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2008 Melbourne Storm season
NRL Rank1st
Play-off resultGrand Finalists
2008 recordWins: 17; draws: 0; losses: 7
Points scoredFor: 584; against: 282
Team information
CEOBrian Waldron
CoachCraig Bellamy
Captain
StadiumOlympic Park Stadium
Avg. attendance12,474
High attendance20,084 (Round 1)
Top scorers
TriesGreg Inglis (17)
GoalsCameron Smith (77)
PointsCameron Smith (170)
← 2007 List of seasons 2009 →

The 2008 Melbourne Storm season was the 11th in the club's history. They competed in the NRL's 2008 Telstra Premiership and finished the regular season as minor premiers before reaching the grand final in which they were beaten by the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 40–0, the largest margin in grand final history. The minor premiership won by the Storm in 2008 was later stripped by the NRL in 2010 when it was revealed the club had been in breach of salary cap rules.

Despite losing seven games, Storm managed to finish in top spot on the NRL ladder for a third successive season. They had to wait until the final game to do it though, defeating South Sydney 42–4. A loss to the Warriors in the Qualifying final meant Storm had to do it the hard way and they did just that, defeating the Broncos and Sharks on the road. That tough road eventually caught up with Melbourne in the decider, which they lost to Manly.

Matt Geyer became the first Storm player to reach 250 games while Billy Slater followed on from Cameron Smith the previous year, earning the Golden boot award as the best player in the world.[1]

Season Summary

[edit]
  • World Club Challenge – With club captain Cameron Smith back home to be present at the birth of his first child, Melbourne go down 11–4 to Leeds Rhinos in the 2008 World Club Challenge at a rain-swept Elland Road. Ryan Hoffman scored the only try for Melbourne.
  • Round 1 – Billy Slater scores a hat-trick as Melbourne begins their title defence with a 32-18 opening round victory over the New Zealand Warriors at the Telstra Dome. A twice tardy Melbourne are fined $10,000 by the NRL for failing to take the field on time.[2]
  • Round 2 – Melbourne prop forward Brett White and Cronulla forward Ben Ross are both sent off. Ross is sent off for striking Cooper Cronk with a late elbow, while White is sent off for punching Ross in the ensuing fight. White is later suspended for four matches. The 17–16 defeat ends the clubs 15-match winning streak at Olympic Park.[2]
  • Round 3 – Storm experience successive losses for the first time since 2006 as the Sydney Roosters upset Melbourne 10–6.
  • 30 March – 2007 Dally M Rookie of the Year Israel Folau announces he is leaving Melbourne at the end of the 2008 season, signing a four-year deal with Brisbane Broncos reportedly worth $1.6m.[2]
  • 18 April – Coach Craig Bellamy signs a new contract extension, keeping him at the club until the end of the 2013 NRL season.[2]
  • Round 5 – A man of the match performance from Billy Slater, sees Melbourne defeat Manly 26–4 in the Grand Final rematch at Olympic Park.
  • Round 6 – Wearing replica 1998 home jerseys, Melbourne stage a second half comeback to defeat Canberra Raiders 23–16, after trailing 16–4 at halftime. Aiden Tolman makes his NRL debut with Melbourne, becoming the first player in the club's history to graduate from playing in the NRL Under-20s competition, which was in its inaugural season.
  • 28 May – Michael Crocker announces he will be leaving the club at the completion of the 2008 season, signing a three-year deal with Super League's Hull F.C.[2]
  • Round 10 – Missing nine players to State of Origin selection, as well as coach Craig Bellamy, St George Illawarra snap Melbourne's five-match winning streak.
  • Round 11 – With club stalwart Matt Geyer playing his 250th first grade game, Melbourne outlast South Sydney Rabbitohs 15–10 at Gosford, as eight players back up from the midweek Origin fixture.[2]
  • Round 12 – Storm hold the Bulldogs scoreless in a 46–0 win, with Cameron Smith scoring 18 points.
  • Round 13 – With Origin again ruining team selections, Melbourne missing ten players are held scoreless 18–0 against the Gold Coast Titans. It's the first time since the 2003 NRL finals that Melbourne are held scoreless.
  • Round 16 – Again missing nine players (and coach Craig Bellamy), Melbourne struggle against Parramatta Eels, losing 24–22. Previously Parramatta had not defeated Melbourne since 2005.
  • Round 17 – A dominant Greg Inglis leads Melbourne to a 30–14 win over Canberra at Olympic Park. The victory marking Craig Bellamy's 100th coaching victory at premiership level (from 147 games).[2]
  • Round 19 – A wild brawl in the 23rd minute saw Billy Slater and Adam Blair sin binned, while minutes later Jason Ryles was sent off by referee Gavin Badger as Melbourne defeated St George Illawarra 26–0.[2]
  • Round 20 – Michael Crocker experiences defeat for the first time in a Melbourne jersey, with the Warriors 8–6 win over the Storm. Crocker had played 34 games since joining the Storm without tasting defeat.[2]
  • 30 July – Halfback Cooper Cronk re-signs with the club for a further five seasons.[2]
  • 9 August – Greg Inglis is named at centre in the Australian Rugby League's Indigenous Team of the Century.[2]
  • 27 August – The Sydney Morning Herald reports that NRL CEO David Gallop held secret talks with Greg Inglis to ensure he did follow other players in 'defecting' to rugby union.[2]
  • Round 26 – Melbourne claim their third straight minor premiership, defeating South Sydney 42–4 in the final match of the regular season. Level on competition points with Manly, Melbourne took the J. J. Giltinan Shield with a superior points differential (+302 versus +290). In his final home game at Olympic Park, Matt Geyer scored the first try of the match and was honoured with a special presentation at full time.
  • 9 September – Billy Slater and Cameron Smith finish in a tie for second for the Dally M Medal behind former Storm halfback Matt Orford. Slater's suspension for fighting in Round 19 costs him the victory.[2]
  • 10 September – Despite strong interest from European rugby union clubs, Greg Inglis commits his future to the Storm, signing a new four-year contract reportedly worth $1.8m.[2]
  • Semi Final – In a pulsating match in front of over 50,000 fans at Suncorp Stadium, Melbourne score a last minute try to win 16–14 over the Brisbane Broncos. Forwards Jeremy Smith and Cameron Smith are cited for a tackle on Sam Thaiday during the second half. Jeremy Smith later accepts a one-match suspension, while Cameron Smith pleads not guilty to a charge of unnecessary contact to the head or neck. In a lengthy NRL judiciary hearing, Cameron Smith is suspended for two-matches, ruling him out of the rest of the season.
  • Preliminary Final – After Melbourne's comfortable 28–0 win over Cronulla, coach Craig Bellamy launches into a long-winded attack on the NRL, the NRL judiciary, bookmakers, and the media following the suspension of Cameron Smith. Bellamy's comments, endorsed by club CEO Brian Waldron, result in the NRL fining the club $50,000 with NRL CEO David Gallop accusing the pair of an "unprecedented, irrational, premeditated and defamatory attack on the integrity of the judiciary panel and the game's judiciary process."[2]
  • 30 September – The Men of League charity announce the game's greatest club players at their annual ball, with Cameron Smith named as Melbourne's club great.

Milestone games

[edit]
Round Player Milestone
Round 3 Clifford Manua Storm debut
Round 6 Aiden Tolman NRL debut
Round 10 Brett Anderson Storm debut
Dane Nielsen Storm debut
Kevin Proctor NRL debut
Liam Foran NRL debut
Round 11 Matt Geyer 250th game
Jeremy Smith 50th game
Round 13 Joe Tomane NRL debut
Sam Joe NRL debut
Round 16 Sinbad Kali NRL debut
Round 17 Cooper Cronk 100th game
Round 18 Matt Geyer 250th Storm game
Qualifying Final Anthony Quinn 150th game
Jeff Lima 50th game
Semi Final Israel Folau 50th game
Preliminary Final Adam Blair 50th game

Jerseys

[edit]

Apparel supplier Reebok kept the same home jersey design as worn in previous seasons. The clash jersey changed to a mostly white jersey, featuring purple shoulder stripes and side panels together with sublimated purple thunderbolts, worn with purple shorts and white socks with two purple stripes. An alternate jersey was worn in the NRL's heritage round, with Melbourne wearing a replica uniform combination similar to their 1998 home colours.

