# 2008 NRL Under-20s season

The 2008 NRL Under-20s season was the first season of the National Rugby League's youth competition, known as the Toyota Cup due to sponsorship from Toyota. The draw and structure of the competition mirrors that of its senior counterpart, the 2008 Telstra Premiership.

## Ladder

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 |

### Ladder progression

Numbers highlighted in green indicate that the team finished the round inside the top 8.
| | Team | 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 |
| 1 | Canberra Raiders | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 32 | 34 | 36 | 36 | 38 | 40 |
| 2 | Brisbane Broncos | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 27 | 29 | 31 | 33 | 35 |
| 3 | New Zealand Warriors | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 30 | 32 | 34 | 34 | 35 |
| 4 | Penrith Panthers | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 33 | 35 | 35 |
| 5 | Parramatta Eels | 2 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 25 | 27 | 29 | 31 | 33 | 34 | 35 |
| 6 | St. George Illawarra Dragons | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 27 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 32 | 32 |
| 7 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 27 | 27 | 29 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 |
| 8 | Gold Coast Titans | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 31 |
| 9 | Wests Tigers | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 30 | 30 |
| 10 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 28 |
| 11 | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 |
| 12 | Newcastle Knights | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 21 |
| 13 | Melbourne Storm | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 |
| 14 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 17 |
| 15 | Sydney Roosters | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 16 |
| 16 | North Queensland Cowboys | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 |

## Finals series

| Qualifying finals | Qualifying finals | Qualifying finals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Preliminary finals | Preliminary finals | Preliminary finals | Final | Final | Final |
| 1 | Canberra Raiders | 43 | | | | | | | | | |
| 8 | Gold Coast Titans | 12 | | | | 1W | Canberra Raiders | 18 | | | |
| | | | 4W | Parramatta Eels | 22 | | St. George Illawarra | 14 | | | |
| 2 | Brisbane Broncos | 28 | 2L | St. George Illawarra | 23 | | | | | | |
| 2 | Brisbane Broncos | 28 | 2L | St. George Illawarra | 23 | | | | Canberra Raiders | Canberra Raiders | 28 |
| 7 | Bulldogs | 22 | | | | | | | Canberra Raiders | Canberra Raiders | 28 |
| 7 | Bulldogs | 22 | | | | | | | Brisbane Broncos | Brisbane Broncos | 24 |
| 3 | NZ Warriors | 47 | | | | 2W | Brisbane Broncos | 28 | | | |
| 6 | St. George Illawarra | 20 | 3W | NZ Warriors | 38 | | NZ Warriors | 26 | | | |
| | | | 1L | Penrith Panthers | 4 | | | | | | |
| 4 | Penrith Panthers | 16 | | | | | | | | | |
| 5 | Parramatta Eels | 24 | | | | | | | | | |
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information |
| Home | Score | Away | Date and Time | Venue | Referee |
| Qualifying Finals ||||||
| Brisbane Broncos | 28-22 | Canterbury Bulldogs | 12 September 2008, 5:30pm | Sydney Football Stadium | Gerard Sutton |
| Canberra Raiders | 43-12 | Gold Coast Titans | 13 September 2008, 4:15pm | Toyota Stadium | Alan Shortall |
| Penrith Panthers | 16-24 | Parramatta Eels | 13 September 2008, 6:15pm | Brookvale Oval | Phillip Haines |
| New Zealand Warriors | 47-20 | St. George Illawarra | 14 September 2008, 1:45pm | Olympic Park | Chris James |
| Semi-finals ||||||
| New Zealand Warriors | 38-4 | Penrith Panthers | 19 September 2008, 6:15pm | Mt Smart Stadium | Phillip Haines |
| Parramatta Eels | 22-23 | St. George Illawarra | 20 September 2008, 5:30pm | Suncorp Stadium | Chris James |
| Preliminary Finals ||||||
| Canberra Raiders | 18-14 | St. George Illawarra | 26 September 2008, 5:30pm | Sydney Football Stadium | Phillip Haines |
| Brisbane Broncos | 28-26 | New Zealand Warriors | 27 September 2008, 5:30pm | Sydney Football Stadium | Chris James |
| Grand Final ||||||
| Canberra Raiders | 28-24 | Brisbane Broncos | 5 October 2008, 2:15pm | ANZ Stadium | Shayne Hayne |

