# 2008 Brisbane Broncos season

The 2008 Brisbane Broncos season was the 21st in the club's history. They competed in the NRL's 2008 Telstra Premiership, the centenary season of rugby league football in Australia. The Broncos finished the regular season 5th (out of 16) but were knocked out of the finals by eventual grand finalists Melbourne Storm for the second consecutive year.

## Season summary

The Broncos started the season winning their first three games. 48–12 against the Penrith Panthers in round 1, 20–14 against the Sydney Roosters in round 2 and 36–2 against the North Queensland Cowboys in round 3. Round 3 gave way to an attendance of 50,612 people, biggest crowd at Suncorp Stadium. The Broncos suffered their first loss of the 2008 season with a 28–8 loss to reigning premiers the Melbourne Storm in round 4.
Round 5 saw the Broncos have a 34–22 win over the Newcastle Knights at Energy Australia Stadium. Justin Hodges starred with a two try effort with Michael Ennis also scoring two tries, while always looking dangerous. Round 6 was a disappointing 26–24 loss for the Broncos to the red hot Gold Coast Titans. The Titans burst out of the blocks with a 16–0 lead after 20 mins. However the Broncos fought back strongly, with a missed goal from the sideline from Michael Ennis late in the second half the difference. In round 9, the Broncos lost their first match of the season while leading at halftime when they led 12–6 at halftime to lose 30–12 against the Manly Sea Eagles, it was also Broncos first loss for the season at Suncorp Stadium. In round 10, the Broncos lost their first back-to-back losses for the season when they lost to the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 13–6 at Toyota Park. The Broncos returned to the winners list with a very thrilling 30–26 win against the Parramatta Eels at Suncorp Stadium in round 12. Also Denan Kemp equalled the record for the most tries in a match for the Broncos with 4 tries against the Eels in round 12. Karmichael Hunt kicked his first ever field goal when he won the game for the Broncos 19–18 against the Wests Tigers in round 15. Also Nick Kenny scored his first ever try in first grade against the Tigers. The Broncos played out their first draw since round 25, 2004 and the first draw of the season with a hard-fought 12–12 draw with the Penrith Panthers at CUA Stadium in round 16. In round 20, the Broncos won their first back to back wins since round 8 with a hard fort 18–12 win over the Cronulla Sharks at Suncorp Stadium. Joel Clinton has scored his first try for the Broncos in the Broncos 25–21 win over the Gold Coast Titans at Suncorp Stadium in round 24. In round 25, the Broncos secured another finals campaign with a 36–22 win over the Canterbury Bulldogs at Suncorp Stadium. The Broncos will compete in their 17th straight finals series. The Broncos took on the Sydney Roosters in the Qualifying Final and the Broncos turned an 8-point halftime deficit into an 8-point win coming from 16–8 down to win 24–16 at the SFS. The Broncos season came to an end when Greg Inglis crossed the line with 1 minute to play as the Broncos led the Melbourne Storm 14–12 in the semi-final at Suncorp Stadium. They lost 16–14.
After the NRL season, Brisbane's Darius Boyd was selected to make his international debut for Australia in the 2008 Rugby League World Cup.

