Canberra Raiders season 2008
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2008 is the Canberra Raiders' 27th season in the National Rugby League competition. The Raiders began the year favourites to win the wooden spoon.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Pre-season
[edit] Season Summary
The 2008 season started with some promise for the Raiders - a good showing despite a loss in round 1 vs. Newcastle was followed up with two solid wins against Penrith and St.George-Illawarra. The club has since suffered a series of losses, whilst snaring only the occasional victory, with a big come from behind victory against Wests being noteworthy. In the representative field, Todd Carney and Joel Monaghan picked for Country Origin, and Monaghan being a shadow player for the New South Wales Side.
However, as in recent seasons, injuries have been the curse of the Canberra club, with no less than three players suffering dreaded ACL ruptures, arguably the worst kind of injury a footballer can recieve, essentially ending their season. Worse, the three players afflicted, Will Zillman, Lincoln Withers and Phil Graham are amongst the Raiders best players. Compounding this, talented back-rowers Neville Costigan and Tom Learoyd-Lahrs have spent minimal time on the field due to recurring minor injuries. The club has also suffered badly in the recruiting race, with Zillman and strong front rower Michael Weyman opting to go elsewhere next season, with indications that Costigan and Scott Logan will do the same. Additionally, half Michael Dobson left the club mid-season for the English club Hull, due to lack of opportunities in Canberra. Finally, Coach Neil Henry has exercised a get-out clause in his contract, and will coach the North-Queensland Cowboys in 2009, with former player and club legend, but inexperienced coach, David Furner taking over in 2009. To date, beyond a few talented youngsters, the club is yet to procure a single player of note for season 2009, and will once again be forced to rely on youthful talent. As of Round 13, Canberra sits outside the eight, and a big turnaround will be needed to propel the club to the finals for season 2008.
[edit] 2008 Season Results
| Round | Opponent | Result | Can. | Opp. | Date | Venue | Crowd | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trial Match | Gold Coast Titans | Win | 34 | 28 | Feb 16 | Ipswich | N/A | |
| Trial Match | Brisbane Broncos | Win | 32 | 16 | Feb 23 | Wade Park | 8,500 | N/A |
| Trial Match | North Queensland Cowboys | Loss | 20 | 32 | Mar 1 | Mackay | N/A | |
| 1 | Newcastle Knights | Loss | 14 | 30 | Mar 15 | Energy Australia Stadium | 17,233 | 14/16 |
| 2 | Penrith Panthers | Win | 20 | 16 | Mar 22 | CUA Stadium | 7,503 | 12/16 |
| 3 | St George Illawarra Dragons | Win | 21 | 14 | Mar 29 | Canberra Stadium | 14,400 | 8/16 |
| 4 | Gold Coast Titans | Loss | 12 | 32 | Apr 5 | Skilled Park | 17,381 | 11/16 |
| 5 (1989 League Legends Cup) |
Wests Tigers | Win | 30 | 24 | Apr 13 | Canberra Stadium | 12,240 | 6/16 |
| 6 (Heritage Round) |
Melbourne Storm | Loss | 16 | 23 | Apr 21 | Canberra Stadium | 15,550 | 11/16 |
| 7 | BYE | Apr 25-27 | 9/16 | |||||
| 8 | New Zealand Warriors | Loss | 6 | 14 | May 4 | Mount Smart Stadium | 7,358 | 11/16 |
| 9 | Sydney Roosters | Loss | 4 | 30 | May 10 | Sydney Football Stadium | 10,241 | 13/16 |
| 10 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Win | 38 | 10 | May 19 | Canberra Stadium | 11,155 | 10/16 |
| 11 | BYE | May 23-26 | /16 | |||||
| 12 | Manly Sea Eagles | Loss | 18 | 31 | May 30 | Canberra Stadium | 13,120 | /16 |
| 13 | Parramatta Eels | Loss | 12 | 30 | Jun 7 | Parramatta Stadium | /16 | |
| 14 | Brisbane Broncos | Jun 15 | Canberra Stadium | /16 | ||||
| 15 | Canterbury Bulldogs | Jun 21 | ANZ Stadium | /16 | ||||
| 16 | Cronulla Sharks | Jun 30 | Canberra Stadium | /16 | ||||
| 17 | Melbourne Storm | Jul 4-7 | Olympic Park | /16 | ||||
| 18 | St George Illawarra Dragons | Jul 11-14 | WIN Stadium | /16 | ||||
| 19 | Sydney Roosters | Jul 18-21 | Canberra Stadium | /16 | ||||
| 20 | Gold Coast Titans | Jul 25-28 | Canberra Stadium | /16 | ||||
| 21 | Brisbane Broncos | Aug 1-4 | Suncorp Stadium | /16 | ||||
| 22 | Penrith Panthers | Aug 8-11 | Canberra Stadium | /16 | ||||
| 23 | Newcastle Knights | Aug 15-18 | Canberra Stadium | /16 | ||||
| 24 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Aug 22-25 | ANZ Stadium | /16 | ||||
| 25 | North Queensland Cowboys | Aug 29-Sep 1 | Dairy Farmers Stadium | /16 | ||||
| 26 | Canterbury Bulldogs | Sep 2-Sep 8 | Canberra Stadium | /16 |
[edit] Squad
|
Top 25 |
Players used outside top 25
Realeased mid-season |
[edit] Run-on Team
| Canberra Raiders Run-on Team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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[edit] Season Ladder
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Manly |
12 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 307 | 157 | +150 | 18 |
| 2 |  Melbourne |
11 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 234 | 133 | +101 | 18 |
| 3 |  Sydney |
12 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 271 | 210 | +61 | 18 |
| 4 |  Cronulla |
12 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 216 | 201 | +15 | 18 |
| 5 |  Brisbane |
12 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 294 | 241 | +53 | 16 |
| 6 |  Gold Coast |
11 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 256 | 215 | +41 | 16 |
| 7 |  Wests Tigers |
12 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 278 | 257 | +21 | 16 |
| 8 |  Penrith |
11 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 252 | 240 | +12 | 16 |
| 9 |  St. George Illawarra |
12 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 264 | 202 | +62 | 14 |
| 10 |  Newcastle |
11 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 223 | 228 | -5 | 14 |
| 11 |  Parramatta |
11 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 231 | 269 | -38 | 14 |
| 12 |  Canberra |
11 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 191 | 254 | -63 | 12 |
| 13 |  New Zealand |
12 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 254 | 361 | -107 | 12 |
| 14 |  Bulldogs |
12 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 223 | 320 | -97 | 10 |
| 15 |  North Queensland |
12 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 228 | 313 | -85 | 8 |
| 16 |  South Sydney |
12 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 189 | 310 | -121 | 6 |
