2008 St. George Illawarra Dragons season

2008 St. George Illawarra Dragons season
2008 St. George Illawarra Dragons season
NRL Rank	7th
2008 record	Wins: 13; draws: 0; losses: 11
Points scored	For: 495; against: 416
Team information
Coach	Nathan Brown
Captain	Mark Gasnier ;
Stadium	WIN Jubilee Oval WIN Stadium
Top scorers
Tries	Josh Morris (14)
Goals	Jamie Soward (54)
Points	Jamie Soward (129)

Last updated December 04, 2023

The 2008 St. George Illawarra Dragons season was the 10th in the joint venture club's history. They competed in the NRL's 2008 Telstra Premiership and finished the regular season 7th out of 16 teams, being knocked out in the finals by eventual premiers, the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles.

NRL Telstra Premiership

Having failed to bring the club a premiership during his current tenure with the Dragons and coming off contract at the end of the year, Coach Nathan Brown has had heat on him from 2007 to bring the Dragons up and away from the bottom of the ladder. Since the start of the 2008 season, the Dragons have had, once again, loss after loss which has caused Peter Doust (Dragons CEO), to bring in a new coach in the case of Brisbane Broncos current coach Wayne Bennett for the 2009 season up until 2011. The Dragons started the 2008 season by winning the Mercury Challenge match against the Bulldogs 40–30 at WIN Stadium in Wollongong and winning their first Toyota Cup trial match against Bulldogs at 30–22. The following week the Dragons went down to the South Sydney Rabbitohs in the annual Charity Shield clash 24–20 at ANZ Stadium.

The club received a boost in May when former Union and League (Brisbane Broncos) star Wendell Sailor joined the team after a 2-year ban from professional sport in Australia due to his cocaine controversy. The Dragons started another year with disappointing results when they only won three times after 10 rounds, defeating the Gold Coast Titans in Round 2, the Sydney Roosters in Round 7 and the Melbourne Storm in Round 10 all with terrific results. On 23 May, the Dragons recorded their first back-to-back wins of the season when they defeated the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles at Brookvale Oval with a final score of 20–18.

The Dragons new winger Wendell Sailor made his NRL return in this match also sustaining a minor cheekbone injury. The club also signed South Sydney Rabbitohs player Ben Rogers from an immediate release to join the Dragons on 12 June but released Jason Ryles from his contract to join the Catalans Dragons in the Super League for 2009.^[1] Days later they signed New Zealand international and Melbourne Storm player Jeremy Smith for three seasons.

Their 7-game winning streak came to an end in Round 18 when they were defeated by the Canberra Raiders 19–12 at WIN Stadium for the Illawarra Heritage Match. On 15 July, it was announced that captain Mark Gasnier would not be returning after the end of the 2008 season to join the Stade Français Rugby Union team in France. The deal is worth around $1 million a year.

After 1 win in their last 5 games, the Dragons defeated the Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp Stadium with a 24–20 win. Then in Round 24, they defeated the New Zealand Warriors 34–6 at WIN Stadium, Wollongong to keep their finals hopes alive. The dragons were favoured to defeat the Roosters in round 26 to either finish fourth or fifth. They had been playing widespread open football and Mark Gasnier and Matt Cooper were carving up the opposition. In extremely wet conditions, the Roosters pack were more favoured to the conditions. They finished the regular season 7th place on the ladder which could have been 6th if they scored at least 2 points in their Round 26 match with the Sydney Roosters. They made it to the first week of the finals, but lost to the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 34–6 at Brookvale Oval being eliminated from the Finals series due to their lowly position in the Top 8.

The club went on a 'signing spree' purchasing Neville Costigan, Darius Boyd and Luke Priddis among others, but lost flyer Josh Morris (Bulldogs), Mark Gasnier (French Rugby), Jason Ryles (French league), Rangi Chase (ESL), Lagi Setu (Broncos) and Simon Woolford & Kirk Reynoldson with retirement.