## Results

| Round | Opponent | Result | Bris. | Opp. | Date | Venue | Crowd | Position |
| Trial | Central Comets | Win | 30 | 12 | 9 February | Theodore, Queensland | | |
| Trial | North Queensland Cowboys | Win | 20 | 10 | 16 February | Brown Park, Rockhampton | | |
| Trial | Canberra Raiders | Loss | 16 | 32 | 23 February | Wade Park, Orange | 8,500 | |
| Trial | Redcliffe Dolphins | Win | 24 | 22 | 1 March | Dolphin Oval, Redcliffe | 8,000 | |
| 1 | Penrith Panthers | Win | 48 | 12 | 16 March | Suncorp Stadium | 31,250 | 1/16 |
| 2 | Sydney Roosters | Win | 20 | 14 | 21 March | Sydney Football Stadium | 18,724 | 1/16 |
| 3 | North Queensland Cowboys | Win | 36 | 2 | 28 March | Suncorp Stadium | 50,612 | 1/16 |
| 4 | Melbourne Storm | Loss | 8 | 28 | 4 April | Olympic Park Stadium | 13,831 | 1/16 |
| 5 | Newcastle Knights | Win | 34 | 22 | 13 April | EnergyAustralia Stadium | 21,614 | 1/16 |
| 6 | Gold Coast Titans | Loss | 24 | 26 | 18 April | Skilled Park | 27,176 | 2/16 |
| 7 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Win | 32 | 18 | 25 April | Suncorp Stadium | 34,112 | 2/16 |
| 8 | Wests Tigers | Win | 34 | 22 | 3 May | ANZ Stadium | 11,177 | 1/16 |
| 9 | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | Loss | 12 | 30 | 11 May | Suncorp Stadium | 27,469 | 3/16 |
| 10 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Loss | 6 | 13 | 17 May | Toyota Park | 13,431 | 6/16 |
| 11 | Bye | | | | | | | 5/16 |
| 12 | Parramatta Eels | Win | 30 | 26 | 30 May | Suncorp Stadium | 25,564 | 4/16 |
| 13 | St. George Illawarra Dragons | Loss | 10 | 28 | 6 June | WIN Stadium | 11,432 | 6/16 |
| 14 | Canberra Raiders | Loss | 16 | 34 | 15 June | Canberra Stadium | 11,157 | 7/16 |
| 15 | Wests Tigers | Win | 19 | 18 | 20 June | Suncorp Stadium | 27,862 | 7/16 |
| 16 | Penrith Panthers | Draw | 12 | 12 | 27 June | CUA Stadium | 9,967 | 7/16 |
| 17 | Bye | | | | | | | 7/16 |
| 18 | Bulldogs | Loss | 18 | 26 | 13 July | Suncorp Stadium | 37,687 | 7/16 |
| 19 | North Queensland Cowboys | Win | 32 | 18 | 18 July | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 22,048 | 5/16 |
| 20 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Win | 18 | 12 | 25 July | Suncorp Stadium | 27,905 | 5/16 |
| 21 | Canberra Raiders | Win | 34 | 6 | 3 August | Suncorp Stadium | 28,103 | 5/16 |
| 22 | New Zealand Warriors | Loss | 12 | 16 | 9 August | Mt. Smart | 13,007 | 5/16 |
| 23 | St. George Illawarra Dragons | Loss | 20 | 24 | 15 August | Suncorp Stadium | 33,237 | 5/16 |
| 24 | Gold Coast Titans | Win | 25 | 21 | 22 August | Suncorp Stadium | 39,737 | 5/16 |
| 25 | Bulldogs | Win | 36 | 22 | 31 August | Stadium Australia | 7,685 | 5/16 |
| 26 | Newcastle Knights | Win | 24 | 2 | 5 September | Suncorp Stadium | 37,552 | 5/16 |
| QF | Sydney Roosters | Win | 24 | 16 | 12 September | Sydney Football Stadium | 18,343 | |
| SF | Melbourne Storm | Loss | 14 | 16 | 20 September | Suncorp Stadium | 50,466 | |

## Ladder

2008 NRL seasonvte :
| 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 |

## Scorers

| Player | Tries | Goals | Field Goals | Points |
| Michael Ennis | 7 | 48 | 0 | 124 |
| Denan Kemp | 17 | 0 | 0 | 68 |
| Corey Parker | 3 | 27 | 0 | 66 |
| Darius Boyd | 9 | 0 | 0 | 36 |
| Justin Hodges | 8 | 0 | 0 | 32 |
| Sam Thaiday | 8 | 0 | 0 | 32 |
| Peter Wallace | 4 | 8 | 0 | 28 |
| Joel Moon | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| Reece Robinson | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| David Stagg | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| Karmichael Hunt | 3 | 0 | 1 | 13 |
| Darren Lockyer | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| Tonie Carroll | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Ben Hannant | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Kaine Manihera | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Greg Eastwood | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| PJ Marsh | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Reece Robinson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Steve Michaels | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Shane Perry | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Nick Kenny | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Dave Taylor | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Joel Clinton | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |

## Honours
### League

* Nil

### Club

* Player of the year: Sam Thaiday
* Rookie of the year: Denan Kemp
* Back of the year: Karmichael Hunt
* Forward of the year: Sam Thaiday
* Club man of the year: Matt Middleton

## Casualties

| Player | Injury | Injured Round | Possible Comeback Round |
| Steve Michaels | Knee | 7 | Out For Season |
| Nick Emmett | Ankle | 18 | Out For Season |

## Suspended

Justin Hodges

## Squad

Bold Players have played International or State any year
Full Backs
* Australian Karmichael Hunt
* Australian Rodney Davies
* Australian Denan Kemp
* Australian Josh Hoffman
Wingers
* Australian Darius Boyd
* Australian Reece Robinson
* Australian Steve Michaels
* Australian Craig Frawley
* Australian Tom Hewitt
* Australian Kaine Manihera
Centres
* Australian Justin Hodges
* Australian Nick Emmett
* Australian Joel Moon
Halves
* Australian Darren Lockyer (c)
* Scotland Peter Wallace
* Australian Shane Perry
Hookers
* Australian Michael Ennis
* Australian Michael Roberts
* Australian PJ Marsh
* Australian Andrew McCullough
Props
* Australian Ben Hannant
* Australian Nick Kenny
* Australian Sam Thaiday
* Australian Dave Taylor
* Australian Joel Clinton
Second Rowers
* Australian David Stagg
* Australian Corey Parker
* Fiji Ashton Sims
* Australian Derrick Watkins
Locks
* Australian Tonie Carroll
* New Zealander Greg Eastwood

## Player movements

| Current | Signed for | Signed for | Signed for | Signed for | Source |
| 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | Source |
| Darius Boyd | signed with St. George Illawarra | signed with St. George Illawarra | signed with St. George Illawarra | off contract | |
| Tonie Carroll | . | . | . | . | |
| Joel Clinton | Joel Clinton | Joel Clinton | off contract | off contract |
| Greg Eastwood | signed with Bulldogs | signed with Bulldogs | signed with Bulldogs | off contract | |
| Nick Emmett | signed with St. George Illawarra | contract details unknown | contract details unknown | contract details unknown | |
| Michael Ennis | signed with Bulldogs | signed with Bulldogs | signed with Bulldogs | off contract | |
| leaving Melbourne | Israel Folau | Israel Folau | Israel Folau | Israel Folau | |
| leaving Catalans | Aaron Gorrell | Aaron Gorrell | Aaron Gorrell | Aaron Gorrell | |
| Ben Hannant | signed with Bulldogs | signed with Bulldogs | signed with Bulldogs | off contract | |
| Justin Hodges | Justin Hodges | Justin Hodges | Justin Hodges | off contract | |
| Karmichael Hunt | Karmichael Hunt | Signed with Gold Coast AfL | Signed with Gold Coast AfL | Signed with Gold Coast AfL | |
| Denan Kemp | signed with New Zealand | signed with New Zealand | off contract | off contract | |
| Nick Kenny | Nick Kenny | Nick Kenny | off contract | off contract | |
| Kaine Manihera | contract details unknown | contract details unknown | contract details unknown | contract details unknown | contract details unknown |
| Darren Lockyer | Darren Lockyer | off contract | off contract | off contract | |
| PJ Marsh | PJ Marsh | PJ Marsh | off contract | off contract | |
| Steven Michaels | Steven Michaels | Steven Michaels | off contract | off contract | |
| Joel Moon | signed with New Zealand | signed with New Zealand | signed with New Zealand | off contract | |
| Corey Parker | Corey Parker | Corey Parker | Corey Parker | off contract | |
| Shane Perry | signed with Catalans | off contract | off contract | off contract | |
| Reece Robinson | off contract | off contract | off contract | off contract |
| leaving St. George Illawarra | Lagi Setu | off contract | off contract | off contract | |
| Ashton Sims | Ashton Sims | Ashton Sims | off contract | off contract |
| David Stagg | signed with Canterbury | signed with Canterbury | off contract | off contract | |
| David Taylor | David Taylor | off contract | off contract | off contract | |
| leaving Wests Tigers | Ben Te'o | off contract | off contract | off contract | |
| Sam Thaiday | Sam Thaiday | off contract | off contract | off contract | |
| Peter Wallace | Peter Wallace | Peter Wallace | Peter Wallace | Peter Wallace | |