In line with the celebrations of the centenary of rugby league in Australia, an additional patch was worn above the NRL logo.

Fixtures

[edit]

Pre season

[edit]
Date Rd Opponent Venue Result Mel. Opp. Tries Goals Field goals Ref
15 February Trial Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford Won 56 10 B Slater (2), J Williams, J Tomane, C Smith, A Moore, I Folau, C Cronk, R Aitken, W Chambers S Turner (4), J Smith (2), L Foran, C Smith [3][4][5]
22 February Trial Halifax Shay Stadium, Halifax, West Yorkshire Won 26 10 B Slater (2), S Tagataese, I Folau, R Aitken, B MacDougall S Turner [6][7]
Main article: 2008 World Club Challenge
2008 World Club Challenge
29 February 2008
20:00 GMT (UTC+0)
Leeds Rhinos 11 – 4 Melbourne Storm
Tries: 1
Donald rugby ball 38'
Goals: 3
Sinfield rugby goalposts icon pen 11', 39', pen 60' (3/3)
Drop goals: 1
Sinfield rugby goalposts icon 68'
 1st: 8 – 4
2nd: 3 – 0
Report
 Tries: 1
Hoffman rugby ball 16'
Goals: 0/1
Turner (0/1)
Elland Road, Leeds
Attendance: 33,204
Referee: Ashley Klein Australia
Player of the Match: Kevin Sinfield


Regular season

[edit]

Result by round

[edit]
Round1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526
GroundHHAHHAA–HAAHA–HAHAHAHAHAAH
ResultWLLWWWWBWLWWLBWLWWWLWWWWLW
Position451165332143222244222221121
Points2224681012141416181820222224262828303234363638
Source: Rugby League Tables
A = Away; H = Home; N = Neutral; B = Bye; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches

[edit]

Source:[8]

Date Rd Opponent Venue Result Mel. Opp. Tries Goals Field goals Ref
17 March 1 New Zealand Warriors Telstra Dome, Melbourne Won 32 18 B Slater (3), D Johnson, S Tagataese C Smith 5/6, S Turner 1/1 [9]
23 March 2 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Olympic Park, Melbourne Lost 16 17 R Aitken, I Folau, B White C Smith 2/3 [10]
29 March 3 Sydney Roosters Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney Lost 6 10 B Slater C Smith 1/1 [11]
4 April 4 Brisbane Broncos Olympic Park, Melbourne Won 28 8 A Quinn (3), I Folau, R Hoffman C Smith 4/5 [12]
11 April 5 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles Olympic Park, Melbourne Won 26 4 B Slater (2), R Hoffman, G Inglis, A Quinn C Smith 3/6 [13]
21 April 6 Canberra Raiders Canberra Stadium, Canberra Won 23 16 W Chambers, I Folau, B Slater, S Turner C Smith 3/4 C Cronk [14]
26 April 7 North Queensland Cowboys Dairy Farmers Stadium, Townsville Won 12 10 I Folau, G Inglis C Smith 2/2 [15]
3 May 8 Bye
12 May 9 Newcastle Knights Olympic Park, Melbourne Won 18 4 I Folau (2), A Quinn C Smith 3/3 [16]
17 May 10 St George Illawarra Dragons ANZ Stadium, Sydney Lost 12 36 W Chambers, S Manu J Smith 1/2, S Turner 1/1 [17]
24 May 11 South Sydney Rabbitohs Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford Won 15 10 W Chambers, J Smith C Smith 3/4 C Cronk [18]
31 May 12 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Olympic Park, Melbourne Won 46 0 M Geyer (2), M Crocker, C Cronk, I Folau, C Smith, J Smith, S Turner C Smith 7/8 [19]
9 June 13 Gold Coast Titans Skilled Stadium, Gold Coast Lost 0 18 [20]
14 June 14 Bye
21 June 15 North Queensland Cowboys Olympic Park, Melbourne Won 48 20 G Inglis (3), S Turner (2), I Folau, M Geyer, B Slater, J Smith C Smith 6/9 [21]
29 June 16 Parramatta Eels Parramatta Stadium, Sydney Lost 22 24 S Manu (2), C Cronk, J Tomane S Turner 2/2, C Cronk 1/2 [22]
6 July 17 Canberra Raiders Olympic Park, Melbourne Won 30 14 G Inglis (2), S Manu, A Quinn, B Slater, S Turner C Smith 3/6 [23]
14 July 18 Wests Tigers Campbelltown Stadium, Sydney Won 30 18 G Inglis (3), S Manu, B Slater C Smith 5/5 [24]
21 July 19 St George Illawarra Dragons Olympic Park, Melbourne Won 26 0 I Folau, M Geyer, J Lima, J Smith, S Turner C Smith 3/5 [25]
27 July 20 New Zealand Warriors Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland Lost 6 8 S Manu C Smith 1/1 [26]
1 August 21 Gold Coast Titans Olympic Park, Melbourne Won 44 4 I Folau (2), G Inglis (2), M Geyer, R Hoffman, A Quinn, J Smith, S Turner C Smith 4/9 [27]
8 August 22 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles Brookvale Oval, Sydney Won 16 10 C Cronk, I Folau, M Geyer C Smith 2/3 [28]
15 August 23 Sydney Roosters Olympic Park, Melbourne Won 30 6 A Quinn (2), C Cronk, B Slater, C Smith C Smith 5/6 [29]
25 August 24 Penrith Panthers CUA Stadium, Sydney Won 40 6 G Inglis (3), S Turner (2), J Lima, A Quinn, C Smith C Smith 4/8 [30]
30 August 25 Newcastle Knights EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle Lost 16 17 I Folau, G Inglis, S Manu C Smith 2/3 [31]
7 September 26 South Sydney Rabbitohs Olympic Park, Melbourne Won 42 4 B Slater (2), B Anderson, M Geyer, R Hoffman, A Quinn, C Smith, J Smith C Smith 4/7, M Geyer 1/1 [32]