Position	Pld	Won	Drew	Lost	Bye	Points For	Points Against	Points Differential
7th (of 16)	24	13	0	11	2	489	378	111

2008 Match results

*From Round 5 onwards, all games are in AEST.

Round	Home	Score	Away	Match Information
Round	Home	Score	Away	Date and Time	Venue
Trial	St. George Illawarra Dragons	40-30	Bulldogs	23 February 2008, 7:30pm AEDT	WIN Stadium
CS	St. George Illawarra Dragons	20-24	South Sydney Rabbitohs	1 March 2008, 8:00pm AEDT	ANZ Stadium
1	Wests Tigers	24-16	St. George Illawarra Dragons	16 March 2008, 3:00pm AEDT	Sydney Football Stadium
2	St. George Illawarra Dragons	30-12	Gold Coast Titans	24 March 2008, 7:00pm AEDT	WIN Stadium
3	Canberra Raiders	21-14	St. George Illawarra Dragons	29 March 2008, 7:30pm AEDT	Canberra Stadium
4	St. George Illawarra Dragons	16-18	Cronulla Sharks	5 April 2008, 5:30pm AEDT	ANZ Stadium
5	St. George Illawarra Dragons	16-20	North Queensland Cowboys	12 April 2008, 5:30pm	WIN Stadium
6	Bulldogs	30-18	St. George Illawarra Dragons	19 April 2008, 5:30pm	ANZ Stadium
7	St. George Illawarra Dragons	26-6	Sydney Roosters	25 April 2008, 3:15pm	ANZ Stadium
8		BYE
9	Parramatta Eels	19-18	St. George Illawarra Dragons	11 May 2008, 3:00pm	ANZ Stadium
10	St. George Illawarra Dragons	36-12	Melbourne Storm	17 May 2008, 7:30pm	ANZ Stadium
11	Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	18-20	St. George Illawarra Dragons	23 May 2008, 7:45pm	Brookvale Oval
12	South Sydney Rabbitohs	12-26	St. George Illawarra Dragons	1 June 2008, 2:00pm	ANZ Stadium
13	St. George Illawarra Dragons	28-10	Brisbane Broncos	6 June 2008, 7:45pm	WIN Stadium
14		BYE
15	St. George Illawarra Dragons	13-12	Penrith Panthers	20 June 2008, 7:45pm	ANZ Stadium
16	Gold Coast Titans	22-26	St. George Illawarra Dragons	28 June 2008, 5:30pm	Skilled Park
17	Newcastle Knights	16-24	St. George Illawarra Dragons	5 July 2008, 7:30pm	EnergyAustralia Stadium
18	St. George Illawarra Dragons	12-19	Canberra Raiders	13 July 2008, 2:00pm	WIN Stadium
19	Melbourne Storm	26-0	St. George Illawarra Dragons	21 July 2008, 7:00pm	Olympic Park Stadium
20	St. George Illawarra Dragons	30-0	Bulldogs	28 July 2008, 7:00pm	ANZ Stadium
21	Cronulla Sharks	13-12	St. George Illawarra Dragons	2 August 2008, 5:30pm	Toyota Park
22	St. George Illawarra Dragons	10-18	Wests Tigers	8 August 2008, 7:35pm	WIN Stadium
23	Brisbane Broncos	20-24	St. George Illawarra Dragons	15 August 2008, 7:35pm	Suncorp Stadium
24	St. George Illawarra Dragons	34-6	New Zealand Warriors	24 August 2008, 3:00pm	WIN Stadium
25	St. George Illawarra Dragons	40-14	Parramatta Eels	30 September 2008, 7:30pm	ANZ Stadium
26	Sydney Roosters	10-0	St. George Illawarra Dragons	5 September 2008, 7:35pm	Sydney Football Stadium
QF	Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	38-6	St. George Illawarra Dragons	13 September 2008, 8:30pm	Brookvale Oval

