# 2008 ANZ Championship season

The 2008 ANZ Championship season was the inaugural season of the ANZ Championship. The 2008 season began on 5 April and concluded on 28 July. Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic were minor premiers after finishing top of the table following the regular season. New South Wales Swifts, with a team coached by Julie Fitzgerald and captained by Catherine Cox, won 10 of their 13 matches and finished second behind Magic. Swifts subsequently defeated Magic in both the major semi–final and the grand final to become the inaugural ANZ Championship winners. The grand final was played on 28 July at Acer Arena. Overall, 6792 goals were scored during the season, averaging 98.44 per match. Fox Sports (Australia) and Sky Sport (New Zealand) attracted an average audience per match of 56,581.

## Transfers

| Player | 2007 team | 2008 team |
| Mo'onia Gerrard | Sydney Swifts | Adelaide Thunderbirds |
| Geva Mentor | Team Bath | Adelaide Thunderbirds |
| Kate Beveridge | Perth Orioles | Adelaide Thunderbirds |
| Rebecca Bulley | Melbourne Kestrels | New South Wales Swifts |
| Romelda Aiken | Jamalco | Queensland Firebirds |
| Tamsin Greenway | Team Bath | Queensland Firebirds |
| Janelle Lawson | AIS Canberra Darters | Queensland Firebirds |
| Joanne Morgan | | Queensland Firebirds |
| Ama Agbeze | Loughborough Lightning | West Coast Fever |
| Karen Atkinson | Mavericks | West Coast Fever |
| Ingrid Dick | Melbourne Phoenix | West Coast Fever |
| Jodi Brown | Otago Rebels | Canterbury Tactix |
| Rachel Dunn | Team Bath | Canterbury Tactix |
| Demelza Fellowes | Otago Rebels | Canterbury Tactix |
| Sonia Mkoloma | Brunel Hurricanes | Central Pulse |
| Frances Solia | | Central Pulse |
| Cathrine Latu | Northern Force | Northern Mystics |
| Jenny-May Coffin | Auckland Diamonds | Southern Steel |
| Megan Dehn | Sydney Swifts/Northern Force | Southern Steel |
| Maria Tutaia | Auckland Diamonds | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic |
Source:

## Head coaches and captains

| Team | Head coach | Captain |
| Adelaide Thunderbirds | Jane Woodlands-Thompson | Natalie von Bertouch |
| Melbourne Vixens | Julie Hoornweg | Sharelle McMahon Bianca Chatfield |
| New South Wales Swifts | Julie Fitzgerald | Catherine Cox |
| Queensland Firebirds | Vicki Wilson | Peta Stephens |
| West Coast Fever | Sue Gaudion | Stacey Rosman |
| Canterbury Tactix | Helen Mahon-Stroud | Julie Seymour |
| Central Pulse | Kate Carpenter | Frances Solia |
| Northern Mystics | Yvonne Willering | Temepara George |
| Southern Steel | Robyn Broughton | Jenny-May Coffin Megan Hutton |
| Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | Noeline Taurua | Amigene Metcalfe |

## Regular season

During the regular season the Australian teams played each other twice and the New Zealand teams once. The New Zealand teams also played each other twice and each of the Australian teams once.

### Round 5

* BYES:  Adelaide Thunderbirds and Canterbury Tactix

### Round 6

* BYES:  Melbourne Vixens and Central Pulse

### Round 7

* BYES:  Queensland Firebirds and Northern Mystics

### Round 8

* BYES:  West Coast Fever and Southern Steel

### Round 9

* BYES:  New South Wales Swifts and Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic

### Round 14

Source:

## Final table

2008 ANZ Championship seasonvte :
| | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | G% | Pts |
| 1 | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | 13 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 687 | 599 | 114.69 | 20 |
| 2 | New South Wales Swifts | 13 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 727 | 652 | 111.50 | 20 |
| 3 | Adelaide Thunderbirds | 13 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 652 | 577 | 113.00 | 18 |
| 4 | Melbourne Vixens | 13 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 673 | 620 | 108.55 | 18 |
| 5 | Queensland Firebirds | 13 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 693 | 645 | 107.44 | 14 |
| 6 | Southern Steel | 13 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 617 | 616 | 100.16 | 14 |
| 7 | Northern Mystics | 13 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 625 | 637 | 98.12 | 10 |
| 8 | Canterbury Tactix | 13 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 607 | 678 | 89.53 | 10 |
| 9 | West Coast Fever | 13 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 605 | 697 | 86.80 | 5 |
| 10 | Central Pulse | 13 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 471 | 636 | 74.06 | 1 |
| Updated: 17 February 2021 ||||||||||
Qualified for Major semi-final Qualified for Minor semi-final
* Pld = Games played
* W = Win (2 points)
* D = Draw (1 point)
* L = Loss (0 points)
* GF = Goals For (Total goals scored)
* GA = Goals Against (Total goals conceded)
* G% = Goal percentage (= 100 × GF/GA)
* Pts = Points

