2008 Wests Tigers season
Rugby league team season
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The 2008 Wests Tigers season was their 9th in the NRL. Major signings for the 2008 season are former Dragons halfback Mathew Head, backrower Corey Payne, and back Nick Youngquest.
Season summary
The Tigers had a successful opening to the season with a round 1 win over the St George Illawarra Dragons, 24–16 and a torrid round 2 win over the North Queensland Cowboys in Townsville, 30–10.
Benji Marshall was injured in the third minute of round 1 with a knee ligament tear, sidelining him for eight to ten weeks.[1]
Three losses in a row and injuries to hooker, Robbie Farah, kept the Tigers in the bottom half of the ladder until a round 6 win against the South Sydney Rabbitohs at the Sydney Cricket Ground on 20 April. Mathew Head returned to the NRL in round 5 after a year in the UK and recuperating from injury. Tigers then narrowly beat Cronulla Sharks 20-18.
Robbie Farah and Benji Marshall both returned to the team in the round 10 win against the Newcastle Knights. In a match that saw twelve tries scored between the two teams, Marshall scored two tries and kicked a 40/20. Mathew Head and Scott Dureau (Knights) also kicked 40/20s.
After a four game losing streak, the Wests Tigers ended the South Sydney Rabbitohs' run of five-straight wins, beating them 36–12 in round 19.
Another run of losses towards the end of the season kept the Wests Tigers out of the top eight for the third year in a row. The three losses coincided with the suspension of Todd Payten for a dangerous throw in round 22.
In the final match of the season, the Wests Tigers farewelled captain Brett Hodgson with a win over the Gold Coast Titans at Robina.
Players leaving the club at the end of the season include Brett Hodgson, Ryan O'Hara, Ben Te'o and Stuart Flanagan. It was also club CEO Steve Noyce's last year with the club.
2008 Season Results
| 2008 Season Results | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round | Opponent | Result | Date | Venue | Crowd | Referee | Position/16 |
| 1 | St. George Illawarra Dragons | Win[1] | 16 March 2008 | Sydney Football Stadium (H) | 18,211 | Sean Hampstead | 6th |
| 24 - Wests Tigers (Tries: Fulton, Lawrence, Farah, Moltzen; Goals: Hodgson 4/4) 16 - Dragons (Tries: Gasnier, Soward, Reynoldson; Goals: Gasnier 0/1, Soward 2/2) | |||||||
| 2 | North Queensland Cowboys | Win[2] | 22 March 2008 | Dairy Farmers Stadium (A) | 20,655 | Tony De Las Heras | 2nd |
| 30 - Wests Tigers (Tries: Farah, Harrison, Lawrence, Moltzen, Fulton; Goals: Hodgson 3/3 Lawrence 2/5) 10 - Cowboys (Tries: Graham, Harris; Goals: Thurston 1/2) | |||||||
| 3 | Bulldogs | Loss[3] | 30 March 2008 | ANZ Stadium (A) | 21,546 | Jared Maxwell | 6th |
| 32 - Bulldogs (Tries: Patten 2, El Masri, S Williams, Nanai, Ryan; Goals: El Masri 4/6) 12 - Wests Tigers (Tries: Ryan, Halatau; Goals: Hodgson 2/2) | |||||||
| 4 | Penrith Panthers | Loss | 7 April 2008 | Campbelltown Stadium (H) | 11,898 | Jason Robinson | 11th |
| 30 - Penrith Panthers (Tries: Priddis, Jennings, Blair, Gordon, Tighe; Goals: Sammut 5/6 ) 8 - Wests Tigers (Tries: Ryan; Goals: Hodgson 2/2 ) | |||||||
| 5 | Canberra Raiders 1989 League Legends Cup |
Loss | 13 April 2008 | Canberra Stadium (A) | 12,240 | Sean Hampstead | 10th |
| 30 - Canberra Raiders (Tries:Purtell 3, Tilse, Tongue, Carney; Goals: Carney 3/6) 24 - Wests Tigers (Tries: Harrison 2, Tuiaki, Collis; Goals: Hodgson 4/4) | |||||||
