# 2008 New Zealand Warriors season

The New Zealand Warriors 2008 season was the New Zealand Warriors 14th first-grade season. The club competed in Australasia's National Rugby League. The coach of the team was Ivan Cleary while Steve Price was the club's captain.

## Milestones

* 31 March – Round 3: Grant Rovelli played in his 50th match for the club.
* 19 April – Round 6: Lance Hohaia played in his 100th match for the club.
* 22 June – Round 15: Sam Rapira played in his 50th match for the club.
* 14 September – Qualifying Finals: The Warriors become the first team finishing eighth to beat the minor premiers when they defeat the Melbourne Storm, 18 – 15.
* October–November: 11 players from the club participated in the World Cup: Steve Price, Brent Tate (Australia), Nathan Fien, Lance Hohaia, Simon Mannering, Sam Rapira, Jerome Ropati, Evarn Tuimavave, Manu Vatuvei (New Zealand), Ian Henderson (Scotland), Epalahame Lauaki (Tonga). In addition, John Ackland coached Samoa and Wairangi Koopu played for the New Zealand Māori side in the Welcome to Country match.

## Jersey & Sponsors

* The Warriors again did not change their jersey, sticking with the predominantly Black & White design supplied by Puma AG. The away jersey also remained unchanged, being mainly Grey with Black details. For the "Heritage Round" the Warriors played in a strip based on their 1999 Red away strip

## Fixtures

The Warriors used Mt Smart Stadium as their home ground in 2008, their only home ground since they entered the competition in 1995.

### Trial Matches

| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Result | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance |
| 15 February | Trial 1 | Newcastle Knights | North Harbour Stadium, Auckland | Loss | 14–22 | Ah Van, Vatuvei, Koopu | Witt (1) | 9,000 |
| 23 February | Trial 2 | Auckland Vulcans | Henham Park, Auckland | Win | 50–0 | Solomona (2), Hohaia (2), Fien, Witt, Locke, Taylor, Mika | Witt (7) | |
| 29 February | Trial 3 | Manly Sea Eagles | Stockland Park, Sunshine Coast | Loss | 16–24 | Rovelli, Witt, Solomona | Witt (2) | 8,040 |

### Regular season

| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Result | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance |
| 17 March | Round 1 | Melbourne Storm | Telstra Dome, Melbourne | Loss | 18–32 | Vatuvei (2), Ropati | Witt (3) | 20,084 |
| 23 March | Round 2 | Parramatta Eels | Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland | Win | 30–16 | Vatuvei (2), Rovelli, Tate, Tuimavave | Witt (5) | 15,250 |
| 31 March | Round 3 | Manly Sea Eagles | Brookvale Oval, Sydney | Loss | 6–52 | Hohaia | Witt (1) | 10,175 |
| 6 April | Round 4 | Newcastle Knights | Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland | Win | 26–20 | Shortland (2), Ah Van, Tuimavave | Witt (5) | 11,518 |
| 13 April | Round 5 | Bulldogs | Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland | Win | 36–16 | Vatuvei (2), Ah Van, Fai, Hohaia, Wiki | Witt (6) | 15,912 |
| 19 April | Round 6 | North Queensland Cowboys | Dairy Farmers Stadium, Townsville | Loss | 20–48 | Henderson, Ropati, Mannering | Witt (4) | 20,544 |
| 27 April | Round 7 | Gold Coast Titans | Skilled Park, Gold Coast | Loss | 24–36 | Witt (2), Luck, Vatuvei | Witt (4) | 25,310 |
| 4 May | Round 8 | Canberra Raiders | Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland | Win | 14–6 | Shortland, Tate | Witt (3) | 7,358 |
| | Round 9 | Bye | | | – | | | |
| 18 May | Round 10 | Penrith Panthers | CUA Stadium, Sydney | Loss | 22–46 | Mannering (2), Henderson Packer | Hohaia (3) | 9,450 |
| 25 May | Round 11 | Sydney Roosters | Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland | Loss | 12–38 | Henderson, Kirk | Hohaia (2) | 11,922 |
| 31 May | Round 12 | Newcastle Knights | EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle | Win | 18–16 | Ah Van, Crockett, Henderson | Ah Van (3) | 15,489 |
| 6 June | Round 13 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland | Loss | 28–35 | Crockett (3), Ah Van, Kirk, Ropati | Ah Van (1), Hohaia (1) | 13,112 |
| 13 June | Round 14 | Cronulla Sharks | Toyota Park, Sydney | Loss | 8–24 | Ropati | Hohaia (2) | 9,023 |
| 22 June | Round 15 | Manly Sea Eagles | Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland | Loss | 14–20 | Kirk, Vatuvei, Mannering | Witt (1) | 7,141 |
| 29 June | Round 16 | Wests Tigers | Leichhardt Oval, Sydney | Win | 28–26 | Fai, Fien, Henderson, Hohaia, Ropati | Hohaia (2), Witt (2) | 15,027 |
| | Round 17 | Bye | | | – | | | |
| 12 July | Round 18 | North Queensland Cowboys | Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland | Win | 24–14 | Fai, Kirk, Luck, Mannering, Ropati | Hohaia (2) | 7,722 |
| 19 July | Round 19 | Bulldogs | ANZ Stadium, Sydney | Win | 40–22 | Solomona (3), Fai, Hohaia, Kirk, Price, Rapira | Hohaia (4) | 12,973 |
| 27 July | Round 20 | Melbourne Storm | Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland | Win | 8–6 | Fai | Hohaia (2) | 8,700 |
| 2 August | Round 21 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | ANZ Stadium, Sydney | Loss | 18–16 | Hohaia (2), Ropati | Hohaia (2) | 9,276 |
| 9 August | Round 22 | Brisbane Broncos | Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland | Win | 16–12 | Matulino, McKinnon, Witt | Witt (2) | 13,007 |
| 16 August | Round 23 | Cronulla Sharks | Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland | Win | 18–4 | Hohaia, Ropati, Vatuvei | Witt (3) | 10,417 |
| 24 August | Round 24 | St. George Illawarra Dragons | WIN Stadium, Wollongong | Loss | 6–36 | McKinnon | Witt (1) | 11,583 |
| 31 August | Round 25 | Penrith Panthers | Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland | Win | 42–20 | Vatuvei (2), Henderson, Luck, McKinnon, Ropati, Witt | Witt (7) | 15,214 |
| 6 September | Round 26 | Parramatta Eels | Parramatta Stadium, Sydney | Win | 28–6 | Vatuvei (3), Tate (2) | Witt (4) | 5,102 |