Ladder

2008 NRL season v t e
Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	B	PF	PA	PD	Pts
1	Melbourne Storm	24	17	0	7	2	584	282	+302	38
2	Manly Warringah Sea Eagles (P)	24	17	0	7	2	645	355	+290	38
3	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	24	17	0	7	2	451	384	+67	38
4	Sydney Roosters	24	15	0	9	2	511	446	+65	34
5	Brisbane Broncos	24	14	1	9	2	560	452	+108	33
6	Canberra Raiders	24	13	0	11	2	640	527	+113	30
7	St George Illawarra Dragons	24	13	0	11	2	489	378	+111	30
8	New Zealand Warriors	24	13	0	11	2	502	567	-65	30
9	Newcastle Knights	24	12	0	12	2	516	486	+30	28
10	Wests Tigers	24	11	0	13	2	528	560	-32	26
11	Parramatta Eels	24	11	0	13	2	501	547	-46	26
12	Penrith Panthers	24	10	1	13	2	504	611	-107	25
13	Gold Coast Titans	24	10	0	14	2	476	586	-110	24
14	South Sydney Rabbitohs	24	8	0	16	2	453	666	-213	20
15	North Queensland Cowboys	24	5	0	19	2	474	638	-164	14
16	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	24	5	0	19	2	433	782	-349	14

Gains and Losses

Gains

Player	Previous Club
Kirk Reynoldson	Newcastle Knights
Stuart Webb	South Sydney Rabbitohs
Ben Rogers (mid-season)	South Sydney Rabbitohs
Jon Green	Bulldogs
Jarrod Saffy	Wests Tigers
Jardine Bobongie	North Sydney Bears
Joe Falemaka	North Sydney Bears

Losses

Player	Joined Club
Wes Naiqama	Newcastle Knights
Danny Wicks	Newcastle Knights
Chris Houston	Newcastle Knights
Keith Lulia	Newcastle Knights
Ashton Sims	Brisbane Broncos
Tom Hewitt	Brisbane Broncos
Corey Payne	Wests Tigers
Adam Peek	Cronulla Sharks
Charlie Leaeno	Bulldogs

First Grade Signed Players

St George Illawarra Dragons has 31 signed players in first grade that play in the main competition.

No.		Position	Player
		LK	Jardine Bobongie
		SR	Rangi Chase
		CE	Matt Cooper
		SR	Ben Creagh
		HK	Ben Ellis
		PR	Joe Falemaka
		CE	Mark Gasnier (captain)
		PR	Jon Green
		CE	Mark Hendy
		HB	Ben Hornby
		PR	Dan Hunt
		WG	Michael Lett
		FB	Brett Morris
		WG	Josh Morris
		WG	Jason Nightingale
		PR	Justin Poore

No.		Position	Player
		SR	Matt Prior
		HK	Alex Ranieri
		SR	Kirk Reynoldson
		PR	Jason Ryles
		SR	Jarrod Saffy
		CE	Frank Samia
		WG	Wendell Sailor
		SR	Beau Scott
		LK	Lagi Setu
		FE	Jamie Soward
		CE	Chase Stanley
		PR	Ricky Thorby
		LK	Stuart Webb
		HK	Simon Woolford
		HK	Dean Young

Team Lineup

Line up for the Qualifying Finals vs. Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles:
Saturday, 13 September 2008 at 8:30pm AEST at Brookvale Oval, Sydney.

No.	Position	Player
1	FB	Jason Nightingale
2	WG	Wendell Sailor
3	CE	Mark Gasnier (captain)
4	CE	Matt Cooper
5	WG	Josh Morris
6	FE	Ben Rogers
7	HB	Ben Hornby
8	PR	Beau Scott
9	HK	Stuart Webb
10	PR	Jason Ryles
11	SR	Lagi Setu
12	SR	Ben Creagh
13	LK	Dean Young

No.	Position	Player
14	PR	Dan Hunt
15	PR	Matt Prior
16	SR	Kirk Reynoldson
17	HK	Ben Ellis
	SR	Jarrod Saffy
	FE	Jamie Soward
	HK	Simon Woolford
	LK	Rangi Chase
	CE	Michael Lett
	FB	Brett Morris
	CE	Chase Stanley (injured ankle; Semi-finals)
	PR	Justin Poore (injured knee; Season)
	PR	Ricky Thorby (injured ribs; Season)

Last 9 are currently inactive due to injury, fulfilling other commitments, being used as "spares" or playing in lower grades. e.g. NSW Cup, Queensland Cup or Toyota Cup.