| 6 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Win[4] | 20 April 2008 | SCG (H) | 19,122 | Ben Cummins | 8th |
| 30 - Wests Tigers (Tries: Heighington, Collis, Te'o, Lawrence, Flanagan; Goals: Hodgson 5/5) 10 - South Sydney Rabbitohs (Tries: Champion, Rogers; Goals: Merritt 1/2) | |||||||
| 7 | Cronulla Sharks | Win[5] | 27 April 2008 | Toyota Stadium (A) | 17,241 | Shayne Hayne | 7th |
| 20 - Wests Tigers (Tries: Lawrence 2, Heighington, Hodgson; Goals: Hodgson 2/4) 16 - Cronulla Sharks (Tries: Kearney, Seymour; Goals: Covell 4/4) | |||||||
| 8 | Brisbane Broncos | Loss[6] | 3 May 2008 | ANZ Stadium (H) | 11,177 | Tony Archer | 8th |
| 34 - Brisbane Broncos (Tries: Robinson 2, Kemp, Thaiday, Hunt, Wallace; Goals: Ennis 4/5, Wallace 1/1) 22 - Wests Tigers (Tries: Te'o 2, McDonnell, Collis; Goals: Hodgson 3/4) | |||||||
| 9 | Bye | ||||||
| 10 | Newcastle Knights | Win[7] | 18 May 2008 | EnergyAustralia Stadium (A) | 20,154 | Sean Hampstead | 8th |
| 38 - Wests Tigers (Tries: Hodgson 2, Marshall 2, Fulton, McDonnell, Te'o; Goals:Hodgson 5/7 ) 26 - Newcastle Knights (Tries:Bailey 3, Dureau, Vuna; Goals: Naiqama 3/5) | |||||||
| 11 | Gold Coast Titans | Win[8] | 25 May 2008 | Leichhardt Oval (H) | 17,493 | Shayne Hayne | 7th |
| 20 - Wests Tigers (Tries:Te'o, Farah, Hodgson; Goals:Hodgson 3/4 ) 18 - Gold Coast Titans (Tries:Cannings, Bowen, Campbell; Goals:Prince 3/3 ) | |||||||
| 12 | Sydney Roosters | Loss | 2 June 2008 | Sydney Football Stadium (A) | 15,204 | Tony Archer | 8th |
| 19 - Sydney Roosters (Tries:M Aubusson 2, Roberts; Goals:Fitzgibbon 3/3; Field Goal:Pearce 1 ) 10 - Wests Tigers (Tries:Farah, Tuiaki; Goals:Hodgson 1/2 ) | |||||||
| 13 | North Queensland Cowboys | Win[9] | 7 June 2008 | Campbelltown Stadium (H) | 10,488 | Gavin Badger | 7th |
| 40 - Wests Tigers (Tries: Collis, McDonnell, Head, Te'o, Heighington, Marshall, Hodgson; Goals: Hodgson 6/7) 16 - North Queensland Cowboys (Tries: Slyney, T. Williams, Harris; Goals: J. Williams 2/3) | |||||||
| 14 | Parramatta Eels | Loss[10] | 15 June 2008 | ANZ Stadium (H) | 22,107 | Tony Archer | 11th |
| 44 - Parramatta Eels (Tries: Hindmarsh 2, Burt, Cordoba, Tautai, Keating, Inu, Reddy; Goals: Burt 6/8) 6 - Wests Tigers (Tries: Lawrence; Goals: Hodgson 1/1) | |||||||
| 15 | Brisbane Broncos | Loss[11] | 20 June 2008 | Suncorp Stadium (A) | 27,864 | Sean Hampstead | 12th |
| 19 - Brisbane Broncos (Tries: Moon, Kemp, Kenny; Goals: Ennis 3/4 Field Goal: Hunt 1) 18 - Wests Tigers (Tries: Hodgson, Halatau, Fulton; Goals: Hodgson 3/4) | |||||||
| 16 | New Zealand Warriors | Loss[12] | 29 June 2008 | Leichhardt Oval (H) | 15,827 | Steve Lyons | 12th |
| 28 - Warriors (Tries: Henderson, Fai, Fein, Hohaia, Rapira; Goals: Hohaia 2/3, Witt 2/2) 26 - Wests Tigers (Tries: Tuiaki 3, Farah, Lawrence; Goals: Hodgson 3/5) | |||||||
| 17 | Bye | 10th | |||||
| 18 | Melbourne Storm | Loss[13] | 14 July 2008 | Campbelltown Stadium (H) | 16,653 | Jared Maxwell | 12th |
| 30 - Melbourne Storm (Tries: Inglis 3, Slater, Manu; Goals: Smith 5/5) 18 - Wests Tigers (Tries: Tuiaki, Hodgson, Ryan; Goals: Hodgson 3/3) | |||||||
| 19 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Win[14] | 20 July 2008 | ANZ Stadium (A) | 21,818 | Jason Robinson | 10th |
| 36 - Wests Tigers (Tries: Tuiaki 2, Lawrence 2, Ryan 2, Farah; Goals: Marshall 4/7) 12 - South Sydney Rabbitohs (Tries: Simpson, Asotasi; Goals: Luke 2/2) | |||||||
| 20 | Penrith Panthers | Loss[15] | 26 July 2008 | CUA Stadium (A) | 14,075 | Tony Archer | 12th |
