6	North Queensland Cowboys	17 May 2008, 7:30 pm	Bluetongue Stadium	Ben Cummins	9,343
Penrith Panthers	46-22	New Zealand Warriors	18 May 2008, 2:00 pm	CUA Stadium	Tony De Las Heras	9,450
Newcastle Knights	26-38	Wests Tigers	18 May 2008, 3:00 pm	EnergyAustralia Stadium	Sean Hampstead	20,154
Canberra Raiders	38-10	South Sydney Rabbitohs	19 May 2008, 7:00 pm	Canberra Stadium	Gavin Badger	11,115

Round 11

• The Warriors' loss to the Roosters was the first home game they lost in 2008.

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time	Venue	Referee	Crowd
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	18-20	St George Illawarra Dragons	23 May 2008 7:45 pm	Brookvale Oval	Jason Robinson	12,058
South Sydney Rabbitohs	10-15	Melbourne Storm	24 May 2008 7:30 pm	Bluetongue Stadium	Jared Maxwell	8,761
New Zealand Warriors	12-38	Sydney Roosters	25 May 2008 2:00 pm	Mt Smart Stadium	Ben Cummins	11,922
Wests Tigers	20-18	Gold Coast Titans	25 May 2008 3:00 pm	Leichhardt Oval	Shayne Hayne	17,493
Bulldogs	30-22	Cronulla Sharks	26 May 2008 7:00 pm	ANZ Stadium	Tony Archer	9,289
Brisbane Broncos	BYE	North Queensland Cowboys
Parramatta Eels	BYE	Newcastle Knights
Penrith Panthers	BYE	Canberra Raiders

Round 12

• Manly's Adam Cuthbertson is sent off during Manly's win over Canberra.
• Denan Kemp equalled the club record for most tries in a match for the Brisbane Broncos with 4 tries, one of which was the match-winner scored after the final siren.
• The Bulldogs became the first team for 2008 to be held scoreless in a match.
• North Queensland's Luke O'Donnell is also sent off in the Cowboys loss to Penrith in golden point extra time.
• Brett Finch played his 200th NRL game. He became only the 5th player to reach this milestone before reaching the age of 27.

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time	Venue	Referee	Crowd
Brisbane Broncos	30-26	Parramatta Eels	30 May 2008, 7:45 pm	Suncorp Stadium	Jason Robinson	25,564
Canberra Raiders	18-31	Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	30 May 2008, 7:45 pm	Canberra Stadium	Sean Hampstead	13,120
Melbourne Storm	46-0	Bulldogs	31 May 2008, 5:30 pm	Olympic Park Stadium	Shayne Hayne	12,251
North Queensland Cowboys	18-19	Penrith Panthers	31 May 2008, 7:30 pm	Dairy Farmers Stadium	Alan Shortall	16,553
Newcastle Knights	16-18	New Zealand Warriors	31 May 2008, 7:30 pm	EnergyAustralia Stadium	Jared Maxwell	15,489
South Sydney Rabbitohs	12-26	St George Illawarra Dragons	1 June 2008, 2:00 pm	ANZ Stadium	Gavin Badger	12,978
Cronulla Sharks	30-14	Gold Coast Titans	1 June 2008, 3:00 pm	Toyota Stadium	Ben Cummins	8,214
Sydney Roosters	19-10	Wests Tigers	2 June 2008, 7:45 pm	Sydney Football Stadium	Tony Archer	15,204

Round 13

• Players selected for State of Origin were again absent from this round's fixtures.
• South Sydney's rare win over the Warriors was their first win against them since 1999.
• Wendell Sailor makes his return to the NRL with St. George Illawarra after a seven-year absence.
• The Sydney Roosters fail to score against Manly for the second time in a row, losing 0-56 in Round 17, 2007.
• For the first time, the Gold Coast Titans held their opposition scoreless with 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

• 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

• 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

• 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.