National Youth Competition (Toyota Cup Under 20s)

The Dragons U20s side were strong off from the start. For the Toyota Cup inaugural season, the Dragons Under-20s Side is coached by Steven Price. Before the regular season began, the Dragons won a Toyota Cup Trial match against the Bulldogs down at WIN Stadium in Wollongong. They started the regular season disappointing with a 34–22 loss to the Wests Tigers. However, the Dragons have not lost another match after that with 1 bye in their past leaving them on top of the Toyota Cup table, on 22 competition points. Their 10-match winning streak came to an end in Round 13 at WIN Stadium when they drew 22 all with the Brisbane Broncos. While the first Grade side continued their winning streak, the Under 20s were looking to start a losing streak as they were defeated back-to-back for the first time this year by the Penrith Panthers 28–26 in Round 15 at ANZ Stadium and 32-16 by the Gold Coast Titans at Skilled Park on the Gold Coast. They returned to the winners circle in Round 17 defeating the Newcastle Knights 26–18 at EnergyAustralia Stadium. In Round 18, straight after a fresh win, they once again lost a match this time against the Canberra Raiders 38–28 at WIN Stadium. They then had back and forth wins during the regular season keeping them in the top 8, struggling to keep their spot(s).

Toyota Cup signed players

The following 34 players are signed with the St. George Illawarra Dragons for the Toyota Cup.

No.		Position	Player
		WG	Chris Astill
		WG	Jace Brown
		LK	Rowan Brown
		PR	Josh Cochrane
		PR	Rhys Cochrane
		FE	Nathan Dureau
		HK	Daniel Fepuleai
		PR	Thomas Hancock
		FE	Beau Henry
		HB	Gavin Hood
		SR	Brad Hudson
		SR	Ben Josephs
		HB	John Kennedy (captain)
		FE	Maurice Kennedy
		CE	Cameron King
		CE	Kane Linnett
		SR	Jake Marketo

No.		Position	Player
		PR	Trent Merrin
		FB	Sam Morath
		WG	Clifford Morris
		LK	Matt Mundine
		LK	Luke Muttdon
		CE	Daniel Nicastri
		PR	Rory O'Brien
		LK	Michael Pickerd
		WG	Henry Raiwalui
		PR	Travis Roche
		SR	Ben Schreiber
		LK	Brendan Smith
		LK	Kyle Stanley
		LK	Wes Suckley
		SR	Jarrod Thompson
		WG	Joe Vickory
		CE	Dean Whare

Toyota Cup lineup

This is the Dragons' Toyota Cup weekly lineup.
Lineup for the Preliminary Finals vs. Canberra Raiders:
Friday, 26 September 2008 at 5:30 pm AEST at the Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney.

No.	Position	Player
1	FB	Henry Raiwalui
2	WG	Daniel Nicastri
3	CE	Kane Linnett
4	CE	Dean Whare
5	WG	Sam Morath
6	FE	Nathan Dureau
7	HB	John Kennedy (captain)
8	PR	Rory O'Brien
9	HK	Daniel Fepuleai
10	PR	Trent Merrin
11	SR	Jake Marketo
12	SR	Jarrod Thompson
13	LK	Clifford Morris

No.	Position	Player
14	HK	Thomas Hancock
15	SR	Wes Suckley
16	SR	Luke Muttdon
17	PR	Cameron King
(18)	HK	Ben Schreiber
	PR	Beau Henry
	FE	Maurice Kennedy
	SR	Brad Hudson
	LK	Alex McKinnon
	LK	Matt Mundine
	WG	Travis Roche
	WG	Jace Brown
	WG	Joe Vickery

1 Interchange player to be omitted before game.
Last 6 are currently inactive due to injury, fulfilling other commitments, being used as "spares" or playing in the NSW Cup or the S.G. Ball Cup.

Ladder

2008 Toyota Cup season v t e
Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	B	PF	PA	PD	Pts
1	Canberra Raiders (P)	24	18	0	6	2	744	581	+163	40
2	Brisbane Broncos	24	15	1	8	2	684	476	+208	35
3	New Zealand Warriors	24	14	3	7	2	721	533	+188	35
4	Penrith Panthers	24	15	1	8	2	692	583	+109	35
5	Parramatta Eels	24	14	3	7	2	578	564	+14	35
6	St George Illawarra Dragons	24	13	2	9	2	561	520	+41	32
7	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	24	12	3	9	2	711	587	+124	31
8	Gold Coast Titans	24	13	1	10	2	686	567	+119	31
9	Wests Tigers	24	13	0	11	2	620	623	-3	30
10	South Sydney Rabbitohs	24	11	2	11	2	618	584	+34	28
11	Manly Warringah Sea Eagles	24	11	0	13	2	519	532	-13	26
12	Newcastle Knights	24	8	1	15	2	526	630	-104	21
13	Melbourne Storm	24	8	1	15	2	512	638	-126	21
14	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	24	6	1	17	2	394	666	-272	17
15	Sydney Roosters	24	6	0	18	2	480	721	-241	16
16	North Queensland Cowboys	24	4	3	17	2	455	696	-241	15

Related Research Articles

Mark Gasnier is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. A rugby league New South Wales State of Origin and international representative centre, he played eleven seasons in the National Rugby League with the St. George Illawarra Dragons, punctuated by two seasons of rugby union played with the French club Stade Français. Gasnier was a member of the Dragons' NRL premiership-winning team in 2010. He retired at the end of the 2011 season. He is the nephew of the 1960s St. George star Reg Gasnier.

The 2004 NRL season was the 97th season of professional rugby league football in Australia, and the seventh run by the National Rugby League. Fifteen clubs competed during the regular season before the top eight finishing teams contested the finals series. The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs defeated the Sydney Roosters in the 2004 NRL grand final and in doing so claimed their eighth premiership.

The St. George Illawarra Dragons are an Australian professional rugby league football club, representing both the Illawarra and St George regions of New South Wales. The club has competed in the National Rugby League (NRL) since 1999 after a joint-venture was formed between the St. George Dragons and the Illawarra Steelers. The club officially formed as the game's first joint-venture club on 23 September 1998 and remains the only inter-city team in the NRL. The team has its headquarters and leagues clubs in both Wollongong and the Sydney suburb of Kogarah, and trains and plays games regularly at WIN Stadium in Wollongong, as well as at Jubilee Oval in Kogarah. From 1999 to 2006 the club was jointly owned by the St. George Dragons 50% and Illawarra Steelers 50%. In 2006 WIN Corporation purchased 50% of the Illawarra Steelers stake in the club before purchasing the rest of the Illawarra Steelers' share in August 2018.

Brett Morris is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played on the wing and as a fullback for the St George Illawarra Dragons, Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and the Sydney Roosters in the National Rugby League (NRL) and Australia at international level.

The 2007 NRL season consisted of 25 weekly regular season rounds, starting from 16 March and ending on 2 September, followed by four weeks of play-offs that culminated in a grand final on 30 September.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 NRL season</span> 101st season of National Rugby League

The 2008 NRL season was the 101st season of professional rugby league club competition in Australia, and the eleventh run by the National Rugby League. For the second year, sixteen teams competed for the 2008 Telstra Premiership title. The season commenced with the first matches played on 14 March and ended with the Grand Final, played on 5 October. The premiership was won by the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles who set the record for the biggest Grand Final winning margin (40–0) in Australia's rugby league history.

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.

