# 2008 Canberra Raiders season

2008 was the Canberra Raiders' 27th season in the National Rugby League competition. The Raiders began the year favourites to win the wooden spoon. However, they finished 6th (out of 16) and were eliminated in the first week of the finals.

## Season summary

The 2008 season started with some promise for the Raiders – a good showing despite a loss in round 1 vs. Newcastle was followed up with two solid wins against Penrith and St. George-Illawarra. The club has since suffered a series of losses, whilst snaring only the occasional victory, with a big come from behind victory against Wests being noteworthy. In the representative field, Todd Carney and Joel Monaghan picked for Country Origin, and Monaghan being a shadow player for the New South Wales Side. However, as in recent seasons, injuries have been the curse of the Canberra club, with no less than three players suffering dreaded ACL ruptures, arguably the worst kind of injury a footballer can receive, essentially ending their season. Worse, the three players afflicted, Will Zillman, Lincoln Withers and Phil Graham are amongst the Raiders best players. Compounding this, talented back-rowers Neville Costigan and Tom Learoyd-Lahrs have spent minimal time on the field due to recurring minor injuries. The club has also suffered badly in the recruiting race, with Zillman and strong front rower Michael Weyman opting to go elsewhere next season, with indications that Costigan and Scott Logan will do the same. Additionally, half Michael Dobson left the club mid-season for the English club Hull KR, due to lack of opportunities in Canberra. Finally, Coach Neil Henry has exercised a get-out clause in his contract, and will coach the North-Queensland Cowboys in 2009, with former player and club legend, but inexperienced coach, David Furner taking over in 2009. To date, beyond a few talented youngsters, the club is yet to procure a single player of note for season 2009, and will once again be forced to rely on youthful talent. At Round 13, Canberra sat well outside the eight, and the season looked as though it could end with a whimper.
However, far from fading away, the Raiders bounced back with a comprehensive victory over the Brisbane Broncos and then proceeded to thrash the Canterbury Bulldogs, inflicting the worst loss on the Sydney-based club in over half a century. Despite successive losses to the Cronulla Sharks and defending premiers Melbourne Storm, Canberra fought hard in both games, then broke a 13-year losing streak in Wollongong (and ended a 7 match winning streak by the home team) with an impressive win over St. George-Illawarra. The season highlight, however, was a comprehensive 34–12 win over league leaders, the Sydney Roosters. With 7 rounds left in the 2008 premiership, Canberra sits just one point outside the top eight. With a comparatively friendly draw, playing several teams below them on the table, the Raiders are poised to sneak into the semi-finals for the first time in two years. After a comprehensive 74–12 win over the Panthers the Raiders moved into an unexpected 6th spot on the ladder from 11th to almost cement a spot in the 2008 finals series with 4 games remaining.
The Raiders went closer to the top eight with two important wins against Newcastle and Souths. They are now on a three-match winning streak with 2 games remaining.
The season has not been without controversy, however, with star halfback Todd Carney and fullback Bronx Goodwin being stood down by the club after an altercation at a Canberra nightclub following the round 19 win against the Roosters. Carney was eventually dismissed by the club after failing to agree to the punishment plan the club had laid out for him, Goodwin's future is still to be determined.
As of 6 September 2008, despite a heavy injury toll, the Raiders are guaranteed a place in the NRL 2008 Finals Series, a feat which was at the start of the season impossible according to Rugby League punditry in Australia.
The Raiders semi-final appearance was brief, however. After being defeated by the Cronulla Sharks, the Raiders 6th-place finish was considered to be enough to get them a second chance. However, a huge upset with 8th-place New Zealand defeating minor premiers Melbourne saw the Raiders eliminated.

