2008 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks season
The 2008 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks season was the 42nd in the club's history. Coached by Ricky Stuart and captained by Paul Gallen and Greg Bird, they competed in the National Rugby League's 2008 Telstra Premiership, finishing the regular season 3rd (out of 16) to qualify for the finals. The Sharks then came within one game of the Grand Final but were knocked out by eventual runners-up Melbourne Storm.
| 2008 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NRL Rank | 3rd | |||
| 2008 record | Wins: 18; Draws: 0; Losses: 8 | |||
| Points scored | For: 487 (82 tries, 78 goals, 3 field goals); Against: 422 (74 tries, 62 goals, 2 field goals) | |||
| Team information | ||||
| Coach | Ricky Stuart | |||
| Captain | ||||
| Stadium | Toyota Stadium | |||
| Avg. Attend. | 12,965 | |||
| Top scorers | ||||
| Tries | Luke Covell (15) | |||
| Goals | Luke Covell (73) | |||
| Points | Luke Covell (206) | |||
| ||||
Season summary
The Sharks began the season on a positive note, with a victory over 2007 runners-up Manly Sea Eagles in Round 1 followed by a shock 17-16 victory over 2007 grand final winners Melbourne in Round 2. The match against the Storm was marred by an on-field brawl after an illegal tackle by Cronulla's Ben Ross on Melbourne's Cooper Cronk, resulting in both Ross and Melbourne's Brett White being sent off and later being referred to the NRL Judiciary.[1]
The Sharks' season of promise was however marred by the late season suspension of star player Greg Bird, following its round 24, 20-0 win over top four contenders the Sydney Roosters at home. Bird was accused of glassing his then-girlfriend Katie Milligan and was stood down by the club just a fortnight out from the finals. Furthermore, five-eighth Brett Seymour suffered a knee injury during the finals; robbing the Sharks of any valuable halves experience at the wrong end of the season. Bird was later sacked by the Sharks; since then he has been exonerated over the glassing incident and he now plays for the Gold Coast Titans.
The Sharks ended the season joint minor premiers with Manly and Melbourne (third on points differential) and many believed this was the year Cronulla would finally win its maiden premiership. The Sharks won its first final in style, thrashing the Canberra Raiders 36-10 at home with Misi Taulapapa, a Warriors outcast scoring a hat-trick. Due to the Melbourne Storm losing its first final, the Sharks earned the week off along with Manly. It was during this time that Seymour suffered his knee injury, ending his 2008 season. The Sharks' season ended with a disappointing 28-0 defeat at the hands of the Melbourne Storm whose captain Cameron Smith was suspended a week earlier for a grapple tackle on Brisbane's Sam Thaiday.
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 |
Results
| 15 March 2008 Round 1 | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | 10 – 16 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Brookvale Oval |
| 19:30 | Tries: Anthony Watmough Michael Bani Goals: Matt Orford 1/2 |
Tries: Bryson Goodwin Brett Kearney Goals: Luke Covell 4/5 |
Attendance: 15,424 Referee: Jarred Maxwell |
| 23 March 2008 Round 2 | Melbourne Storm | 16 – 17 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Olympic Park |
| 15:00 | Tries: Russell Aitken Brett White Israel Folau Goals: Cameron Smith 2/3 |
Tries: David Simmons Brett Kearney Paul Gallen Goals: Luke Covell 2/5 Field Goals: Brett Kimmorley (1) |
Attendance: 10,720 Referee: Tony Archer |
| 29 March 2008 Round 3 | Gold Coast Titans | 18 – 4 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Skilled Park |
| 20:30 | Attendance: 19,050 Referee: Jason Robinson |
| 5 April 2008 Round 4 | St. George Illawarra Dragons | 16 – 18 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | OKI Jubilee Stadium |
| 17:30 | Tries: Josh Morris Lagi Setu Ben Hornby Goals: Mark Gasnier 0/2 Jamie Soward 2/2 |
Tries: Greg Bird Brett Kearney Bryson Goodwin Goals: Luke Covell 3/4 |
Attendance: 15,318 Referee: Sean Hampstead |
| 14 April 2008 Round 5 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 10 – 12 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | ANZ Stadium |
| 19:00 | Tries: John Sutton Beau Champion Goals: Nathan Merritt 1/2 |
Tries: Greg Bird Luke Covell Goals: Luke Covell 2/3 |
Attendance: 12,988 Referee: Jason Robinson |
| 19 April 2008 Round 6 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 20 – 21 | Penrith Panthers | Toyota Stadium |
| 19:30 | Tries: Greg Bird (2) Lance Thompson Fraser Anderson Goals: Luke Covell 2/4 |