Finals

[edit]
Qualifying final
14 September 2008
4:00pm AEST
Melbourne Storm 15–18
[33] 		New Zealand Warriors
Tries:
Israel Folau
Anthony Quinn
Goals:
Cameron Smith 3/4
Field Goals:
Greg Inglis 		Tries:
Jerome Ropati
Manu Vatuvei
Michael Witt
Goals:
Michael Witt 3/4
Olympic Park
Attendance: 15,193
Referee: Jason Robinson
Semi final
Saturday, 20 September
19:45 AEST (UTC+10)
Brisbane Broncos 14 – 16 Melbourne Storm
Tries: 2
Boyd rugby ball 3'
Kemp rugby ball 32'
Goals: 3
Parker rugby goalposts icon 5', 33', pen 62' (3/3)
 1st: 12–0
2nd: 2–16
Report
 Tries: 3
Crocker rugby ball 46'
Slater rugby ball 64'
Inglis rugby ball 80'
Goals: 2
C Smith rugby goalposts icon 47', 65' (2/3)
Sin bin: 1
Lima yellow card 61' to 71'
Suncorp Stadium
Attendance: 50,466
Referee: Shayne Hayne
Preliminary final
26 September 2008
7:45pm AEST
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 0–28
[34] 		Melbourne Storm
Tries:
Steve Turner (2)
Adam Blair
Israel Folau
Matt Geyer
Goals:
Steve Turner 4/5
Sydney Football Stadium
Attendance: 27,570
Referee: Tony Archer
Main article: 2008 NRL Grand Final
2008 NRL Grand Final
Sunday, 5 October
17:15 AEDT (UTC+11)
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 40 – 0 Melbourne Storm
Tries: 8
Robertson rugby ball 33', 47', 55'
Ballin rugby ball 23'
Kite rugby ball 58'
Williams rugby ball 67'
Menzies rugby ball 73'
Bell rugby ball 75'
Goals: 4
Matai rugby goalposts icon 47', 58' (2/4)
Lyon rugby goalposts icon 73', 77' (2/2)
Orford (0/2)
 1st: 8–0
2nd: 32–0
Report
ANZ Stadium, Sydney
Attendance: 80,388[35]
Referee: Tony Archer
Touch judges: Steve Chiddy, Jeff Younis
Clive Churchill Medal: Brent Kite (Manly)


