2008 Bulldogs RLFC season
The 2008 Bulldogs RLFC season was the 74th in the club's history. They competed in the NRL's 2008 Telstra Premiership, finishing in last place.
Season summary
High-profile player departures and political infighting during the 2007-2008 off-season had led to predictions that the Bulldogs would have a difficult 2008, predictions which were borne out across the season. The club languished towards the bottom of the ladder throughout the year, suffering heavy losses against many teams, the most notable being a 46-0 loss to the Melbourne Storm, a 58-18 loss to the Canberra Raiders and a 56-4 loss against the Wests Tigers, breaking records. The key problems for the Bulldogs were poor defence and continuing injury problems, with usually 10 first grade players injured at a time, including season ending injuries to key players Luke Patten and Willie Tonga. After the club's 58-18 thrashing at the hands of the Raiders in Round 15, coach Steve Folkes admitted that the Bulldogs were "at the bottom of a fairly big hole with no way out of it in the short term".[1] Folkes' men would only win one more game in the entire season, and finished 2008 with the wooden spoon in what was Folkes' final year with the club. It was the Bulldogs' first deliberate wooden spoon since 1964, discounting 2002 when it breached the salary cap.
On the field the Bulldogs suffered a season of unrelenting disappointment, leading to just five wins for the entire season. Other than the record-breaking losses already mentioned above, the Bulldogs suffered its first loss against St. George Illawarra since 2003, and lost twice against the Sydney Roosters, Parramatta Eels (in the first meeting the Bulldogs had a 20-0 halftime lead but somehow lost 28-20), Penrith Panthers and Canberra Raiders throughout the course of the season. The loss to the Roosters in particular was made bittersweet notably because Willie Mason and Mark O'Meley were playing against the Bulldogs for the first time. The Bulldogs however did win two of their opening three matches against the South Sydney Rabbitohs and Wests Tigers, raising optimism amongst fans. The other three wins were against those that would make the finals: the Dragons in round six, the Sharks in round 11 and the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium in round 18. No more wins would follow for the season. The Bulldogs' highest score for the season in a single match was 34 when it lost for the second time to Canberra, 52-34. Their highest in a winning match was 32, when it defeated the Wests Tigers in round 3, by 32-12. Further souring the Bulldogs' season of shame, Sonny Bill Williams left the club without warning late in July to pursue a career in rugby union (read more below).
The team also faced off-field turbulence. Throughout May and June, there was heavy media coverage of star player Sonny Bill Williams' discontent with Bulldogs management and with his contract arrangements, and of his rumoured desire to leave the club to play rugby union or in the Super League. After confirming that he would play out the remaining 4 years of his contract, Williams left the country without warning in late July to join French rugby union club RC Toulon, in what many rugby league fans regarded as an enormous betrayal. The Bulldogs commenced legal action against Williams for breach of contract, and eventually received substantial compensation for the walkout.
Match results
ANZ Stadium is a home ground of five NRL teams (the Bulldogs as well as South Sydney Rabbitohs, Wests Tigers, St George Illawarra Dragons and Parramatta Eels), and therefore the Bulldogs are not officially classified as the home team at every match they play there. ANZ Stadium matches at which the Bulldogs are classified as the home team are highlighted in bold.
Season ladder
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Melbourne |
24 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 584 | 282 | +302 | 38 |
| 2 |  Manly-Warringah |
24 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 645 | 355 | +290 | 38 |
| 3 |  Cronulla |
24 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 451 | 384 | +67 | 38 |
| 4 |  Sydney Roosters |
24 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 511 | 446 | +65 | 34 |
| 5 |  Brisbane |
24 | 14 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 560 | 452 | +108 | 33 |
| 6 |  Canberra |
24 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 640 | 527 | +113 | 30 |
| 7 |  St. George Illawarra |
24 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 489 | 378 | +111 | 30 |
| 8 |  New Zealand |
24 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 502 | 567 | -65 | 30 |
| 9 |  Newcastle |
24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 516 | 486 | +30 | 28 |
| 10 |  Wests Tigers |
24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 528 | 560 | -32 | 26 |
| 11 |  Parramatta |
24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 501 | 547 | -46 | 26 |
| 12 |  Penrith |
24 | 10 | 1 | 13 | 2 | 504 | 611 | -107 | 25 |
| 13 |  Gold Coast |
24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 476 | 586 | -110 | 24 |
| 14 |  South Sydney |
24 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 453 | 666 | -213 | 20 |
| 15 |  North Queensland |
24 | 5 | 0 | 19 | 2 | 474 | 638 | -164 | 14 |
| 16 |  Bulldogs |
24 | 5 | 0 | 19 | 2 | 433 | 782 | -349 | 14 |
Scorers
For NRL first-grade matches only.