## Grand final

| Canberra Raiders | Position | Brisbane Broncos |
| Josh Dugan | FB | Josh Hoffman |
| 2. Drury Low | WG | 2. Mitch Rivett |
| 3. Jarrod Croker | CE | 3. Will Tupou |
| 4. Daniel Vidot | CE | 4. Brendon Gibb |
| 5. Michael Brophy | WG | 5. Jharal Yow Yeh |
| 6. Michael Picker | FE | 6. Jared Kahu |
| 7. Matt Smith | HB | 7. Ben Hunt |
| 15. Andrew Edwards | PR | 8. Josh McGuire |
| 9. Travis Waddell | HK | 9. Andrew McCullough |
| 10. Nick Skinner | PR | 10. Mitchell Dodds |
| 11. Jarrad Kennedy | SR | 11. Matt Handcock |
| 12. Zach Merritt | SR | 12. Troyden Watene |
| 13. Shaun Fensom (c) | LK | 13. Alex Glenn (c) |
| 14. Brock Dunn | Bench | 14. Michael Spence |
| 16. Justin Carney | Bench | 15. Dunamis Lui |
| 17. Todd Rheinberger | Bench | 16. Guy Ford |
| 18. Levi Freeman | Bench | 17. Tom Butterfield |
| Tony Adam | Coach | Anthony Griffin |
A Spectacular try to second-rower Jarrad Kennedy seven minutes into golden-point extra time gave Canberra a thrilling 28-24 victory over Brisbane in the U20 rugby league grand final at ANZ Stadium.
Kennedy was mobbed by jubilant Raiders teammates after collapsing over the line in exhaustion after willing himself to back up centre Jarrod Croker, who had collected a cross-field kick from halfback Matt Smith as the clock wound down.
Canberra won the hard way, though, recovering from 20-12 down early in the second half and then needing a missed conversion attempt from Broncos halfback Ben Hunt to force extra time.
Gunning for their eighth straight victory, Brisbane made a worrying start, conceding a soft try to five-eighth Michael Picker, which fullback Josh Dugan converted for a 6-0 lead after 10 minutes.
The Broncos steadied and went to the interval with a 16-12 buffer after tries to Hunt, interchange forward Michael Spence and winger Jharal Yow Yeh.
The Broncos looked set to go on with the job when centre Brendon Gibb crossed out wide in the opening minutes of the second half, but the Raiders refused to lie down.
A second try to Michael Picker and a goose-stepping four-pointer to winger Drury Low, plus Dugan's heroics, eventually set the scene for Kennedy's match-winning play.

### Match Summary

* Sunday, 5 October 14:15pm AEDT (UTC+11)
| Canberra Raiders | 28 – 24 | Brisbane Broncos |
| Tries: 5 Picker 10', 26' Low 53' Dugan 66' Kennedy 88' Goals: 4 Dugan 11', 27', 55', 67' (4/4) | 1st: 12–16 2nd: 12–8 GP: 4–0 | Tries: 5 Yow Yeh 44', 68' Hunt 17' Spence 29' Gibb 39' Goals: 2 Hunt 18', 30' (2/5) |
* ANZ Stadium, Sydney Referee: Shayne Hayne Jack Gibson Medal: Josh Dugan (Canberra)

## Statistics
### Top Pointscorers

| | Player | Team | P | T | G | FG | Pts |
| 1 | Ben Barba | Bulldogs | 20 | 28 | 70 | 2 | 254 |
| 2 | Kevin Locke | New Zealand | 24 | 15 | 88 | - | 236 |
| 3 | Josh Dugan | Canberra | 19 | 15 | 83 | - | 226 |
| 4 | Ben Hunt | Brisbane | 26 | 17 | 49 | - | 166 |
| 5 | Lachlan Coote | Penrith | 12 | 15 | 39 | - | 138 |
| 6 | Nathan Gardner | Parramatta | 16 | 18 | 32 | - | 136 |
| 7 | Jordan Kahu | Brisbane | 22 | 5 | 52 | - | 124 |
| 8 | Eddie Paea | South Sydney | 19 | 11 | 38 | 2 | 122 |
| 9 | Chris Sandow | South Sydney | 11 | 6 | 47 | - | 118 |
| 10 | Daly Cherry-Evans | Manly | 24 | 7 | 41 | 3 | 113 |

### Top Tryscorers

| | Player | Team | P | T |
| 1 | Ben Barba | Bulldogs | 20 | 28 |
| 2 | Jharal Yow Yeh | Brisbane | 26 | 27 |
| 3 | Kevin Gordon | Gold Coast | 20 | 20 |
| 4 | Nathan Gardner | Parramatta | 16 | 18 |
| 5 | Ben Hunt | Brisbane | 26 | 17 |
| 6 | Drury Low | Canberra | 16 | 16 |
| 7 | Lachlan Coote | Penrith | 12 | 15 |
| 7 | Coedi Towney | Wests Tigers | 17 | 15 |
| 7 | Simon Williams | Newcastle | 17 | 15 |
| 7 | John Kennedy | St George Illawarra | 23 | 15 |
| 7 | Kevin Locke | New Zealand | 24 | 15 |

## Awards
### Toyota Cup Player of the Year

The winner of the award is decided by the most votes during the year as decided by the referee of each game on a 3-2-1 basis for each game played throughout the regular season.
    Winner:
       Ben Hunt, Brisbane
    Nominated:
       Ben Barba, Bulldogs
       Eddie Paea, South Sydney
       Matt Mundine, St. George Illawarra

### Toyota Cup team of the Year

The Toyota Cup team of the Year is voted on by the 16 Toyota Cup coaches, with the players with the highest votes in each position selected.
| Position | Player | Club |
| FB | Lachlan Coote | Penrith |
| WG | Jharal Yow Yeh | Brisbane |
| CE | Justin Carney | Canberra |
| CE | Tony Williams | Parramatta |
| WG | Kevin Gordon | Gold Coast |
| FE | Ben Barba | Bulldogs |
| HB | Chris Sandow | South Sydney |
| PR | Russell Packer | New Zealand |
| HK | Masada Iosefa | Penrith |
| PR | John Kite | Bulldogs |
| SR | Joel Thompson | Canberra |
| SR | Daniel Harrison | Bulldogs |
| LK | Shaun Fensom | Canberra |
| Bench | Ben Hunt | Brisbane |
| Bench | Matt Mundine | St George Illawarra |
| Bench | Jordan Rapana | Gold Coast |
| Bench | Ben Matulino | New Zealand |