2008 Melbourne Storm season | ||||
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NRL Rank | 1st | |||
Play-off result | Grand Finalists | |||
2008 record | Wins: 17; draws: 0; losses: 7 | |||
Points scored | For: 584; against: 282 | |||
Team information | ||||
CEO | Brian Waldron | |||
Coach | Craig Bellamy | |||
Captain |
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Stadium | Olympic Park Stadium | |||
Avg. attendance | 12,474 | |||
High attendance | 20,084 (Round 1) | |||
Top scorers | ||||
Tries | Greg Inglis (17) | |||
Goals | Cameron Smith (77) | |||
Points | Cameron Smith (170) | |||
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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]
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 |
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.
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] |
2008 World Club Challenge
Leeds Rhinos | 11 – 4 | Melbourne Storm |
---|---|---|
Tries: 1 Donald 38' Goals: 3 Sinfield pen 11', 39', pen 60' (3/3) Drop goals: 1 Sinfield 68' |
1st: 8 – 4 2nd: 3 – 0 Report |
Tries: 1 Hoffman 16' Goals: 0/1 Turner (0/1) |
Elland Road, Leeds |
Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ground | H | H | A | H | H | A | A | – | H | A | A | H | A | – | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H |
Result | W | L | L | W | W | W | W | B | W | L | W | W | L | B | W | L | W | W | W | L | W | W | W | W | L | W |
Position | 4 | 5 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Points | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 30 | 32 | 34 | 36 | 36 | 38 |
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] |
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 |
Semi final
20 September 2008 7:45pm AEST |
Brisbane Broncos | 14–16 [34] |
Melbourne Storm |
---|---|---|
Tries: Darius Boyd Denan Kemp Goals: Corey Parker 3/3 |
Tries: Michael Crocker Greg Inglis Billy Slater Goals: Cameron Smith 2/3 |
Suncorp Stadium |
Preliminary final
26 September 2008 7:45pm AEST |
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 0–28 [35] |
Melbourne Storm |
---|---|---|
Tries: Steve Turner (2) Adam Blair Israel Folau Matt Geyer Goals: Steve Turner 4/5 |
Sydney Football Stadium |
2008 NRL Grand Final
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | 40 – 0 | Melbourne Storm |
---|---|---|
Tries: 8 Robertson 33', 47', 55' Ballin 23' Kite 58' Williams 67' Menzies 73' Bell 75' Goals: 4 Matai 47', 58' (2/4) Lyon 73', 77' (2/2) Orford (0/2) |
1st: 8–0 2nd: 32–0 Report |
ANZ Stadium, Sydney |
| ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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 |
List current as of 3 November 2021[37]
Losses |
Gains
|
This table lists all players who have played a representative match in 2008.
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 | – |
This table contains playing statistics for all Melbourne Storm players to have played in the 2008 NRL season.
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 |
Most points in a game: 18 points
Most tries in a game: 3
Highest score in a winning game: 48 points
Lowest score in a winning game: 15 points
Greatest winning margin: 46 points
Greatest number of games won consecutively: 5
Highest score in a losing game: 22 points
Lowest score in a losing game: 0 points
Greatest losing margin: 40 points
Greatest number of games lost consecutively: 2
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.[40] Similar to the NRL, the NYC enforces a salary cap and puts a heavy focus on life outside football for the players.[41]
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.
| ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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 |
Source:[42]
Most points in a game: 16 points
Most tries in a game: 4
Most points (season): 106
Most tries (season): 13
Winning games[edit]Highest score in a winning game: 36 points
Lowest score in a winning game: 22 points
Greatest winning margin: 24 points
Greatest number of games won consecutively: 2
|
Losing games[edit]Highest score in a losing game: 32 points
Lowest score in a losing game: 6 points
Greatest losing margin: 32 points
Greatest number of games lost consecutively: 4
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Established in 2007[43] 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.[44]
2008 New South Wales Cup[45] | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | |
10 | Central Coast Storm | 22 | 8 | 0 | 14 | 518 | 563 | -45 | 16 |
Trophy Cabinet[edit]Melbourne Storm Awards Night[edit]
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Dally M Awards Night[edit]
Rugby League World Golden Boot Awards Night[edit]RLPA Awards Night[edit]
RLIF Awards[edit]
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Est. 1998 in Melbourne, Victoria | |
The club |
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Home grounds |
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Culture |
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Important figures |
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League |
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Titles |
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Seasons (27) |
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Other competitions |
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Affiliations |
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A strike indicates a title stripped due to salary cap breaches |
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International Rugby League |
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British Rugby League |
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Australian Rugby League |
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Other domestic competitions |
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