### Finals

| Qualifying finals | Qualifying finals | Qualifying finals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Preliminary finals | Preliminary finals | Preliminary finals | Final | Final | Final |
| 1 | Melbourne | 15 | | | | | | | | | |
| 8 | New Zealand | 18 | | | | 1W | Manly | 32 | | | |
| | | | 4W | New Zealand | 30 | | New Zealand | 6 | | | |
| 2 | Manly | 38 | 2L | Sydney | 13 | | | | | | |
| 2 | Manly | 38 | 2L | Sydney | 13 | | | | Manly | Manly | 40 |
| 7 | St. George Illawarra | 6 | | | | | | | Manly | Manly | 40 |
| 7 | St. George Illawarra | 6 | | | | | | | Melbourne | Melbourne | 0 |
| 3 | Cronulla | 36 | | | | 2W | Cronulla | 0 | | | |
| 6 | Canberra | 10 | 3W | Brisbane | 14 | | Melbourne | 28 | | | |
| | | | 1L | Melbourne | 16 | | | | | | |
| 4 | Sydney | 16 | | | | | | | | | |
| 5 | Brisbane | 24 | | | | | | | | | |
| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Result | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance |
| 14 September | Qualifying Final | Melbourne Storm | Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne | Win | 18–15 | Ropati, Vatuvei, Witt | Witt (3) | 15,193 |
| 19 September | Semi Final | Sydney Roosters | Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland | Win | 30–13 | Hohaia (2), Henderson, Kirk, Vatuvei | Witt (5) | 25,585 |
| 27 September | Preliminary Final | Manly Sea Eagles | Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney | Loss | 6–32 | Kirk | Hohaia (1) | 32,095 |