| 24 - Penrith Panthers (Tries: Gordon 2, Iosefa, Jennings; Goals: Gordon 4/4) 10 - Wests Tigers (Tries: Tagive, Laurie; Goals: Marshall 1/2) | |||||||
| 21 | Bulldogs | Win[16] | 3 August 2008 | ANZ Stadium (H) | 16,121 | Ben Cummins | 9th |
| 56 - Wests Tigers (Tries:Gallant 2, Heighington 2, Te'o 2, Fulton, Tagive, Halatau, Marshall; Goals: Marshall 8/10) 4 - Bulldogs (Tries: Nanai; Goals: El Masri 0/1) | |||||||
| 22 | St. George Illawarra Dragons | Win[17] | 8 August 2008 | WIN Stadium (A) | 14,207 | Shayne Hayne | 9th |
| 18 - Wests Tigers (Tries: Ryan, Marshall; Goals: Marshall 5/5) 10 - St. George Illawarra (Tries: J Morris; Goals: Soward 3/3) | |||||||
| 23 | Parramatta Eels | Loss[18] | 18 August 2008 | Parramatta Stadium (A) | 13,065 | Matt Cecchin | 11th |
| 40 - Parramatta (Tries: Tautai 2, Hayne 2, Moi Moi, Hindmarsh, Mateo; Goals: Inu 8/9) 12 - Wests Tigers (Tries: Marshall, Heighington; Goals: Hodgson 2/2) | |||||||
| 24 | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | Loss[19] | 23 August 2008 | ANZ Stadium (H) | 27,564 | Tony Archer | 12th |
| 48 - Manly (Tries: B Stewart 2, Menzies 2, Hall 2, Robertson, Bell, G Stewart; Goals: Orford 5/8, Matai 1/1) 16 - Wests Tigers (Tries: Laurie 2, Ryan; Goals: Hodgson 2/3) | |||||||
| 25 | Cronulla Sharks | Loss[20] | 29 August 2008 | Leichhardt Oval (H) | 10,766 | Sean Hampstead | 12th |
| 32 - Cronulla (Tries: Taulapapa, Covell, Anderson, Seymour, Kearney; Goals: Covell 6/6) 6 - Wests Tigers (Tries:Harrison; Goals: Hodgson 1/1) | |||||||
| 26 | Gold Coast Titans | Win[21] | 7 September 2008 | Skilled Park (A) | 20,703 | Bernie Sutton | 10th |
| 28 - Wests Tigers (Tries: Moltzen 2, Lawrence, Tuiaki, Ryan; Goals: Hodgson 4/5) 12 - Gold Coast (Tries: Prince, Delaney; Goals: Prince 2/2) | |||||||
2008 Pre-season trials
| Wests Tigers 2008 Pre-season Trials | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opponent | Result | Date | Venue | Crowd | Referee | |
| Sydney Roosters Foundation Cup |
Loss[22] | 23 February 2008 | Sydney Football Stadium | 15,197 | Sean Hampstead | |
| 34 - Sydney Roosters (Tries: Kenny-Dowall 3, Minichiello, Anasta, Tupou; Goals: Roberts 5/6) 28 - Wests Tigers (Tries: Moltzen, Lawrence, Morris, Tagive, Marshall; Goals: Hodgson 4/5) | ||||||
| Gold Coast Titans Larry Corowa Shield |
Loss[23] | 1 March 2008 | Skilled Park, Robina | 14,386 | ||
| 32 - Gold Coast Titans (Tries: Minichiello, Cannings, Bowen, Atkins, Prince, Ngawini; Goals: Prince 4/6) 4 - Wests Tigers (Tries: Lawrence; Goals: Hodgson 0/1) | ||||||
2008 Season Ladder
| 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 |
Players Used
Current first-grade squad at 22 March 2008
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Gains and losses
| 2008 Player Movements | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gains | Losses | ||
| Player | Previous club | Player | New Club |
| Linton Price | Leeton | Ben Galea | Hull Kingston Rovers |
| Benson Tupou | Leeton | Daniel Fitzhenry | Hull Kingston Rovers |
| Noah Fotu | Leeton | Paul Whatuira | Huddersfield Giants |
| Todd Bridge | Taree | Ben Jeffery | Gold Coast Titans |
| Joe Latham | Wingham | Jai Ayoub | Sydney Roosters |
| Soueli Makaui | Keebra Park State High School | Jason Moodie | Retired |
| Lio Viaga | Keebra Park State High School | Jarrod Saffy | St. George Illawarra Dragons |
| Corey Payne | St George Illawarra | Nick Youngquest | Bulldogs |
| Nick Youngquest | Penrith Panthers | Luke Harlen | Northern Pride RLFC |
| Mathew Head | Hull F.C. | Mathew Head | St. George Illawarra Dragons |