Home	Score	Away	Match information
			Date and time	Venue	Referee	Crowd
Sydney Roosters	24-14	Bulldogs	27 June 2008, 7:45 pm	Sydney Football Stadium	Jared Maxwell	9,271
Penrith Panthers	12-12	Brisbane Broncos	27 June 2008, 7:45 pm	CUA Stadium	Gavin Badger	9,967
Gold Coast Titans	22-26	St George Illawarra Dragons	28 June 2008, 5:30 pm	Skilled Park	Bernard Sutton	26,453
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	28-12	Newcastle Knights	28 June 2008, 7:30 pm	Bluetongue Stadium	Shayne Hayne	13,798
North Queensland Cowboys	28-29	South Sydney Rabbitohs	28 June 2008, 7:30 pm	Dairy Farmers Stadium	Tony De Las Heras	15,631
Wests Tigers	26-28	New Zealand Warriors	29 June 2008, 2:00 pm	Leichhardt Oval	Steve Lyons	15,027
Parramatta Eels	24-22	Melbourne Storm	29 June 2008, 3:00 pm	Parramatta Stadium	Ben Cummins	12,597
Canberra Raiders	24-36	Cronulla Sharks	30 June 2008, 7:00 pm	Canberra Stadium	Sean Hampstead	9,136

Round 17

• The Dragons 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

• The Gold Coast Titans beat the Sydney Roosters at the Sydney Football Stadium, in doing so becoming the first Gold Coast team of any era to do so.
• The New Zealand Warriors condemned the North Queensland Cowboys to their record 10th loss in succession.
• South Sydney won their fifth match in succession for the first time since 1994.
• The Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles took outright top spot on the NRL Ladder after beating the Cronulla Sharks at Toyota Stadium.
• The St George Illawarra Dragons were, for the second time in three years, denied a record-equalling 8th-straight victory when they succumbed to the Canberra Raiders, who won their first match at WIN Stadium since 1995.
• Darren Lockyer made a successful comeback for the Brisbane Broncos, who suffered a defeat to the Bulldogs.
• Wests Tigers captain Brett Hodgson, the only remaining player to have played for the now merged Western Suburbs Magpies club, played his last ever match at Campbelltown Stadium. The team wore the iconic black-and-white Magpies uniform to celebrate this occasion.
• During the Monday night match with the Tigers, Melbourne Storm veteran Matt Geyer became the first Storm player to play 250 games for the club.

Home	Score	Away	Match information
			Date and time	Venue	Referee	Crowd
Penrith Panthers	18-30	Newcastle Knights	11 July 2008, 7:45 pm	CUA Stadium	Gavin Badger	10,029
Sydney Roosters	28-32	Gold Coast Titans	11 July 2008, 7:45 pm	Sydney Football Stadium	Ben Cummins	10,762
New Zealand Warriors	24-14	North Queensland Cowboys	12 July 2008, 5:30 pm	Mt Smart Stadium	Sean Hampstead	7,722
Cronulla Sharks	6-34	Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	12 July 2008, 7:30 pm	Toyota Stadium	Jason Robinson	18,217
South Sydney Rabbitohs	32-20	Parramatta Eels	12 July 2008, 7:30 pm	ANZ Stadium	Matt Cecchin	17,897
St George Illawarra Dragons	12-19	Canberra Raiders	13 July 2008, 2:00 pm	WIN Stadium	Tony De Las Heras	14,040
Brisbane Broncos	18-26	Bulldogs	13 July 2008, 3:00 pm	Suncorp Stadium	Tony Archer	37,683
Wests Tigers	18-30	Melbourne Storm	14 July 2008, 7:00 pm	Campbelltown Stadium	Jared Maxwell	16,653

Round 19

• North Queensland's now eleventh consecutive loss is the worst such streak in the club's history.
• The Manly Sea Eagles beat the Parramatta Eels despite losing captain/halfback Matt Orford, five-eighth Jamie Lyon and forwards Jason King and Luke Williamson. Lyon and King injured themselves early in the first half (Orford and Williamson had been ruled unfit to play before the game).
• The Warriors posted just their third away win of 2008 by thumping the Bulldogs by 40 points to 22 to achieve their first win over the Bulldogs at ANZ Stadium.
• Dragons prop Jason Ryles became the fourth player to be sent off this season for intentionally kicking Storm prop Jeff Lima. Melbourne's Billy Slater 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

• 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

• The Sharks defeated the Dragons for the fourth consecutive time.
• The Cowboys lost their 13th match in succession, leading up to a possible wooden spoon battle with the Bulldogs.
• The Wests Tigers equalled their 2005 record for best victory (54-2) by beating the Bulldogs 56-4