## 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 |

## Squad

Twenty Six players played for the club in 2008. Eight players made their debut for the club, including five who were also making their first grade debuts.
| No. | Name | Nationality | Position | Warriors Debut | App | T | G | FG | Pts |
| 42 | Logan Swann | | SR | 1 March 1997 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 64 | Wairangi Koopu | | CE / SR | 9 April 1999 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 99 | Lance Hohaia | | UB | 6 April 2002 | 26 | 9 | 21 | 0 | 78 |
| 102 | Evarn Tuimavave | | PR | 1 September 2002 | 25 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 108 | Jerome Ropati | | CE / FE | 31 August 2003 | 22 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 36 |
| 110 | Epalahame Lauaki | / | SR | 14 March 2004 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 115 | Manu Vatuvei | | WG | 23 May 2004 | 17 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 64 |
| 121 | Steve Price | | PR | 13 March 2005 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 123 | Ruben Wiki | | PR | 13 March 2005 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 124 | Nathan Fien | | HK | 13 March 2005 | 27 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 125 | Simon Mannering | | CE | 26 June 2005 | 27 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| 126 | Micheal Luck | | SR | 12 March 2006 | 25 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 127 | Grant Rovelli | | HB | 12 March 2006 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 129 | Patrick Ah Van | | WG | 9 April 2006 | 12 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 24 |
| 131 | Sam Rapira | | PR | 20 May 2006 | 27 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 132 | Wade McKinnon | | FB | 17 March 2007 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 133 | Michael Crockett | | WG | 17 March 2007 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 134 | Michael Witt | | FE | 17 March 2007 | 18 | 5 | 59 | 0 | 138 |
| 136 | Aidan Kirk | | FB / CE | 17 March 2008 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 28 |
| 137 | Brent Tate | | CE | 17 March 2008 | 24 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| 138 | Ian Henderson | | HK | 23 March 2008 | 26 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 28 |
| 139 | Sonny Fai | | SR | 23 March 2008 | 15 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| 140 | Ryan Shortland | | CE | 6 April 2008 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 141 | Russell Packer | | PR | 4 May 2008 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 142 | Ben Matulino | | SR | 14 June 2008 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 143 | Malo Solomona | | WG | 29 June 2008 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 |

## Staff

* Chief Executive Officer: Wayne Scurrah

### NRL Staff

* Head coach: Ivan Cleary
* Assistant coach: John Ackland
* Football Manager: Don Mann, Jr.
* Club Doctor: John Mayhew
* Trainer: Craig Walker

### NYC Staff

* Head coach: Tony Iro
* Team Manager: Dean Bell

## Transfers
### Gains

| Player | Previous Club |
| Brent Tate | Brisbane Broncos |
| Ian Henderson | Bradford Bulls |
| Ryan Shortland | Melbourne Storm |

### Losses

| Player | Club |
| George Gatis | Huddersfield Giants |
| Todd Byrne | Hull |
| Louis Anderson | Warrington Wolves |
| Tony Martin | Wakefield Trinity Wildcats |

## Other Teams

In 2008 the Junior Warriors competed in the new Under 20's competition, the Toyota Cup, while Senior players who were not required for the first team played with the Auckland Vulcans in the NSW Cup. The Auckland Vulcans were coached by Bernie Perenara. Wayne McDade was named the Vulcans player of the year with Aaron Heremaia as the runner up and Pita Godinet as the Rookie of the year.

### Junior Warriors

The Junior Warriors finished third in the Toyota Cup, making the finals before losing to the Brisbane Broncos in a Preliminary Final. Both Russell Packer and Ben Matulino were named in the Toyota Cup's team of the year.
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 |
| Qualifying finals | Qualifying finals | Qualifying finals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Preliminary finals | Preliminary finals | Preliminary finals | Final | Final | Final |
| 1 | Canberra Raiders | 43 | | | | | | | | | |
| 8 | Brisbane Broncos | 28 | | | | 1W | Canberra Raiders | 18 | | | |
| | | | 4W | Parramatta Eels | 22 | | St. George Illawarra | 14 | | | |
| 2 | NZ Warriors | 47 | 2L | St. George Illawarra | 23 | | | | | | |
| 2 | NZ Warriors | 47 | 2L | St. George Illawarra | 23 | | | | Canberra Raiders | Canberra Raiders | 28 |
| 7 | Penrith Panthers | 16 | | | | | | | Canberra Raiders | Canberra Raiders | 28 |
| 7 | Penrith Panthers | 16 | | | | | | | Brisbane Broncos | Brisbane Broncos | 24 |
| 3 | Parramatta Eels | 24 | | | | 2W | Brisbane Broncos | 28 | | | |
| 6 | St. George Illawarra | 20 | 3W | NZ Warriors | 38 | | NZ Warriors | 26 | | | |
| | | | 1L | Penrith Panthers | 4 | | | | | | |
| 4 | Bulldogs | 22 | | | | | | | | | |
| 5 | Gold Coast Titans | 12 | | | | | | | | | |

## Awards

Simon Mannering won the Player of the Year award.