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 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

RoundOpponentResultBris.Opp.DateVenueCrowdPosition
TrialCentral CometsWin30129 FebruaryTheodore, Queensland
TrialNorth Queensland CowboysWin201016 FebruaryBrown Park, Rockhampton
TrialCanberra RaidersLoss163223 FebruaryWade Park, Orange8,500
TrialRedcliffe DolphinsWin24221 MarchDolphin Oval, Redcliffe8,000
1Penrith PanthersWin481216 MarchSuncorp Stadium31,2501/16
2Sydney RoostersWin201421 MarchSydney Football Stadium18,7241/16
3North Queensland CowboysWin36228 MarchSuncorp Stadium50,6121/16
4Melbourne StormLoss8284 AprilOlympic Park Stadium13,8311/16
5 Newcastle KnightsWin342213 AprilEnergyAustralia Stadium21,6141/16
6Gold Coast TitansLoss242618 AprilSkilled Park27,1762/16
7South Sydney RabbitohsWin321825 AprilSuncorp Stadium34,1122/16
8Wests TigersWin34223 MayANZ Stadium11,1771/16
9Manly-Warringah Sea EaglesLoss123011 MaySuncorp Stadium27,4693/16
10Cronulla-Sutherland SharksLoss61317 MayToyota Park13,4316/16
11Bye5/16
12Parramatta EelsWin302630 MaySuncorp Stadium25,5644/16
13 St. George Illawarra DragonsLoss10286 JuneWIN Stadium11,4326/16
14Canberra RaidersLoss163415 JuneCanberra Stadium11,1577/16
15Wests TigersWin191820 JuneSuncorp Stadium27,8627/16
16 Penrith PanthersDraw121227 JuneCUA Stadium9,9677/16
17Bye7/16
18 BulldogsLoss182613 JulySuncorp Stadium37,6877/16
19North Queensland CowboysWin321818 JulyDairy Farmers Stadium22,0485/16
20Cronulla-Sutherland SharksWin181225 JulySuncorp Stadium27,9055/16
21Canberra RaidersWin3463 AugustSuncorp Stadium28,1035/16
22 New Zealand WarriorsLoss12169 AugustMt. Smart13,0075/16
23 St. George Illawarra DragonsLoss202415 AugustSuncorp Stadium33,2375/16
24Gold Coast TitansWin252122 AugustSuncorp Stadium39,7375/16
25 BulldogsWin362231 AugustStadium Australia7,6855/16
26 Newcastle KnightsWin2425 SeptemberSuncorp Stadium37,5525/16
QFSydney RoostersWin241612 SeptemberSydney Football Stadium18,343
SFMelbourne StormLoss141620 SeptemberSuncorp Stadium50,466

Scorers

PlayerTriesGoalsField goalsPoints
Michael Ennis7480124
Denan Kemp170068
Corey Parker327066
Darius Boyd90036
Justin Hodges80032
Sam Thaiday80032
Peter Wallace48028
Joel Moon50020
Reece Robinson40016
David Stagg40016
Karmichael Hunt30113
Darren Lockyer2019
Tonie Carroll2008
Ben Hannant2008
Kaine Manihera2008
Greg Eastwood2008
PJ Marsh1004
Reece Robinson1004
Steve Michaels1004
Shane Perry1004
Nick Kenny1004
Dave Taylor1004
Joel Clinton1004

Honours

League

  • Nil

Club

Casualties

PlayerInjuryInjured RoundPossible Comeback Round
Steve MichaelsKnee7Out For Season
Nick EmmettAnkle18Out For Season

Suspended

Justin Hodges

Squad

Bold Players have played International or State any year
Full Backs
Wingers
Centres
Halves
Hookers
Props
Second Rowers
Locks

Toyota Cup results

QF Sydney Roosters vs Brisbane Broncos venue SFS
SF Melbourne Storm vs Brisbane Broncos venue Suncorp Stadium