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time	Venue	Referee	Crowd
Melbourne Storm	44-4	Gold Coast Titans	1 August 2008, 7:35 pm	Olympic Park Stadium	Tony De Las Heras	9,400
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	30-10	Penrith Panthers	1 August 2008, 7:35 pm	Brookvale Oval	Shayne Hayne	7,862
Cronulla Sharks	13-12	St George Illawarra Dragons	2 August 2008, 5:30 pm	Toyota Stadium	Jared Maxwell	18,256
South Sydney Rabbitohs	18-16	New Zealand Warriors	2 August 2008, 7:30 pm	ANZ Stadium	Steve Lyons	9,276
North Queensland Cowboys	20-32	Sydney Roosters	2 August 2008, 7:30 pm	Dairy Farmers Stadium	Sean Hampstead	14,061
Wests Tigers	56-4	Bulldogs	3 August 2008, 2:00 pm	ANZ Stadium	Ben Cummins	16,121
Brisbane Broncos	34-6	Canberra Raiders	3 August 2008, 3:00 pm	Suncorp Stadium	Tony Archer	28,103
Newcastle Knights	32-12	Parramatta Eels	4 August 2008, 7:00 pm	Energy Australia Stadium	Jason Robinson	16,435

Round 22

• Melbourne's victory over Manly was their first win at Brookvale Oval since 1999, and their third straight against the Sea-Eagles.
• North Queensland ended a 13-game losing streak with a 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

• 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

• 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

• 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 4 hopes.
• Steve Menzies played his last Premiership match at Brookvale Oval.
• The Brisbane Broncos won their fifth match in a row at ANZ Stadium.

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time	Venue	Referee	Crowd
Sydney Roosters	22-20	South Sydney Rabbitohs	29 August 2008, 7:35 pm	Sydney Football Stadium	Steve Lyons	18,127
Wests Tigers	6-32	Cronulla Sharks	29 August 2008, 7:35 pm	Leichhardt Oval	Sean Hampstead	10,766
Newcastle Knights	17-16	Melbourne Storm	30 August 2008, 5:30 pm	EnergyAustralia Stadium	Shayne Hayne	19,568
North Queensland Cowboys	22-10	Canberra Raiders	30 August 2008, 7:30 pm	Dairy Farmers Stadium	Matt Cecchin	14,981
St George Illawarra Dragons	40-14	Parramatta Eels	30 August 2008, 7:30 pm	ANZ Stadium	Tony Archer	17,103
New Zealand Warriors	42-20	Penrith Panthers	31 August 2008, 2:00 pm	Mt Smart Stadium	Ben Cummins	15,214
Bulldogs	22-36	Brisbane Broncos	31 August 2008, 3:00 pm	ANZ Stadium	Jared Maxwell	7,685
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	28-10	Gold Coast Titans	1 September 2008, 7:00 pm	Brookvale Oval	Jason Robinson	14,755

Round 26

• Wayne Bennett celebrated his last regular season game as the 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

The NRL employs the McIntyre final eight system.

• In the qualifying finals, matches were played at the higher placed team's home ground. 1st and 2nd highest placed winning teams then proceeded to the preliminary finals.
• In the semi-finals, matches were played at the 3rd and 4th highest winning team's home ground, provided it had a capacity of 25,000. Eligible venues were: Stadium Australia, Sydney Football Stadium, Suncorp Stadium, Dairy Farmers Stadium, EnergyAustralia Stadium, Canberra Stadium, Telstra Dome, Melbourne Cricket Ground and Mount Smart Stadium.
• In the preliminary finals, matches were played at the highest placed winning teams from the qualifying finals "home region" ground. For Sydney teams, Newcastle, St. George Illawarra and Canberra, this was the Sydney Football Stadium or Stadium Australia. For Brisbane and the Gold Coast - Suncorp Stadium, North Queensland - Dairy Farmers Stadium, Melbourne - the Telstra Dome or the MCG, and for New Zealand, Mt Smart Stadium.