Tries: Nathan Smith Michael Jennings Michael Gordon Luke Rooney Goals: Jarrod Sammut 2/4 Field Goals: Jarrod Sammut (1) |
Attendance: 13,852 Referee: Sean Hampstead |
| 27 April 2008 Round 7 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 16 – 20 | Wests Tigers | Toyota Stadium |
| 15:00 | Tries: Brett Kearney Brett Seymour Goals: Luke Covell 4/5 |
Tries: Chris Lawrence (2) Chris Heighington Brett Hodgson Goals: Brett Hodgson 2/4 |
Attendance: 17,241 Referee: Shayne Hayne |
| 10 May 2008 Round 9 | North Queensland Cowboys | 18 – 24 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Dairy Farmers Stadium |
| 19:30 | Tries: Mark Henry Carl Webb Luke O'Donnell Goals: Johnathan Thurston 3/3 |
Tries: Brett Kearney Fraser Anderson Luke Douglas Paul Gallen Goals: Luke Covell 4/5 |
Attendance: 17,065 Referee: Tony Archer |
| 17 May 2008 Round 10 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 13 – 6 | Brisbane Broncos | Toyota Stadium |
| 17:30 | Tries: Misi Taulapapa Brett Kearney Goals: Luke Covell 2/3 Field Goals: Brett Kimmorley (1) |
Tries: Tonie Carroll Goals: Michael Ennis 1/1 |
Attendance: 13,431 Referee: Jarred Maxwell |
| 26 May 2008 Round 11 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 30 – 22 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | ANZ Stadium |
| 19:00 | Attendance: 9,289 Referee: Tony Archer |
| 1 June 2008 Round 12 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 32 – 14 | Gold Coast Titans | Toyota Stadium |
| 15:00 | Attendance: 8,214 Referee: Ben Cummins |
| 8 June 2008 Round 13 | Penrith Panthers | 22 – 24 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Penrith Stadium |
| 14:00 | Attendance: 10,543 Referee: Jarred Maxwell |
| 14 June 2008 Round 14 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 24 – 8 | New Zealand Warriors | Toyota Stadium |
| 19:30 | Attendance: 9,023 Referee: Ben Cummins |
| 22 June 2008 Round 15 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 16 – 14 | Parramatta Eels | Toyota Stadium |
| 15:00 | Attendance: 17,547 Referee: Shayne Hayne |
| 30 June 2008 Round 16 | Canberra Raiders | 24 – 36 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Canberra Stadium |
| 19:00 | Attendance: 9,136 Referee: Sean Hampstead |
| 12 July 2008 Round 18 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 6 – 34 | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | Toyota Stadium |
| 19:30 | Attendance: 18,217 Referee: Jason Robinson |
| 19 July 2008 Round 19 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 16 – 13 | Newcastle Knights | Toyota Stadium |
| 19:30 | Attendance: 10,112 Referee: Tony Archer |
| 25 July 2008 Round 20 | Brisbane Broncos | 18 – 12 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Suncorp Stadium |
| 19:30 | Attendance: 27,905 Referee: Shayne Hayne |
| 2 August 2008 Round 21 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 13 – 12 | St. George Illawarra Dragons | Toyota Stadium |
| 17:30 | Attendance: 18,256 Referee: Jarred Maxwell |
| 9 August 2008 Round 22 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 28 – 14 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Toyota Stadium |
| 19:30 | Attendance: 12,618 Referee: Ben Cummins |
| 16 August 2008 Round 23 | New Zealand Warriors | 18 – 4 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Mount Smart Stadium |
| 19:30 | Attendance: 10,417 Referee: Tony Archer |
| 22 August 2008 Round 24 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 20 – 0 | Sydney Roosters | Toyota Stadium |
| 19:30 | Attendance: 10,013 Referee: Jason Robinson |
| 29 August 2008 Round 25 | Wests Tigers | 6 – 32 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Leichhardt Oval |
| 19:30 | Attendance: 10,766 Referee: Sean Hampstead |
| 6 September 2008 Round 26 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 28 – 22 | North Queensland Cowboys | Toyota Stadium |
| 19:30 | Attendance: 7,057 Referee: Ben Cummins |
| 13 September 2008 Qualifying Final | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 36 – 10 | Canberra Raiders | Toyota Stadium |
| 18:30 | Tries: Misi Taulapapa (3) Brett Seymour Luke Covell Ben Pomeroy Brett Kearney Goals: Luke Covell 3/7 Brett Kimmorley 1/1 |
Tries: Marshall Chalk Colin Best Goals: Terry Campese 1/2 |
Attendance: 18,252 Referee: Jarred Maxwell |
| 26 September 2008 Preliminary Final | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 0 – 28 | Melbourne Storm | Sydney Football Stadium |
| 19:45 | Tries: Steve Turner (2) Israel Folau Adam Blair Matt Geyer Goals: Steve Turner 4/5 |
Attendance: 27,570 Referee: Tony Archer |