The 2009 NRL season was the 102nd season of professional rugby league football club competition in Australia, and the twelfth run by the National Rugby League. For the third consecutive year, sixteen teams competed for the 2009 Telstra Premiership title. The season commenced with the first match played on 13 March and ended with the grand final, played on 4 October. The Grand Final was won by the Melbourne Storm in their fourth consecutive grand final appearance. However, they were stripped of their Premiership on 22 April 2010 after they were found to be guilty of breaching the league's salary cap.

Dunamis Lui is a Samoa international rugby league footballer plays as a prop and lock for the Redcliffe Dolphins in the Hostplus Cup.

The 2011 NRL season was the 104th season of professional rugby league football club competition in Australia, and the fourteenth and last run by the National Rugby League's partnership committee of the Australian Rugby League and News Ltd. The NRL's main championship, called the 2011 Telstra Premiership due to sponsorship from Telstra, was contested by sixteen teams for the fifth consecutive year. Alongside was the fourth season of the Toyota Cup taking place.

The 2011 NRL season consisted of 26 weekly regular season rounds, which began on 11 March and ended on 4 September, followed by four weeks of the finals series culminating in the grand final on 2 October.

This is a list of rivalries in the National Rugby League.

The 2011 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles season was the 62nd in the club's history. Coached by Des Hasler and co-captained by Jamie Lyon and Jason King, they competed in the National Rugby League (NRL) 2011 Telstra Premiership, and finished the regular season in second place. The Sea Eagles then qualified for the NRL grand final, in which they defeated the New Zealand Warriors, claiming the club's eighth first-grade premiership.

Adam Reynolds, is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who captains and plays as a halfback for the Brisbane Broncos in the National Rugby League (NRL).

The 2013 St. George Illawarra Dragons season was the 15th in the joint venture club's history. Coached by Steve Price and captained by Ben Creagh, they competed in the National Rugby League's 2013 Telstra Premiership. This season was the worst year performance wise since the joint venture was created. They finished only over the top of Wests Tigers & the Parramatta Eels.

The 2008 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles season was the 62nd in the club's history. Coached by Des Hasler and captained by Matt Orford, they competed in the National Rugby League's 2008 Telstra Premiership.

Kyle Flanagan is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a halfback for the St. George Illawarra Dragons in the National Rugby League (NRL).

Reuben Garrick is an Australian rugby league footballer who plays as a winger or fullback for the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles in the National Rugby League (NRL).

Jason Saab is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a winger for the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles in the National Rugby League (NRL).

References

↑ Webster, Andrew (21 June 2008). "Ryles quits Dragons". Illawarra Mercury . Archived from the original on 12 July 2012. Retrieved 21 June 2008.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] Webster, Andrew (21 June 2008). "Ryles quits Dragons". Illawarra Mercury . Archived from the original on 12 July 2012. Retrieved 21 June 2008.

[1]

v t e St. George Illawarra Dragons
Est. 1999 in Sydney and Wollongong, New South Wales
Club	History St George Dragons Illawarra Steelers Seasons Records Head to head record Players Representatives Coaches Honours
Home grounds	Wollongong Showground Jubilee Oval
Culture	Alex McKinnon Cup/Easter Sunday match Charity Shield Anzac Day Cup King's Birthday
League	National Rugby League
Titles	Minor Premiership (2): 2009, 2010 Premiership (1): 2010 World Club Challenge (1): 2011
Seasons (25)	1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Other competitions	Current Jersey Flegg Cup New South Wales Cup NRL Women's Premiership NRL Nines Past NRL Under-20s
Affiliations	Shellharbour City Dragons (Shellharbour Sharks) Illawarra RLFC St. George Illawarra Dragons

2008 St. George Illawarra Dragons season

Contents

NRL Telstra Premiership

2008 Match results

Ladder

Gains and Losses

First Grade Signed Players

Team Lineup

National Youth Competition (Toyota Cup Under 20s)

Toyota Cup signed players

Toyota Cup lineup

Ladder

Related Research Articles

References