Ladder

[edit]
Main article: 2008 NRL season
2008 NRL season
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

2008 Coaching Staff

[edit]

2008 squad

[edit]

List current as of 3 November 2021[36]

Further information: List of Melbourne Storm players
Cap [a] Nat. Player name Position First Storm Game Previous First Grade RL club [b]
18 Australia Matt Geyer WG 1998 Australia Perth Reds
55 Australia Cameron Smith (c) HK 2002 Australia Melbourne Storm
58 Australia Billy Slater FB 2003 Australia Melbourne Storm
60 Australia Dallas Johnson LK 2003 Australia Melbourne Storm
62 Australia Ryan Hoffman SR, LK 2003 Australia Melbourne Storm
68 Tonga Antonio Kaufusi PR 2003 Australia Melbourne Storm
70 Australia Ben MacDougall CE 2004 Australia Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
72 Australia Steve Turner WG 2004 Australia Penrith Panthers
73 Australia Cooper Cronk HB 2004 Australia Melbourne Storm
74 New Zealand Jeremy Smith LK 2004 Australia Melbourne Storm
76 Australia Brett White PR 2005 Australia Melbourne Storm
79 Australia Greg Inglis CE 2005 Australia Melbourne Storm
84 Australia Michael Crocker SR 2006 Australia Sydney Roosters
86 New Zealand Adam Blair PR 2006 Australia Melbourne Storm
90 New Zealand Jeff Lima PR 2006 Australia Melbourne Storm
91 Australia Anthony Quinn WG 2007 Australia Newcastle Knights
92 Australia Israel Folau WG 2007 Australia Melbourne Storm
95 Samoa Sam Tagataese PR 2007 Australia Melbourne Storm
96 Australia Russell Aitken HK 2007 Australia Cronulla Sharks
97 Australia Will Chambers CE 2007 Australia Melbourne Storm
98 New Zealand Sika Manu SR 2007 Australia Melbourne Storm
99 Australia Scott Anderson PR 2007 Australia Melbourne Storm
101 Samoa Clifford Manua PR 2008 Australia Brisbane Broncos
102 Australia Aiden Tolman PR 2008 Australia Melbourne Storm
103 Australia Brett Anderson WG 2008 Australia North Queensland Cowboys
104 Australia Dane Nielsen CE 2008 Australia Cronulla Sharks
105 New Zealand Kevin Proctor SR 2008 Australia Melbourne Storm
106 New Zealand Liam Foran HB 2008 Australia Melbourne Storm
107 Samoa Joseph Tomane WG 2008 Australia Melbourne Storm
108 Papua New Guinea Sam Joe WG 2008 Australia Melbourne Storm
109 Tonga Sinbad Kali SR 2008 Australia Melbourne Storm
- Italy Aidan Guerra SR Yet to Debut Australia Melbourne Storm
- Australia Lucas Miller FE Yet to Debut Australia Melbourne Storm
- Australia Danny Vaughan PR Yet to Debut Australia Melbourne Storm

Player movements

[edit]

Representative honours

[edit]

This table lists all players who have played a representative match in 2008.

Further information: List of Melbourne Storm representatives
Player 2008 ANZAC Test City vs Country Origin State of Origin 1 State of Origin 2 State of Origin 3 2008 Rugby League World Cup
Jay Aston – – – – – Papua New Guinea
Adam Blair New Zealand – – – – New Zealand
Michael Crocker Australia – Queensland Queensland Queensland –
Israel Folau Australia – Queensland Queensland Queensland Australia
Ryan Hoffman Australia – New South Wales New South Wales New South Wales –
Greg Inglis Australia – Queensland Queensland Queensland Australia
Dallas Johnson – – Queensland Queensland Queensland –
Antonio Kaufusi – – – – – Tonga
Sika Manu – – – – – New Zealand
Anthony Quinn – Country New South Wales New South Wales New South Wales –
Billy Slater Australia – Queensland Queensland Queensland Australia
Cameron Smith Australia (c) – Queensland (c) Queensland (c) Queensland (c) Australia (c)
Jeremy Smith New Zealand – – – – New Zealand
Steve Turner – – – New South Wales – –
Brett White – Country New South Wales New South Wales New South Wales –

Statistics

[edit]

This table contains playing statistics for all Melbourne Storm players to have played in the 2008 NRL season.