• Both Melbourne Storm and Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles finished first and second for the second year running. Brisbane Broncos and New Zealand Warriors were the only other teams which had visited the finals series in the previous year.
• The Broncos played in their 17th successive finals campaign, second only to St. George's streak of 23 seasons from 1951 to 1973.

	Qualifying finals					Semifinals					Preliminary finals					Final
	1	Melbourne	15
	8	New Zealand	18								1W	Manly	32
						4W	New Zealand	30				New Zealand	6
	2	Manly	38			2L	Sydney	13
																Manly		40
	7	St. George Illawarra	6
																Melbourne		0
	3	Cronulla	36								2W	Cronulla	0
	6	Canberra	10			3W	Brisbane	14				Melbourne	28
						1L	Melbourne	16
	4	Sydney	16
	5	Brisbane	24

Qualifying Finals

• The Sydney Roosters make a return to the finals after a three-year absence, their last being in 2004 when they were runners-up to the now wooden-spooned Bulldogs.
• The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks make a revisit to the finals series since 2005 and host a home final for the first time since 2001, in which they comfortably defeated the Canberra Raiders.
• Both Melbourne and Manly faced sides that have defeated them during the season and hold some records against the top two teams this year. Manly took on the 7th ranked St. George Illawarra Dragons who defeated Manly at Brookvale Oval 20-18 in round 11 and have currently won four of 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

• For the second year running Manly had the week off whilst for the first time since 1999 Cronulla hosted a home preliminary final.
• Both matches this weekend were NRL grand final rematches; the New Zealand Warriors faced the Sydney Roosters whom they lost to in the 2002 decider, whilst Melbourne travelled to Brisbane to take on their 2006 Grand Final nemesis the Broncos.
• New Zealand become the first team to get to a preliminary final from 8th position, beating the Roosters 30-13.
• After trailing for all but the last 46 seconds of the match, Melbourne got out of jail in a controversial match against the Brisbane Broncos with a Greg Inglis try and subsequently ended their season, and that of the Broncos' coaching career of Wayne Bennett, and went on to play Cronulla in the preliminary final.

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time	Venue	Referee	Crowd
New Zealand Warriors	30 – 13	Sydney Roosters	19 September 2008, 6:30 pm	Mt. Smart Stadium	Tony Archer	25,595
Brisbane Broncos	14 – 16	Melbourne Storm	20 September 2008, 7:45 pm	Suncorp Stadium	Shayne Hayne	50,466

Preliminary finals

• The Sydney Football Stadium was allocated for both Preliminary Finals, due to both sides from the Sydney region the home stadium could have been allocated to either the Sydney Football Stadium, or the larger ANZ Stadium. It was stated that due to both clubs ranking in the lower half of average attendances for home games in 2008.
• Melbourne, under stand-in captain Cooper Cronk defeated the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 28-0, keeping them scoreless for the first time since 2003. The Storm thus made it to their third consecutive Grand Final, joining the likes of the South Sydney Rabbitohs, Sydney Roosters, Balmain Tigers, St. George Dragons, Western Suburbs Magpies, Parramatta Eels, Canterbury Bulldogs, Canberra Raiders and the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles to qualify for at least 3 rugby league Grand Finals in a row.Preliminary Finals at SFS

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time	Venue	Referee	Crowd
Cronulla Sharks	0 – 28	Melbourne Storm	26 September 2008, 7:45 pm	Sydney Football Stadium	Tony Archer	27,570
Manly Sea Eagles	32 - 6	New Zealand Warriors	27 September 2008, 7:45 pm	Sydney Football Stadium	Shayne Hayne	32,095

Grand Final

Main article: 2008 NRL Grand Final

• Manly's 40 to nil victory against Melbourne win in the 2008 Grand Final is the largest on record, surpassing the Eastern Suburbs' 38-0 win over St. George in 1975.
• On the other hand, the runners-up Melbourne Storm became the first team since 1978 to be held scoreless in a Grand Final (when Cronulla suffered so 16-0 against Manly.)

Home	Score	Away	Clive Churchill Medallist	Match Information
				Date and Time	Venue	Referee	Crowd
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	40 - 0	Melbourne Storm	Brent Kite (Manly)	5 October 2008, 5:00 pm	ANZ Stadium	Tony Archer	80,388

References

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.

External links

• 2008 trial games