## Toyota Cup results

| Round | Opponent | Result | Bris. | Opp. | Date | Venue |
| 1 | Penrith Panthers | Loss | 24 | 28 | 16 March | Suncorp Stadium |
| 2 | Sydney Roosters | Loss | 16 | 40 | 21 March | Sydney Football Stadium |
| 3 | North Queensland Cowboys | Win | 32 | 10 | 28 March | Suncorp Stadium |
| 4 | Melbourne Storm | Win | 28 | 24 | 4 April | Olympic Park |
| 5 | Newcastle Knights | Win | 26 | 20 | 13 April | EnergyAustralia Stadium |
| 6 | Gold Coast Titans | Loss | 20 | 30 | 18 April | Skilled Park |
| 7 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Loss | 16 | 28 | 25 April | Suncorp Stadium |
| 8 | Wests Tigers | Loss | 18 | 31 | 3 May | ANZ Stadium |
| 9 | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | Win | 42 | 12 | 11 May | Suncorp Stadium |
| 10 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Win | 40 | 8 | 17 May | Toyota Park |
| 11 | Bye | | | | | |
| 12 | Parramatta Eels | Win | 32 | 6 | 30 May | Suncorp Stadium |
| 13 | St. George Illawarra Dragons | Draw | 22 | 22 | 6 June | WIN Stadium |
| 14 | Canberra Raiders | Loss | 8 | 48 | 15 June | Canberra Stadium |
| 15 | Wests Tigers | Win | 48 | 0 | 20 June | Suncorp Stadium |
| 16 | Penrith Panthers | Win | 38 | 24 | 27 June | CUA Stadium |
| 17 | Bye | | | | | |
| 18 | Canterbury Bulldogs | Loss | 16 | 33 | 13 July | Suncorp Stadium |
| 19 | North Queensland Cowboys | Win | 34 | 16 | 18 July | Dairy Farmers Stadium |
| 20 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Win | 40 | 4 | 25 July | Suncorp Stadium |
| 21 | Canberra Raiders | Loss | 24 | 28 | 3 August | Suncorp Stadium |
| 22 | New Zealand Warriors | Win | 32 | 12 | 9 August | Mt. Smart |
| 23 | St. George Illawarra Dragons | Win | 30 | 22 | 15 August | Suncorp Stadium |
| 24 | Gold Coast Titans | Win | 40 | 12 | 22 August | Suncorp Stadium |
| 25 | Canterbury Bulldogs | Win | 40 | 12 | 31 August | Stadium Australia |
| 26 | Newcastle Knights | Win | 18 | 6 | 5 September | Suncorp Stadium |
| QF | Canterbury Bulldogs | Win | 28 | 22 | 12 September | Aussie Stadium |
| PF | New Zealand Warriors | Win | 28 | 26 | 20 September | Aussie Stadium |
| GF | Canberra Raiders | Loss | 24 | 28 | 28 September | ANZ Stadium |
QF Sydney Roosters vs Brisbane Broncos venue SFS
SF Melbourne Storm vs Brisbane Broncos venue Suncorp Stadium