Further information: List of Melbourne Storm records
Name Appearances Tries Goals Field goals Points
Russell Aitken 9 1 0 0 4
Brett Anderson 6 1 0 0 4
Scott Anderson 8 0 0 0 0
Adam Blair 27 1 0 0 4
Will Chambers 10 3 0 0 12
Michael Crocker 21 2 0 0 8
Cooper Cronk 28 4 1 2 20
Israel Folau 25 15 0 0 60
Liam Foran 3 0 0 0 0
Matt Geyer 28 8 1 0 34
Ryan Hoffman 21 4 0 0 16
Greg Inglis 22 17 0 1 69
Sam Joe 2 0 0 0 0
Dallas Johnson 24 1 0 0 4
Sinbad Kali 1 0 0 0 0
Antonio Kaufusi 25 0 0 0 0
Jeff Lima 25 2 0 0 8
Sika Manu 24 7 0 0 28
Clifford Manua 4 0 0 0 0
Dane Nielsen 1 0 0 0 0
Kevin Proctor 3 0 0 0 0
Anthony Quinn 24 12 0 0 48
Billy Slater 24 14 0 0 56
Cameron Smith 23 4 77 0 170
Jeremy Smith 27 6 1 0 26
Sam Tagataese 6 1 0 0 4
Aiden Tolman 7 0 0 0 0
Joe Tomane 3 1 0 0 4
Steve Turner 25 11 8 0 60
Brett White 20 1 0 0 4
30 players used — 116 88 3 643

Scorers

[edit]

Most points in a game: 18 points

  • Round 12 – Cameron Smith (1 try, 7 goals) vs Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

Most tries in a game: 3

  • Round 1 – Billy Slater vs New Zealand Warriors
  • Round 4 – Anthony Quinn vs Brisbane Broncos
  • Round 15 – Greg Inglis vs North Queensland Cowboys
  • Round 18 – Greg Inglis vs Wests Tigers
  • Round 24 – Greg Inglis vs Penrith Panthers

Winning games

[edit]

Highest score in a winning game: 48 points

  • Round 15 vs North Queensland Cowboys

Lowest score in a winning game: 15 points

  • Round 11 vs South Sydney Rabbitohs

Greatest winning margin: 46 points

  • Round 12 vs Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

Greatest number of games won consecutively: 5

  • Round 4 – Round 9

Losing games

[edit]

Highest score in a losing game: 22 points

  • Round 16 vs Parramatta Eels

Lowest score in a losing game: 0 points

  • Round 13 vs Gold Coast Titans
  • Grand Final vs Manly Warringah Sea Eagles

Greatest losing margin: 40 points

  • Grand Final vs Manly Warringah Sea Eagles

Greatest number of games lost consecutively: 2

  • Round 2 – Round 3

NRL Under 20s

[edit]
Main article: 2008 NRL Under-20s season

For the first time since the formation of the NRL in 1998, every team fielded a team in the same second-tier competition the NRL Under-20s, guaranteeing fans a high standard curtain raiser before every NRL game. The National Youth Championships (known commercially as the Toyota Cup due to sponsorship from Toyota Australia) ran parallel to the NRL.[39] Similar to the NRL, the NYC enforces a salary cap and puts a heavy focus on life outside football for the players.[40]

In the competition's inaugural season, Melbourne were coached by Brad Arthur finished in 13th position, failing to make the finals. Melbourne used 28 players across the season, with five players (Liam Foran, Sam Joe, Kevin Proctor, Joe Tomane, and Aiden Tolman) also making NRL appearances in 2008.