| Player | Tries | Goals | Field Goals | Points | Played |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hazem El Masri | 6 | 44 | 0 | 112 | 18 |
| Heka Nanai | 8 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 15 |
| Tim Winitana | 8 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 19 |
| Daniel Holdsworth | 4 | 5 | 1 | 27 | 17 |
| Matthew Utai | 6 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 9 |
| Luke Patten | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 7 |
| Andrew Ryan | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 21 |
| Willie Tonga | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 7 |
| Arana Taumata | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 5 |
| Brent Crisp | 1 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 2 |
| Ben Roberts | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 18 |
| Reni Maitua | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 14 |
| Corey Hughes | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 19 |
| Cameron Phelps | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
| Nick Youngquest | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Andrew Emelio | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| Daryl Millard | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 12 |
| Lee Te Maari | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 20 |
| Danny Williams | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 |
| Ben Barba | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Fred Briggs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| TOTAL | 64 | 52 | 1 | 333 |
Stats to the end of Round 23, NRL, 2008
Squad
| Fullbacks | Wingers | Centres | Five-Eighths | Half-Backs | Second Rowers | Props | Hookers | Locks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luke Patten | Hazem El Masri | Willie Tonga | Daniel Holdsworth | Ben Roberts | Andrew Ryan | Jarrad Hickey | Corey Hughes | Reni Maitua |
| Brent Crisp | Heka Nanai | Tim Winitana | Joe Williams | Aaron Groom | Brad Morrin | Kane Cleal | Michael Sullivan | Lee Te Maari |
| Nick Youngquest | Matthew Utai | Daryl Millard | Ben Barba | Nick Kouparitsas | Danny Williams | |||
| Gary Warburton | Chris Armit | |||||||
| Justin Tsoulos |
Bold Players have played International or State any year
Player movements
Gains 2009
| Name | Signed From | Contract Details |
|---|---|---|
| Joe Williams | Penrith Panthers | Joined Mid 2008 |
| Nick Youngquest | Wests Tigers | Joined Mid 2008 |
| Josh Morris | St. George Illawarra Dragons | 3 Years |
| Brett Kimmorley | Cronulla Sharks | 2 Years |
| Ben Hannant | Brisbane Broncos | 3 Years |
| Michael Ennis | Brisbane Broncos | 3 Years |
| David Stagg | Brisbane Broncos | 3 Years |
| Greg Eastwood | Brisbane Broncos | 1 Year |
| Michael Hodgson | Gold Coast Titans | 2 Years |
Losses 2009
| Name | Signed With | Contract Details |
|---|---|---|
| Cameron Phelps | Wigan Warriors | Left Mid 2008 |
| Willie Tonga | North Queensland Cowboys | 4 Years |
| Corey Hughes | Cronulla Sharks | 1 Year |
| Sonny Bill Williams | RC Toulon | 2 Years |
Off Contract at end of 2009
| Name | Contract Details |
|---|---|
Off Contract at end of 2010
| Name | Contract Details |
|---|---|
Off Contract at end of 2011
| Name | Contract Details |
|---|---|
References
- Proszenko, Adrian (22 June 2008). "Dogs belted by Raiders". League HQ. Archived from the original on 23 July 2008. Retrieved 22 June 2008.