## Season results

Trial Games :
| Round | Opponent | Result | Can. | Opp. | Date | Venue | Crowd | Position |
| Trial Match | Gold Coast Titans | Win | 34 | 28 | 16 Feb | Ipswich | | N/A |
| Trial Match | Brisbane Broncos | Win | 32 | 16 | 23 Feb | Wade Park | 8,500 | N/A |
| Trial Match | North Queensland Cowboys | Loss | 20 | 32 | 1 Mar | Mackay | | N/A |
| NRL Regular Season Games |||||||||
| 1 | Newcastle Knights | Loss | 14 | 30 | 15 Mar | Energy Australia Stadium | 17,233 | 14/16 |
| 2 | Penrith Panthers | Win | 20 | 16 | 22 Mar | CUA Stadium | 7,503 | 12/16 |
| 3 | St George Illawarra Dragons | Win | 21 | 14 | 29 Mar | Canberra Stadium | 14,400 | 8/16 |
| 4 | Gold Coast Titans | Loss | 12 | 32 | 5 Apr | Skilled Park | 17,381 | 11/16 |
| 5 (1989 League Legends Cup) | Wests Tigers | Win | 30 | 24 | 13 Apr | Canberra Stadium | 12,240 | 6/16 |
| 6 (Heritage Round) | Melbourne Storm | Loss | 16 | 23 | 21 Apr | Canberra Stadium | 15,550 | 11/16 |
| 7 | BYE | | | | 25–27 Apr | | | 9/16 |
| 8 | New Zealand Warriors | Loss | 6 | 14 | 4 May | Mount Smart Stadium | 7,358 | 11/16 |
| 9 | Sydney Roosters | Loss | 4 | 30 | 10 May | Sydney Football Stadium | 10,241 | 13/16 |
| 10 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Win | 38 | 10 | 19 May | Canberra Stadium | 11,155 | 10/16 |
| 11 | BYE | | | | 23–26 May | | | 10/16 |
| 12 | Manly Sea Eagles | Loss | 18 | 31 | 30 May | Canberra Stadium | 13,120 | 11/16 |
| 13 | Parramatta Eels | Loss | 12 | 30 | 7 Jun | Parramatta Stadium | 10,195 | 12/16 |
| 14 | Brisbane Broncos | Win | 34 | 16 | 15 Jun | Canberra Stadium | 11,157 | 12/16 |
| 15 | Canterbury Bulldogs | Win | 58 | 18 | 21 Jun | ANZ Stadium | 9,845 | 10/16 |
| 16 | Cronulla Sharks | Loss | 24 | 36 | 30 Jun | Canberra Stadium | 9,136 | 11/16 |
| 17 | Melbourne Storm | Loss | 14 | 30 | 6 Jul | Olympic Park | 11,719 | 12/16 |
| 18 | St George Illawarra Dragons | Win | 19 | 12 | 13 Jul | WIN Stadium | 14,040 | 11/16 |
| 19 | Sydney Roosters | Win | 34 | 12 | 20 Jul | Canberra Stadium | 13,417 | 9/16 |
| 20 | Gold Coast Titans | Win | 46 | 4 | 26 Jul | Canberra Stadium | 8,700 | 8/16 |
| 21 | Brisbane Broncos | Loss | 6 | 34 | 3 Aug | Suncorp Stadium | 28,103 | 10/16 |
| 22 | Penrith Panthers | Win | 74 | 12 | 10 Aug | Canberra Stadium | 6,500 | 6/16 |
| 23 | Newcastle Knights | Win | 38 | 18 | 17 Aug | Canberra Stadium | 12,206 | 6/16 |
| 24 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Win | 40 | 25 | 24 Aug | ANZ Stadium | 10,128 | 6/16 |
| 25 | North Queensland Cowboys | Loss | 10 | 22 | 30 Aug | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 14,985 | 7/16 |
| 26 | Canterbury Bulldogs | Win | 52 | 34 | 7 Sep | Canberra Stadium | 15,411 | 6/16 |
| NRL Finals Games |||||||||
| QF | Cronulla Sharks | Loss | 10 | 36 | 13 Sep | Toyota Stadium | 18,562 | N/A |
| Colour | Result |
| Green | Win |
| Red | Loss |
| Yellow | Golden point Win |
| Blue | Bye |

### Toyota Cup (Under 20s)

The Raiders' Toyota Cup team won 28–24 over the Broncos' team in golden point extra time to with the Toyota Cup (Under 20s) premiership in the lead-up game to the NRL Grand Final on 5 October 2008

## Club Awards

| Award | Winner |
| Mal Meninga Medal | Joel Monaghan |
| Coaches Award | Dane Tilse |
| Rookie of the Year | Glen Buttriss |
| Fred Daly Memorial Clubman of the Year Trophy | Terry Campese |
| National Youth Competition Player of the Year | Shaun Fensom |
| National Youth Competition Coaches Award | Joel Thompson |
| Gordon McLucas Memorial Award (Junior representative player of the year) | Justin Carney |
| Geoff Caldwell Memorial Award (Vocational Encouragement) | Brendon Wheatley |

## Ladders

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 |
2008 Toyota Cup seasonvte :
| 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 |