Ladder

[edit]
2008 Toyota Cup season
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

Statistics

[edit]

Source:[41]

Scorers

[edit]

Most points in a game: 16 points

  • Round 1 – Joe Tomane (2 tries, 4 goals) vs New Zealand Warriors
  • Round 9 – Trent Walker (4 tries) vs Newcastle Knights

Most tries in a game: 4

  • Round 9 – Trent Walker vs Newcastle Knights

Most points (season): 106

  • Liam Foran (3 tries, 47 goals)

Most tries (season): 13

  • Sam Joe

Feeder Team

[edit]

Established in 2007[42] and coached by former Storm player Jamie Feeney, Melbourne sent their back-up players to play with Central Coast Storm, with home games played at Morry Breen Oval, the base of Central Coast team Wyong Roos.

Central Coast missed the finals, finishing in 10th position (out of 12 teams). The Player of the Year award was won by former Newcastle Knights player Reegan Tanner.[43]

Main article: 2008 New South Wales Cup
2008 New South Wales Cup[44]
Pos Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts
10 Central Coast Storm 22 8 0 14 518 563 -45 16

Awards

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Players are listed with the cap number as they appear on the Melbourne Storm honour board. Additional squad members do not have a cap number.
  2. ^ This column denotes the previous RL club the player was signed to and played first grade RL for. If they are yet to debut then this is stipulated. If they were merely signed to the club but did not play then it is not counted.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "History Melbourne Storm". melbournestorm.com.au. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Middleton, David. 2008 Official Rugby League Annual. Surrey Hills: News Magazines.
  3. ^ "Pre-Season NRL Trials 2008". leagueunlimited.com. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  4. ^ "Storm rack up cricket score against Manly". Townsville Bulletin. Townsville, Queensland: Nationwide News Pty Ltd. 16 February 2008. p. 94.
  5. ^ "Grand final sequel: Storm lashes Manly". The Weekend Australian. Canberra, Australia: Nationwide News Pty Ltd. 16 February 2008. p. 54.
  6. ^ "Storm survive early scare to secure victory". The Yorkshire Post. Leeds, United Kingdom: NLA Media. 23 February 2008.
  7. ^ Kent, Paul (24 February 2008). "Heavy weather in Storm outing". Herald-Sun. Melbourne, Victoria: Nationwide News Pty Ltd. p. 66.
  8. ^ "Rugby League Tables – Melbourne". Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  9. ^ "NRL 2008 – Round 1". Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  10. ^ "NRL 2008 – Round 2". Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  11. ^ "NRL 2008 – Round 3". Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  12. ^ "NRL 2008 – Round 4". Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  13. ^ "NRL 2008 – Round 5". Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  14. ^ "NRL 2008 – Round 6". Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  15. ^ "NRL 2008 – Round 7". Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  16. ^ "NRL 2008 – Round 9". Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  17. ^ "NRL 2008 – Round 10". Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  18. ^ "NRL 2008 – Round 11". Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  19. ^ "NRL 2008 – Round 12". Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  20. ^ "NRL 2008 – Round 13". Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  21. ^ "NRL 2008 – Round 15". Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  22. ^ "NRL 2008 – Round 15". Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  23. ^ "NRL 2008 – Round 17". Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  24. ^ "NRL 2008 – Round 18". Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  25. ^ "NRL 2008 – Round 19". Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  26. ^ "NRL 2008 – Round 20". Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  27. ^ "NRL 2008 – Round 21". Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  28. ^ "NRL 2008 – Round 22". Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  29. ^ "NRL 2008 – Round 23". Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  30. ^ "NRL 2008 – Round 24". Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  31. ^ "NRL 2008 – Round 25". Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  32. ^ "NRL 2008 – Round 26". Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  33. ^ NRL 2008 – Qualifying Final. Rugby League Project. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  34. ^ NRL 2008 – Preliminary Final. Rugby League Project. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  35. ^ Middleton, David. 2008 Official Rugby League Annual. Surrey Hills: News Magazines. p. 116.
  36. ^ "2008 Player Profiles". melbournestorm.com.au. Archived from the original on 21 July 2008. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  37. ^ "2008 Melbourne Point Scorers". afltables.com. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  38. ^ "Melbourne Storm – NRL 2008". rugbyleagueproject.org. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  39. ^ "ARL set to approve national youth comp". The Sydney Morning Herald. 12 December 2006.
  40. ^ "Toyota Cup to kick off in 2008, NRL.COM". Archived from the original on 27 May 2007. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  41. ^ "2008 Melbourne Storm NYC". 18thman.com. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
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