### Notes

* ^3 The Round 10 match between West Coast Fever and Central Pulse was called off due to a stadium leak. The match was declared a draw, with each team receiving one point. Fever were leading 33–16 when the match was called off. The goals scored by each team were included in the final table.
Source:

## Playoffs

| Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Preliminary final | Preliminary final | Preliminary final | Grand final | Grand final | Grand final |
| 13 July | 13 July | 13 July | | | | 28 July | 28 July | 28 July |
| Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | 56 | | | | New South Wales Swifts | New South Wales Swifts | 65 |
| New South Wales Swifts | New South Wales Swifts | 57 | 21 July | 21 July | 21 July | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | 56 |
| | | | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | 51 | | | |
| 14 July | 14 July | 14 July | Adelaide Thunderbirds | Adelaide Thunderbirds | 49 | | | |
| Adelaide Thunderbirds | Adelaide Thunderbirds | 53 | | | | | | |
| Melbourne Vixens | Melbourne Vixens | 48 | | | | | | |

### Major semi-final

| Sunday 13 July 17:30 (UTC+12) | Stats | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | 56–57 | New South Wales Swifts | Mystery Creek Events Centre Umpires: Jacqui Jashari Bronwyn Meek Reserve umpire: Mandy Nottingham | FOXSports SKYSport |
| FOXSports SKYSport |||
| Sunday 13 July 17:30 (UTC+12) | Stats | Irene van Dyk 29/29 (100%) Maria Tutaia 27/34 (79%) | | Catherine Cox 41/48 (85%) Susan Pratley 16/19 (84%) | Mystery Creek Events Centre Umpires: Jacqui Jashari Bronwyn Meek Reserve umpire: Mandy Nottingham | FOXSports SKYSport |
Sources:

### Minor semi-final

| Monday 14 July 16:30 (UTC+9:30) | Stats | Adelaide Thunderbirds | 53–48 | Melbourne Vixens | ETSA Park Umpires: Rachael Ayre Bobbi Brown Reserve umpire: Helen George | FOXSports SKYSport |
| FOXSports SKYSport |||
| Monday 14 July 16:30 (UTC+9:30) | Stats | Kate Beveridge 38/44 (86%) Natalie Medhurst 15/20 (75%) | | Caitlin Thwaites 28/37 (76%) Sharelle McMahon 20/21 (95%) | ETSA Park Umpires: Rachael Ayre Bobbi Brown Reserve umpire: Helen George | FOXSports SKYSport |
Sources:

### Preliminary final

| Monday 21 July 19:00 (UTC+12) | Stats | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | 51–49 | Adelaide Thunderbirds | Mystery Creek Events Centre Umpires: Sharon Kelly Bronwyn Meek Reserve umpire: Bobbi Brown | FOXSports SKYSport |
| FOXSports SKYSport |||
| Monday 21 July 19:00 (UTC+12) | Stats | Irene van Dyk 31/32 (97%) Maria Tutaia 20/23 (87%) | | Kate Beveridge 29/34 (85%) Natalie Medhurst 20/22 (91%) | Mystery Creek Events Centre Umpires: Sharon Kelly Bronwyn Meek Reserve umpire: Bobbi Brown | FOXSports SKYSport |
Sources:

### Grand final

| Monday 28 July 19:00 (UTC+10) | Stats | New South Wales Swifts | 65–56 | Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic | Acer Arena Attendance: 12,999 Umpires: Sharon Kelly Bronwyn Meek Reserve umpire: Jacqui Jashari | FOXSports SKYSport |
| FOXSports SKYSport |||
| Monday 28 July 19:00 (UTC+10) | Stats | Catherine Cox 41/46 (89%) Susan Pratley 24/30 (80%) | | Irene van Dyk 45/46 (98%) Maria Tutaia 11/15 (73%) | Acer Arena Attendance: 12,999 Umpires: Sharon Kelly Bronwyn Meek Reserve umpire: Jacqui Jashari | FOXSports SKYSport |
Sources:

## Award winners
### ANZ Championship awards

| Award | Winner | Team |
| Most Valuable Player | Romelda Aiken | Queensland Firebirds |
| Most Valuable Player | Sonia Mkoloma | Central Pulse |
| Grand Final MVP | Catherine Cox | New South Wales Swifts |

#### Notes

* ^2 Romelda Aiken and Sonia Mkoloma shared the MVP Award

### Australian Netball Awards

| Award | Winner | Team |
| Liz Ellis Diamond | Mo'onia Gerrard | Adelaide Thunderbirds |
| Australian ANZ Championship Player of the Year | Catherine Cox | New South Wales Swifts |
| Australian ANZ Championship Coach of the Year | Julie Fitzgerald | New South Wales Swifts |
Sources: