2008 AFL season

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For the 2008 season of the Arena Football League, see 2008 Arena Football League season.

2008 AFL premiership season
AFL Logo 2008 Premiership season.jpg
Teams16
PremiersHawthorn
(10th premiership)
Minor premiersGeelong
(13th minor premiership)
Pre-season cupSt Kilda
(3rd pre-season cup win)
Matches played185
Attendance7,082,949 (38,286 per match)
Highest attendance100,012 (Grand Final, Geelong vs. Hawthorn)
Coleman MedallistLance Franklin
Hawthorn (102 goals)
Brownlow MedallistAdam Cooney
Western Bulldogs (24 votes)
Wooden spoonersMelbourne
(11th wooden spoon)
← 2007
2009 →

The 2008 Australian Football League season was the 112th season of the elite Australian rules football competition and the 18th under the name 'Australian Football League', having switched from 'Victorian Football League' after 1989. This season commenced on 20 March 2008 and concluded on 27 September 2008. The season consisted of twenty-two rounds of home-and-away matches, and four rounds of finals. The premiership was won by Hawthorn, who beat minor premiers Geelong by 26 points in the 2008 AFL Grand Final.

A significant feature of the season was the celebration of the 150th anniversary since the sport of Australian rules football was first established in 1858.

NAB Cup[]

Main article: 2008 NAB Cup
2008 NAB Cup Grand Final
Saturday, 8 March Adelaide 0.9.10 (64) def. by St Kilda 2.7.9 (69) AAMI Stadium (crowd: 26,823)

Premiership season[]

Round 1[]

Round 1 (Easter and Season Launch)
Thursday, 20 March Carlton 11.13 (79) def. by Richmond 17.8 (110) MCG (crowd: 72,552) Report
Thursday, 20 March Port Adelaide 14.12 (96) def. by Geelong 15.15 (105) AAMI Stadium (crowd: 28,206) Report
Saturday, 22 March Collingwood 16.15 (111) def. Fremantle 13.7 (85) MCG (crowd: 45,383) Report
Saturday, 22 March West Coast 14.8 (92) def. Brisbane Lions 11.10 (76) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 39,591) Report
Saturday, 22 March St Kilda 6.15 (51) def. Sydney 6.13 (49) Telstra Dome (crowd: 36,614) Report
Sunday, 23 March Western Bulldogs 19.12 (126) def. Adelaide 18.15 (123) Telstra Dome (crowd: 24,835) Report
Sunday, 23 March Hawthorn 23.16 (154) def. Melbourne 6.14 (50) MCG (crowd: 40,141) Report
Monday, 24 March North Melbourne 9.13 (67) def. by Essendon 19.8 (122) Telstra Dome (crowd: 48,100) Report

Round 2[]

Round 2
Friday, 28 March Brisbane Lions 13.18 (96) def. Collingwood 13.16 (94) The Gabba (crowd: 33,867) Report
Saturday, 29 March Melbourne 9.12 (66) def. by Western Bulldogs 24.17 (161) MCG (crowd: 27,821) Report
Saturday, 29 March Adelaide 21.7 (133) def. West Coast 8.9 (57) AAMI Stadium (crowd: 38,162) Report
Saturday, 29 March Fremantle 14.13 (97) def. by Hawthorn 16.16 (112) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 38,022) Report
Saturday, 29 March St Kilda 19.11 (125) def. Carlton 12.13 (85) Telstra Dome (crowd: 43,396) Report
Sunday, 30 March Sydney 22.14 (146) def. Port Adelaide 11.12 (78) SCG (crowd: 24,700) Report
Sunday, 30 March Geelong 22.18 (150) def. Essendon 6.15 (51) Telstra Dome (crowd: 50,636) Report
Sunday, 30 March Richmond 13.8 (86) def. by North Melbourne 20.7 (127) MCG (crowd: 39,292) Report

Round 3[]

Round 3 (Rivalry Round)
Friday, 4 April Western Bulldogs 19.11 (125) def. St Kilda 13.9 (87) Telstra Dome (crowd: 38,667) Report
Saturday, 5 April North Melbourne 13.8 (86) def. by Hawthorn 15.12 (102) Telstra Dome (crowd: 39,816) Report
Saturday, 5 April West Coast 10.13 (73) def. by Fremantle 12.15 (87) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 39,027) Report
Saturday, 5 April Brisbane Lions 10.11 (71) def. by Sydney 13.10 (88) The Gabba (crowd: 29,061) Report
Saturday, 5 April Essendon 23.12 (150) def. Carlton 21.8 (134) MCG (crowd: 64,388) Report
Sunday, 6 April Geelong 16.16 (112) def. Melbourne 12.10 (82) Skilled Stadium (crowd: 23,569) Report
Sunday, 6 April Richmond 11.12 (78) def. by Collingwood 18.14 (122) MCG (crowd: 70,802) Report
Sunday, 6 April Adelaide 12.13 (85) def. Port Adelaide 11.13 (79) AAMI Stadium (crowd: 45,524) Report

Round 4[]

Round 4
Friday, 11 April Essendon 14.14 (98) def. by Western Bulldogs 19.14 (128) Telstra Dome (crowd: 47,641) Report
Saturday, 12 April St Kilda 13.16 (94) def. by Geelong 21.10 (136) Telstra Dome (crowd: 44,368) Report
Saturday, 12 April North Melbourne 18.19 (127) def. Melbourne 11.13 (79) MCG (crowd: 23,427) Report
Saturday, 12 April Sydney 16.11 (107) def. West Coast 5.15 (45) ANZ Stadium (crowd: 44,235) Report
Saturday, 12 April Port Adelaide 16.8 (104) def. by Brisbane Lions 18.16 (124) AAMI Stadium (crowd: 25,205) Report
Sunday, 13 April Hawthorn 17.12 (114) def. Adelaide 10.10 (70) Aurora Stadium (crowd: 15,124) Report
Sunday, 13 April Carlton 17.9 (111) def. Collingwood 13.10 (88) MCG (crowd: 77,873) Report
Sunday, 13 April Fremantle 10.13 (73) def. by Richmond 20.17 (137) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 37,541) Report

Round 5[]

Round 5
Friday, 18 April St Kilda 18.15 (123) def. Essendon 14.3 (87) Telstra Dome (crowd: 46,792) Report
Saturday, 19 April Geelong 16.18 (114) def. Sydney 10.12 (72) Skilled Stadium (crowd: 24,368) Report
Saturday, 19 April Adelaide 12.16 (88) def. Fremantle 10.11 (71) AAMI Stadium (crowd: 39,554) Report
Saturday, 19 April Brisbane Lions 17.16 (118) def. by Hawthorn 19.16 (130) The Gabba (crowd: 30,019) Report
Saturday, 19 April Collingwood 15.15 (105) def. by North Melbourne 16.16 (112) MCG (crowd: 51,990) Report
Sunday, 20 April Melbourne 9.14 (68) def. by Carlton 15.11 (101) MCG (crowd: 44,759) Report
Sunday, 20 April Western Bulldogs 19.16 (130) drew with Richmond 20.10 (130) Telstra Dome (crowd: 37,767) Report
Sunday, 20 April West Coast 16.8 (104) def. by Port Adelaide 19.14 (128) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 38,302) Report

Round 6[]

Round 6 (ANZAC Round)
Friday, 25 April Collingwood 23.16 (154) def. Essendon 12.9 (81) MCG (crowd: 88,999) Report
Friday, 25 April Fremantle 13.10 (88) def. by Geelong 13.11 (89) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 38,022) Report
Saturday, 26 April Carlton 11.15 (81) def. by Adelaide 16.15 (111) MCG (crowd: 41,033) Report
Saturday, 26 April Western Bulldogs 20.14 (134) def. West Coast 11.8 (74) Telstra Dome (crowd: 29,927) Report
Saturday, 26 April Port Adelaide 12.10 (82) def. St Kilda 9.7 (61) AAMI Stadium (crowd: 20,517) Report
Sunday, 27 April Brisbane Lions 19.23 (137) def. Melbourne 13.7 (85) The Gabba (crowd: 22,878) Report
Sunday, 27 April North Melbourne 9.10 (64) drew with Sydney 8.16 (64) Telstra Dome (crowd: 28,392) Report
Sunday, 27 April Hawthorn 14.22 (106) def. Richmond 15.4 (94) MCG (crowd: 46,076) Report

Round 7[]

Round 7
Friday, 2 May West Coast 10.14 (74) def. by Carlton 17.9 (111) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 41,254) Report
Saturday, 3 May Geelong 15.15 (105) def. Brisbane Lions 11.12 (78) Skilled Stadium (crowd: 23,388) Report
Saturday, 3 May Hawthorn 24.10 (154) def. Collingwood 13.11 (89) MCG (crowd: 76,048) Report
Saturday, 3 May Richmond 16.11 (107) def. by St Kilda 17.8 (110) Telstra Dome (crowd: 40,585) Report
Saturday, 3 May Adelaide 15.17 (107) def. North Melbourne 11.8 (74) AAMI Stadium (crowd: 41,898) Report
Sunday, 4 May Sydney 14.10 (94) def. by Western Bulldogs 18.4 (112) SCG (crowd: 29,018) Report
Sunday, 4 May Melbourne 17.17 (119) def. Fremantle 15.23 (113) MCG (crowd: 19,423) Report
Sunday, 4 May Essendon 15.4 (94) def. by Port Adelaide 24.14 (158) Telstra Dome (crowd: 28,409) Report

AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match[]

Main article: AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match
AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match
Saturday, 10 May Victoria 21.11 (137) def. Dream Team 18.12 (120) MCG (crowd: 69,294) Report

Round 8[]

Round 8
Friday, 16 May St Kilda 14.10 (94) def. by Collingwood 16.7 (103) Telstra Dome (crowd: 48,417) Report
Saturday, 17 May Hawthorn 17.15 (117) def. Port Adelaide 15.12 (102) Aurora Stadium (crowd: 15,682) Report
Saturday, 17 May Richmond 10.9 (69) def. by Geelong 14.15 (99) MCG (crowd: 37,275) Report
Saturday, 17 May Carlton 12.20 (92) def. by Brisbane Lions 18.17 (125) Telstra Dome (crowd: 38,675) Report
Saturday, 17 May North Melbourne 13.11 (89) def. West Coast 12.11 (83) Gold Coast Stadium (crowd: 6,354) Report
Sunday, 18 May Adelaide 22.18 (150) def. Melbourne 11.8 (74) AAMI Stadium (crowd: 35,649) Report
Sunday, 18 May Sydney 21.17 (143) def. Essendon 7.10 (52) ANZ Stadium (crowd: 34,904) Report
Sunday, 18 May Fremantle 17.9 (111) def. by Western Bulldogs 17.12 (114) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 35,624) Report

Round 9[]

Round 9 (Indigenous Round)
Friday, 23 May Collingwood 20.14 (134) def. Geelong 7.6 (48) MCG (crowd: 78,206) Report
Saturday, 24 May Carlton 14.13 (97) def. Fremantle 14.4 (88) Telstra Dome (crowd: 28,955) Report
Saturday, 24 May Port Adelaide 14.10 (94) def. by Sydney 16.9 (105) AAMI Stadium (crowd: 25,013) Report
Saturday, 24 May Essendon 10.12 (72) def. by Richmond 16.14 (110) MCG (crowd: 60,333) Report
Saturday, 24 May West Coast 14.13 (97) def. Adelaide 5.17 (47) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 35,348) Report
Sunday, 25 May Brisbane Lions 21.15 (141) def. St Kilda 14.11 (95) The Gabba (crowd: 27,566) Report
Sunday, 25 May Melbourne 12.6 (78) def. by Hawthorn 14.13 (97) MCG (crowd: 41,341) Report
Sunday, 25 May Western Bulldogs 16.14 (110) def. by North Melbourne 16.17 (113) Telstra Dome (crowd: 35,471) Report

Round 10[]

Round 10
Friday, 30 May Adelaide 9.20 (74) def. Essendon 10.9 (69) AAMI Stadium (crowd: 41,897) Report
Saturday, 31 May Collingwood 27.11 (173) def. West Coast 10.13 (73) MCG (crowd: 52,968) Report
Saturday, 31 May Hawthorn 12.2 (74) def. by Western Bulldogs 15.16 (106) Aurora Stadium (crowd: 19,378) Report
Saturday, 31 May Brisbane Lions 18.21 (129) def. North Melbourne 15.8 (98) The Gabba (crowd: 22,118) Report
Saturday, 31 May Geelong 19.19 (133) def. Carlton 12.5 (77) Telstra Dome (crowd: 46,231) Report
Sunday, 1 June Sydney 21.13 (139) def. Richmond 8.9 (57) SCG (crowd: 26,852) Report
Sunday, 1 June St Kilda 19.15 (129) def. Melbourne 7.8 (50) Telstra Dome (crowd: 27,854) Report
Sunday, 1 June Fremantle 10.15 (75) def. by Port Adelaide 16.7 (103) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 34,236) Report

Round 11[]

Round 11 (Queens Birthday)
Friday, 6 June North Melbourne 17.12 (114) def. by Geelong 19.13 (127) Telstra Dome (crowd: 38,373) Report
Saturday, 7 June Richmond 14.12 (96) def. by Adelaide 22.14 (146) MCG (crowd: 32,767) Report
Saturday, 7 June Essendon 12.7 (79) def. by Hawthorn 19.16 (130) Telstra Dome (crowd: 46,377) Report
Saturday, 7 June West Coast 11.12 (78) def. by Sydney 12.11 (83) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 38,802) Report
Sunday, 8 June Brisbane Lions 14.12 (96) def. Fremantle 10.14 (74) The Gabba (crowd: 24,506) Report
Sunday, 8 June St Kilda 11.13 (79) def. by Western Bulldogs 15.16 (106) Telstra Dome (crowd: 38,914) Report
Sunday, 8 June Port Adelaide 8.15 (63) def. by Carlton 10.15 (75) AAMI Stadium (crowd: 29,240) Report
Monday, 9 June Melbourne 13.17 (95) def. by Collingwood 17.14 (116) MCG (crowd: 59,548) Report

Round 12[]

Round 12
Friday, 13 June Essendon 16.17 (113) def. West Coast 13.13 (91) Telstra Dome (crowd: 33,386) Report
Saturday, 14 June Western Bulldogs 19.17 (131) def. Brisbane Lions 10.8 (68) MCG (crowd: 39,320) Report
Saturday, 14 June Fremantle 18.12 (120) def. North Melbourne 9.13 (67) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 34,105) Report
Saturday, 14 June Sydney 14.18 (102) def. St Kilda 9.13 (67) SCG (crowd: 25,996) Report
Saturday, 14 June Adelaide 10.12 (72) def. by Hawthorn 11.10 (76) AAMI Stadium (crowd: 44,559) Report
Sunday, 15 June Geelong 15.18 (108) def. Port Adelaide 7.7 (49) Skilled Stadium (crowd: 21,642) Report
Sunday, 15 June Collingwood 12.17 (89) def. by Carlton 17.17 (119) MCG (crowd: 80,310) Report
Sunday, 15 June Richmond 16.20 (116) def. Melbourne 14.10 (94) Telstra Dome (crowd: 27,348) Report

Round 13[]

Round 13
Friday, 20 June St Kilda 10.5 (65) def. Fremantle 8.9 (57) Telstra Dome (crowd: 22,440) Report
Saturday, 21 June Hawthorn 10.16 (76) def. by North Melbourne 15.13 (103) MCG (crowd: 42,508) Report
Saturday, 21 June Port Adelaide 19.9 (123) def. by Richmond 20.7 (127) AAMI Stadium (crowd: 20,923) Report
Saturday, 21 June Brisbane Lions 11.17 (83) def. Adelaide 10.10 (70) The Gabba (crowd: 29,964) Report
Saturday, 21 June West Coast 5.17 (47) def. by Geelong 28.14 (182) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 38,414) Report
Sunday, 22 June Melbourne 11.8 (74) def. by Sydney 17.12 (114) Manuka Oval (crowd: 11,437) Report
Sunday, 22 June Carlton 15.11 (101) def. by Essendon 20.16 (136) MCG (crowd: 59,177) Report
Sunday, 22 June Collingwood 13.11 (89) def. by Western Bulldogs 15.9 (99) Telstra Dome (crowd: 44,885) Report

Round 14[]

Round 14 (Split Round)
Friday, 27 June Hawthorn 18.18 (126) def. West Coast 9.15 (69) MCG (crowd: 29,138) Report
Saturday, 28 June Richmond 12.16 (88) def. by Carlton 17.16 (118) MCG (crowd: 73,503) Report
Saturday, 28 June North Melbourne 9.15 (69) def. by St Kilda 12.12 (84) Gold Coast Stadium (crowd: 9,128) Report
Saturday, 28 June Western Bulldogs 20.15 (135) def. Port Adelaide 11.15 (81) TIO Stadium (crowd: 11,373) Report
Sunday, 29 June Melbourne 14.9 (93) def. Brisbane Lions 13.14 (92) MCG (crowd: 23,278) Report
Sunday, 29 June Fremantle 13.13 (91) def. by Essendon 14.11 (95) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 34,239) Report
Friday, 4 July Adelaide 8.8 (56) def. by Geelong 18.16 (124) AAMI Stadium (crowd: 44,377) Report
Saturday, 5 July Sydney 6.14 (50) def. by Collingwood 11.13 (79) ANZ Stadium (crowd: 59,202) Report

Round 15[]

Round 15
Friday, 11 July Carlton 12.15 (87) def. by St Kilda 18.11 (119) MCG (crowd: 55,658) Report
Saturday, 12 July Collingwood 15.16 (106) def. Adelaide 11.8 (74) MCG (crowd: 52,592) Report
Saturday, 12 July Geelong 18.10 (118) def. Fremantle 6.8 (44) Skilled Stadium (crowd: 21,286) Report
Saturday, 12 July Essendon 24.11 (155) def. Brisbane Lions 18.10 (118) Telstra Dome (crowd: 40,053) Report
Saturday, 12 July Port Adelaide 10.14 (74) def. by North Melbourne 10.16 (76) AAMI Stadium (crowd: 19,851) Report
Sunday, 13 July Hawthorn 15.16 (106) def. Sydney 10.15 (75) MCG (crowd: 49,529) Report
Sunday, 13 July Western Bulldogs 14.11 (95) def. Melbourne 9.10 (64) Telstra Dome (crowd: 27,446) Report
Sunday, 13 July West Coast 11.9 (75) def. by Richmond 24.8 (152) Subiaco Oval (crowd: 37,085) Report

Round 16[]

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Ground Crowd Date Report
North Melbourne 17.12 (114) Collingwood 14.12 (96) Telstra Dome 46,610 Friday, 18 July AFL.com.au
Geelong 19.17 (131) Western Bulldogs 10.10 (70) Skilled Stadium 24,801 Saturday, 19 July AFL.com.au
Richmond 16.12 (108) Essendon 15.14 (104) MCG 56,746 Saturday, 19 July AFL.com.au
Brisbane Lions 17.11 (113) West Coast 9.13 (67) The Gabba 27,784 Saturday, 19 July AFL.com.au
St Kilda 18.11 (119) Hawthorn 13.11 (89) Telstra Dome 41,886 Saturday, 19 July AFL.com.au
Carlton 18.11 (119) Sydney 18.13 (121) Telstra Dome 38,401 Sunday, 20 July AFL.com.au
Port Adelaide 13.14 (92) Adelaide 11.14 (80) AAMI Stadium 31,662 Sunday, 20 July AFL.com.au
Fremantle 16.18 (114) Melbourne 10.8 (68) Subiaco 31,638 Sunday, 20 July AFL.com.au

Round 17[]

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Ground Crowd Date Report
Hawthorn 11.11 (77) Geelong 12.16 (88) MCG 86,179 Friday, 25 July AFL.com.au
Essendon 19.14 (128) Collingwood 11.14 (80) MCG 64,785 Saturday, 26 July AFL.com.au
West Coast 15.13 (103) St Kilda 12.14 (86) Subiaco 34,037 Saturday, 26 July AFL.com.au
Richmond 18.9 (117) Brisbane Lions 16.18 (114) Telstra Dome 31,275 Saturday, 26 July AFL.com.au
Sydney 6.17 (53) Adelaide 11.11 (77) SCG 26,260 Saturday, 26 July AFL.com.au
Port Adelaide 15.11 (101) Fremantle 20.9 (129) AAMI Stadium 19,072 Sunday, 27 July AFL.com.au
Melbourne 10.10 (70) North Melbourne 14.14 (98) MCG 21,330 Sunday, 27 July AFL.com.au
Western Bulldogs 15.8 (98) Carlton 18.18 (126) Telstra Dome 37,879 Sunday, 27 July AFL.com.au

Round 18[]

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Ground Crowd Date Report
Collingwood 8.14 (62) Hawthorn 17.14 (116) MCG 58,307 Friday, 1 August AFL.com.au
Essendon 19.10 (124) Melbourne 17.6 (108) MCG 46,334 Saturday, 2 August AFL.com.au
Adelaide 13.16 (94) Carlton 12.14 (86) AAMI Stadium 40,730 Saturday, 2 August AFL.com.au
Geelong 20.14 (134) Richmond 10.11 (71) Telstra Dome 42,238 Saturday, 2 August AFL.com.au
North Melbourne 13.14 (92) Brisbane Lions 11.18 (84) Gold Coast Stadium 10,037 Saturday, 2 August AFL.com.au
Western Bulldogs 17.11 (113) Sydney 14.13 (97) Manuka Oval 13,550 Sunday, 3 August AFL.com.au
St Kilda 14.17 (101) Port Adelaide 14.9 (93) Telstra Dome 22,878 Sunday, 3 August AFL.com.au
Fremantle 17.14 (116) West Coast 12.11 (83) Subiaco 42,096 Sunday, 3 August AFL.com.au

Round 19[]

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Ground Crowd Date Report
Melbourne 5.11 (41) Geelong 24.13 (157) MCG 34,610 Friday, 8 August AFL.com.au
Carlton 18.24 (132) Port Adelaide 9.12 (66) Telstra Dome 29,696 Saturday, 9 August AFL.com.au
Hawthorn 16.14 (110) Brisbane Lions 5.11 (41) Aurora Stadium 19,929 Saturday, 9 August AFL.com.au
Collingwood 14.13 (97) St Kilda 12.11 (83) MCG 52,135 Saturday, 9 August AFL.com.au
Sydney 17.10 (112) Fremantle 15.18 (108) SCG 20,846 Saturday, 9 August AFL.com.au
North Melbourne 21.10 (136) Western Bulldogs 18.8 (116) Telstra Dome 31,957 Sunday, 10 August AFL.com.au
Adelaide 16.12 (108) Richmond 6.9 (45) AAMI Stadium 37,562 Sunday, 10 August AFL.com.au
West Coast 17.11 (113) Essendon 16.7 (103) Subiaco 35,288 Sunday, 10 August AFL.com.au

Round 20[]

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Ground Crowd Date Report
Port Adelaide 10.15 (75) Collingwood 16.10 (106) AAMI Stadium 23,694 Friday, 15 August AFL.com.au
Essendon 10.13 (73) Adelaide 19.15 (129) Telstra Dome 32,184 Saturday, 16 August AFL.com.au
Melbourne 11.13 (79) West Coast 5.15 (45) MCG 17,958 Saturday, 16 August AFL.com.au
Brisbane Lions 13.12 (90) Western Bulldogs 10.19 (79) The Gabba 27,315 Saturday, 16 August AFL.com.au
Sydney 14.10 (94) Geelong 20.13 (133) ANZ Stadium 44,955 Saturday, 16 August AFL.com.au
Richmond 16.9 (105) Hawthorn 10.16 (76) MCG 44,523 Sunday, 17 August AFL.com.au
Carlton 14.6 (90) North Melbourne 22.9 (141) Telstra Dome 43,406 Sunday, 17 August AFL.com.au
Fremantle 9.15 (69) St Kilda 17.10 (112) Subiaco 34,014 Sunday, 17 August AFL.com.au

Round 21[]

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Ground Crowd Date Report
Western Bulldogs 23.13 (151) Essendon 15.15 (105) Telstra Dome 37,294 Friday, 22 August AFL.com.au
Richmond 15.15 (105) Fremantle 15.8 (98) MCG 24,881 Saturday, 23 August AFL.com.au
Port Adelaide 18.21 (129) Melbourne 7.9 (51) AAMI Stadium 18,875 Saturday, 23 August AFL.com.au
Brisbane Lions 16.13 (109) Carlton 18.7 (115) The Gabba 34,327 Saturday, 23 August AFL.com.au
Collingwood 18.10 (118) Sydney 10.13 (73) Telstra Dome 45,507 Saturday, 23 August AFL.com.au
Geelong 17.13 (115) North Melbourne 13.4 (82) Skilled Stadium 24,288 Sunday, 24 August AFL.com.au
St Kilda 13.17 (95) Adelaide 6.11 (47) Telstra Dome 33,811 Sunday, 24 August AFL.com.au
West Coast 9.8 (62) Hawthorn 19.19 (133) Subiaco 37,040 Sunday, 24 August AFL.com.au

Round 22[]

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Ground Crowd Date Report
Fremantle 12.8 (80) Collingwood 8.8 (56) Subiaco 35,106 Friday, 29 August AFL.com.au
North Melbourne 10.12 (72) Port Adelaide 23.10 (148) MCG 22,144 Saturday, 30 August AFL.com.au
Geelong 24.20 (164) West Coast 10.5 (65) Skilled Stadium 21,752 Saturday, 30 August AFL.com.au
Adelaide 10.16 (76) Western Bulldogs 9.13 (67) AAMI Stadium 37,545 Saturday, 30 August AFL.com.au
Carlton 12.9 (81) Hawthorn 24.15 (159) Telstra Dome 49,057 Saturday, 30 August AFL.com.au
Sydney 17.12 (114) Brisbane Lions 6.17 (53) SCG 24,076 Saturday, 30 August AFL.com.au
Melbourne 6.5 (41) Richmond 18.13 (121) MCG 37,046 Sunday, 31 August AFL.com.au
Essendon 5.9 (39) St Kilda 21.21 (147) Telstra Dome 46,161 Sunday, 31 August AFL.com.au

Win/loss table[]

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 F1 F2 F3 GF Ladder
Adelaide WB
-3 		WCE
+76 		PA
+6 		Haw
-44 		Frem
+17 		Carl
+30 		NM
+33 		Melb
+76 		WCE
-50 		Ess
+5 		Rich
+50 		Haw
-4 		BL
-13 		Geel
-68 		Coll
-32 		PA
-12 		Syd
+24 		Carl
+8 		Rich
+63 		Ess
+56 		StK
-48 		WB
+9 		Coll
-31 		X X X 5
Brisbane Lions WCE
-16 		Coll
+2 		Syd
-17 		PA
+20 		Haw
-12 		Melb
+52 		Geel
-27 		Carl
+33 		StK
+46 		NM
+31 		Frem
+22 		WB
-63 		Adel
+13 		Melb
-1 		Ess
-37 		WCE
+46 		Rich
-3 		NM
-8 		Haw
-69 		WB
+11 		Carl
-6 		Syd
-61 		X X X X 10
Carlton Rich
-20 		StK
-40 		Ess
-16 		Coll
+23 		Melb
+33 		Adel
-30 		WCE
+37 		BL
-33 		Frem
+9 		Geel
-56 		PA
+12 		Coll
+30 		Ess
-35 		Rich
+30 		StK
-32 		Syd
-2 		WB
+28 		Adel
-8 		PA
+66 		NM
-51 		BL
+6 		Haw
-78 		X X X X 11
Collingwood Frem
+26 		BL
-2 		Rich
+44 		Carl
-23 		NM
-7 		Ess
+73 		Haw
+65 		StK
+9 		Geel
+86 		WCE
+100 		Melb
+21 		Carl
-30 		WB
-10 		Syd
+29 		Adel
+32 		NM
-18 		Ess
-48 		Haw
-54 		StK
+14 		PA
+31 		Syd
+45 		Frem
-24 		Adel
+31 		StK
-34 		X X 8
Essendon NM
+55 		Geel
-99 		Carl
+16 		WB
-30 		StK
-36 		Coll
-73 		PA
-64 		Syd
-91 		Rich
-38 		Adel
-5 		Haw
-51 		WCE
+22 		Carl
+35 		Frem
+4 		BL
+37 		Rich
-4 		Coll
+48 		Melb
+16 		WCE
-10 		Adel
-56 		WB
-46 		StK
-108 		X X X X 12
Fremantle Coll
-26 		Haw
-15 		WCE
+14 		Rich
-64 		Adel
-17 		Geel
-1 		Melb
-6 		WB
-3 		Carl
-9 		PA
-28 		BL
-24 		NM
+53 		StK
-8 		Ess
-4 		Geel
-74 		Melb
+46 		PA
+28 		WCE
+33 		Syd
-4 		StK
-43 		Rich
-7 		Coll
+24 		X X X X 14
Geelong PA
+9 		Ess
+99 		Melb
+30 		StK
+42 		Syd
+42 		Frem
+1 		BL
+27 		Rich
+30 		Coll
-86 		Carl
+56 		NM
+13 		PA
+59 		WCE
+135 		Adel
+68 		Frem
+74 		WB
+61 		Haw
+11 		Rich
+63 		Melb
+116 		Syd
+39 		NM
+33 		WCE
+99 		StK
+58 		X WB
+29 		Haw
-26 		1
Hawthorn Melb
+104 		Frem
+15 		NM
+16 		Adel
+44 		BL
+12 		Rich
+12 		Coll
+65 		PA
+15 		Melb
+19 		WB
-32 		Ess
+51 		Adel
+4 		NM
-27 		WCE
+57 		Syd
+31 		StK
-30 		Geel
-11 		Coll
+54 		BL
+69 		Rich
-29 		WCE
+71 		Carl
+78 		WB
+51 		X StK
+54 		Geel
+26 		2
Melbourne Haw
-104 		WB
-95 		Geel
-30 		NM
-48 		Carl
-33 		BL
-53 		Frem
+6 		Adel
-76 		Haw
-19 		StK
-79 		Coll
-21 		Rich
-22 		Syd
-40 		BL
+1 		WB
-31 		Frem
-46 		NM
-28 		Ess
-16 		Geel
-116 		WCE
+34 		PA
-78 		Rich
-80 		X X X X 16
North Melbourne Ess
-55 		Rich
+41 		Haw
-16 		Melb
+48 		Coll
+7 		Syd
0 		Adel
-33 		WCE
+6 		WB
+3 		BL
-31 		Geel
-13 		Frem
-53 		Haw
+27 		StK
-15 		PA
+2 		Coll
+18 		Melb
+28 		BL
+8 		WB
+20 		Carl
+51 		Geel
-33 		PA
-76 		Syd
-35 		X X X 7
Port Adelaide Geel
-9 		Syd
-68 		Adel
-6 		BL
-20 		WCE
+24 		StK
+21 		Ess
+64 		Haw
-15 		Syd
-11 		Frem
+28 		Carl
-12 		Geel
-59 		Rich
-4 		WB
-54 		NM
-2 		Adel
+12 		Frem
-28 		StK
-8 		Carl
-66 		Coll
-31 		Melb
+78 		NM
+76 		X X X X 13
Richmond Carl
+30 		NM
-41 		Coll
-44 		Frem
+64 		WB
0 		Haw
-12 		StK
-3 		Geel
-30 		Ess
+38 		Syd
-82 		Adel
-50 		Melb
+22 		PA
+4 		Carl
-30 		WCE
+77 		Ess
+4 		BL
+3 		Geel
-63 		Adel
-63 		Haw
+29 		Frem
+7 		Melb
+80 		X X X X 9
St Kilda Syd
+2 		Carl
+40 		WB
-38 		Geel
-42 		Ess
+36 		PA
-21 		Rich
+3 		Coll
-9 		BL
-46 		Melb
+79 		WB
-27 		Syd
-35 		Frem
+8 		NM
+15 		Carl
+32 		Haw
+30 		WCE
-17 		PA
+8 		Coll
-14 		Frem
+43 		Adel
+48 		Ess
+108 		Geel
-58 		Coll
+34 		Haw
-54 		X 4
Sydney StK
-2 		PA
+68 		BL
+17 		WCE
+62 		Geel
-42 		NM
0 		WB
-18 		Ess
+91 		PA
+11 		Rich
+82 		WCE
+5 		StK
+35 		Melb
+40 		Coll
-29 		Haw
-31 		Carl
+2 		Adel
-24 		WB
-16 		Frem
+4 		Geel
-39 		Coll
-45 		BL
+61 		NM
+35 		WB
-37 		X X 6
West Coast BL
+16 		Adel
-76 		Frem
-14 		Syd
-62 		PA
-24 		WB
-60 		Carl
-37 		NM
-6 		Adel
+50 		Coll
-100 		Syd
-5 		Ess
-22 		Geel
-135 		Haw
-57 		Rich
-77 		BL
-46 		StK
+17 		Frem
-33 		Ess
+10 		Melb
-34 		Haw
-71 		Geel
-99 		X X X X 15
Western Bulldogs Adel
+3 		Melb
+95 		StK
+38 		Ess
+30 		Rich
0 		WCE
+60 		Syd
+18 		Frem
+3 		NM
-3 		Haw
+32 		StK
+27 		BL
+63 		Coll
+10 		PA
+54 		Melb
+31 		Geel
-61 		Carl
-28 		Syd
+16 		NM
-20 		BL
-11 		Ess
+46 		Adel
-9 		Haw
-51 		Syd
+37 		Geel
-29 		X 3
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 F1 F2 F3 GF Ladder
Colour Symbol Result
Green + Win
Red - Loss
Blue N/A Draw

Bold – Home game

Ladder[]

2008 AFL ladder
Pos Team Pld W L D PF PA PP Pts
1 Geelong 22 21 1 0 2672 1651 161.8 84 Finals series
2 Hawthorn (P) 22 17 5 0 2434 1846 131.9 68
3 Western Bulldogs 22 15 6 1 2506 2112 118.7 62
4 St Kilda 22 13 9 0 2126 1923 110.6 52
5 Adelaide 22 13 9 0 2017 1838 109.7 52
6 Sydney 22 12 9 1 2095 1863 112.5 50
7 North Melbourne 22 12 9 1 2121 2187 97.0 50
8 Collingwood 22 12 10 0 2267 2038 111.2 48
9 Richmond 22 11 10 1 2228 2288 97.4 46
10 Brisbane Lions 22 10 12 0 2156 2200 98.0 40
11 Carlton 22 10 12 0 2217 2354 94.2 40
12 Essendon 22 8 14 0 2130 2608 81.7 32
13 Port Adelaide 22 7 15 0 2118 2208 95.9 28
14 Fremantle 22 6 16 0 1988 2121 93.7 24
15 West Coast 22 4 18 0 1670 2535 65.9 16
16 Melbourne 22 3 19 0 1629 2602 62.6 12
Source: AFL ladder
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for.
(P) Premiers


Ladder progression[]

  Numbers highlighted in green indicate that the team finished the round inside the top 8.
  Numbers highlighted in blue indicates the team finished first on the ladder in that round.
  Numbers highlighted in red indicates the team finished in last place on the ladder in that round.
Team ╲ Round12345678910111213141516171819202122
Geelong481216202428323236404448525660646872768084
Hawthorn481216202428323636404444485252525660606468
Western Bulldogs481216182226303034384246505454545858586262
St Kilda4888121216161620202024283236364040444852
Adelaide0488121620242428323232323232364044484852
Sydney04812121414182226303438383842424246464650
North Melbourne0448121414182222222226263034384246505050
Collingwood448881212162024282828323636363640444848
Richmond4448101010101414141822222630343434384246
Brisbane Lions044881212162024282832323236363636404040
Carlton00048812121616202424282828323236364040
Essendon448888888881216202424283232323232
Port Adelaide00004812121216161616161620202020202428
Fremantle00444444444888812162020202024
West Coast4444444488888888121216161616
Melbourne0000004444444888888121212
Source:[citation needed]

Finals series[]

Main article: 2008 AFL finals series
  Qualifying / Elimination finals Semi-finals Preliminary finals Grand final
                                   
  QF1: Sep 7, MCG  
1  Geelong 17.17 (119)  
4  St Kilda 8.13 (61)     SF1: Sep 13, MCG  
     St Kilda 17.4 (106)    
EF1: Sep 6, AAMI Stadium      Collingwood 9.18 (72)       PF1: Sep 19, MCG
5  Adelaide 14.10 (94)        Geelong 12.11 (83)  
8  Collingwood 19.11 (125)          Western Bulldogs 7.12 (54)     GF: Sep 27, MCG
         Geelong 11.23 (89)
  EF2: Sep 6, ANZ Stadium       PF2: Sep 20, MCG      Hawthorn 18.7 (115)
6  Sydney 17.8 (110)          Hawthorn 18.10 (118)  
7  North Melbourne 11.9 (75)     SF2: Sep 12, MCG        St Kilda 9.10 (64)  
     Western Bulldogs 16.10 (106)    
QF2: Sep 5, MCG      Sydney 9.15 (69)    
2  Hawthorn 18.19 (127)  
3  Western Bulldogs 11.10 (76)  


Week one[]

Qualifying finals
QF2: Friday, 5 September Seven Network Hawthorn 18.19 (127) def. Western Bulldogs 11.10 (76) MCG (crowd: 76,703)
QF1: Sunday, 7 September Seven Network Geelong 17.17 (119) def. St Kilda 8.13 (61) MCG (crowd: 71,653)
Elimination finals
EF1: Saturday, 6 September Network Ten Adelaide 14.10 (94) def. by Collingwood 19.11 (125) AAMI Stadium (crowd: 37,685)
EF2: Saturday, 6 September Network Ten Sydney 17.8 (110) def. North Melbourne 11.9 (75) ANZ Stadium (crowd: 19,127)

Week two[]

Semi-finals
SF2: Friday, 12 September Seven Network Western Bulldogs 16.10 (106) def. Sydney 9.15 (69) MCG (crowd: 42,731)
SF1: Saturday, 13 September Network Ten St Kilda 17.4 (106) def. Collingwood 9.18 (72) MCG (crowd: 76,707)

Week three[]

Preliminary finals
PF1: Friday, 19 September Seven Network Geelong 12.11 (83) def. Western Bulldogs 7.12 (54) MCG (crowd: 70,143)
PF2: Saturday, 20 September Network Ten Hawthorn 18.10 (118) def. St Kilda 9.10 (64) MCG (crowd: 77,002)

Week four[]

Main article: 2008 AFL Grand Final
Grand Final
GF: Saturday, 27 September Seven Network Geelong 11.23 (89) def. by Hawthorn 18.7 (115) MCG (crowd: 100,012)

Statistics[]

Leading goalkickers[]

updated after grand final

The Coleman Medal was awarded to Lance Franklin for kicking the most goals at the end of the home and away season.

Player Club Games Goals Best Performance
Season Finals Total Goals Opponent(s) Round(s)
1 Lance Franklin Hawthorn 25 102 11 113 9 Essendon 11
2 Brendan Fevola Carlton 22 99 – 99 8 Essendon, Collingwood 3, 11
3 Daniel Bradshaw Brisbane Lions 20 75 – 75 7 Hawthorn 5
4 Jarryd Roughead Hawthorn 24 66 9 75 6 Collingwood, West Coast 7, 14
5 Jonathan Brown Brisbane Lions 21 70 – 70 6 Carlton, St Kilda, North Melbourne 8, 9, 10
6 Matthew Pavlich Fremantle 19 67 – 67 8 North Melbourne 12
7 Nick Riewoldt St Kilda 24 56 9 65 6 Hawthorn 16
8 Matthew Lloyd Essendon 21 62 – 62 8 Melbourne 18
9 Stephen Milne St Kilda 24 54 6 60 7 Richmond, Essendon 7, 22
10 Daniel Motlop Port Adelaide 21 57 – 57 7 Essendon 7

Disposals[]

Rank Player Team Total
1 Joel Corey Geelong 730
2 Jimmy Bartel Geelong 702
3 Sam Mitchell Hawthorn 667
4 Daniel Cross Western Bulldogs 663
5 Adam Cooney Western Bulldogs 637
6 Matthew Boyd Western Bulldogs 629
7 Kane Cornes Port Adelaide 613
8 Joel Selwood Geelong 607
9 Gary Ablett, Jr. Geelong 606
10 Dane Swan Collingwood 590

Kicks[]

Rank Player Team Total
1 Leigh Montagna St Kilda 388
2 Jimmy Bartel Geelong 382
3 Dane Swan Collingwood 368
4 Sam Fisher St Kilda 359
5 Lindsay Gilbee Western Bulldogs 352
6 Brent Harvey North Melbourne 339
7 Joel Corey Geelong 339
7 Brendon Goddard St Kilda 337
9 Nick Dal Santo St Kilda 336
10 Marc Murphy Carlton 335

Handballs[]

Rank Player Team Total
1 Daniel Cross Western Bulldogs 422
2 Joel Corey Geelong 391
3 Sam Mitchell Hawthorn 354
4 Kane Cornes Port Adelaide 345
5 Adam Cooney Western Bulldogs 326
6 Joel Selwood Geelong 324
7 Lenny Hayes St Kilda 322
8 Jimmy Bartel Geelong 320
9 Shane Tuck Richmond 318
10 Gary Ablett, Jr. Geelong 318

Marks[]

Rank Player Team Total
1 Nick Riewoldt St Kilda 240
2 Samuel Fisher St Kilda 228
3 Matthew Richardson Richmond 220
4 Robert Murphy Western Bulldogs 204
5 Cameron Mooney Geelong 201
6 Brendon Goddard St Kilda 182
7 Paul Medhurst Collingwood 179
8 Brian Lake Western Bulldogs 175
9 Brad Johnson Western Bulldogs 172
10 Clinton Young Hawthorn 172

Tackles[]

Rank Player Team Total
1 Brett Kirk Sydney 151
2 Lenny Hayes St Kilda 144
3 Jude Bolton Sydney 143
4 Joel Corey Geelong 138
5 Domenic Cassisi Port Adelaide 133
6 Jimmy Bartel Geelong 124
7 Daniel Cross Western Bulldogs 117
8 Martin Mattner Sydney 126
9 James Kelly Geelong 112
10 Daniel Harris North Melbourne 109

Hitouts[]

Rank Player Team Total
1 Aaron Sandilands Fremantle 646
2 Dean Cox West Coast 571
3 Darren Jolly Sydney 543
4 Mark Blake Geelong 525
5 Jamie Charman Brisbane Lions 434
6 Steven King St Kilda 408
7 Dean Brogan Port Adelaide 397
8 David Hille Essendon 364
9 Troy Simmonds Richmond 359
10 Robert Campbell Hawthorn 358

Awards[]

  • The 2008 Brownlow Medal for the AFL's fairest and best player was awarded to Adam Cooney, of the Western Bulldogs, who polled 24 votes.
  • The Leigh Matthews Trophy as the AFL's most valuable player was awarded to Gary Ablett, Jr., of Geelong.
  • The Coleman Medal was awarded to Lance Franklin of Hawthorn, who kicked 102 goals during the home and away season.
  • The Norm Smith Medal as the player adjudged best afield in the AFL Grand Final was awarded to Luke Hodge, of Hawthorn.
  • The McClelland Trophy was awarded to Geelong for holding top position on the ladder after 22 rounds.[1]
  • The Wooden Spoon was obtained by Melbourne who finished the season in last place on the ladder after 22 rounds.
  • Chris Judd from Carlton was named the captain of the 2008 All-Australian Team, with seven Geelong players named and nine players made their All-Australian debuts.[2]
  • The AFL Mark of the Year and Alex Jesaulenko Medal was awarded to Matthew Lloyd of Essendon for a spectacular high mark against Melbourne in round 19.[3]
  • The AFL Goal of the Year and Phil Manassa Medal was awarded to Leon Davis of Collingwood for his chase, tackle and goal against Fremantle in round 22.[3]
  • The AFL Army Award was awarded to Brett Deledio for the footballer who displays the most courageous and/or team related act of the season, for running with the flight of the ball to attempt a mark in the final minutes of Richmond's round 7 loss to St Kilda.[4]

Coleman Medal[]

  • Numbers highlighted in blue indicates the player led the count in that round.
Player 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Total
1 Lance Franklin 6 4 5 6 8 1 6 6 3 5 9 1 1 5 4 3 4 8 6 3 4 4 102
2 Brendan Fevola 2 2 8 7 7 1 4 5 1 3 2 8 7 4 3 5 6 5 4 6 2 7 99
3 Daniel Bradshaw 3 3 5 5 7 6 1 1 6 6 0 - - 4 4 4 3 5 2 2 6 2 75
4 Jonathan Brown 6 2 1 4 0 2 - 6 6 6 3 3 2 5 5 3 3 5 1 3 4 0 70
5 Matthew Pavlich 1 3 5 3 0 5 5 4 4 1 3 8 5 6 1 5 - 4 1 3 - - 67
6 Jarryd Roughead 3 4 4 1 1 5 6 3 1 4 3 3 2 6 3 3 2 4 1 0 2 5 66
7 Matthew Lloyd 6 0 4 - 0 3 5 1 4 1 2 2 4 1 4 2 4 8 3 3 4 1 62
8 Daniel Motlop 2 2 2 0 4 3 7 2 2 5 1 3 6 0 1 4 2 2 1 - 5 3 57
9 Nick Riewoldt 2 2 2 3 3 3 1 - 1 1 2 1 3 1 3 6 5 3 2 5 3 4 56
10 Stephen Milne 1 4 2 2 2 0 7 2 2 3 1 1 - 4 5 1 2 1 2 3 2 7 54

Rising Star Nominees[]

Main article: 2008 AFL Rising Star

The AFL Rising Star award for 2008 was awarded to Rhys Palmer from Fremantle.[5]

Club Best and Fairests[]

Club Award Name Winner[6]
Adelaide Malcolm Blight Medal Nathan Bock
Brisbane Lions Merrett-Murray Medal Jonathan Brown[7]
Carlton John Nicholls Medal Chris Judd
Collingwood Copeland Trophy Dane Swan
Essendon Crichton Medal David Hille
Fremantle Doig Medal Matthew Pavlich[8]
Geelong Carji Greeves Medal Joel Corey
Hawthorn Peter Crimmins Medal Lance Franklin[9]
Melbourne Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Medal Cameron Bruce
North Melbourne Syd Barker Medal Brent Harvey
Port Adelaide John Cahill Medal Kane Cornes
Richmond Jack Dyer Medal Brett Deledio
St Kilda Trevor Barker Award Sam Fisher[10]
Sydney Bob Skilton Medal Jarrad McVeigh
West Coast Club Champion Award Dean Cox
Western Bulldogs Charles Sutton Medal Daniel Cross

Notable events[]

  • This was the first season in which Carlton and Richmond faced off in what is now the traditional first clash of the season.
  • This was the first season since 1998 in which NMFC competed as "North Melbourne" instead of "Kangaroos", following the end of their decade-long experiment with home-away-from-home venues in Sydney, Canberra and the Gold Coast.
  • The Western Bulldogs came back from a 37-point deficit against St Kilda at quarter time to win the game by 38 points, a 75-point turnaround, in round 3.
  • The Brisbane Lions produced its biggest ever comeback in round 4 against Port Adelaide when they were down by 47 points late in the third quarter to win by 20 points, a 67-point turnaround.
  • Sydney forward Barry Hall was suspended for seven weeks, then the equal-longest suspension handed out since the tribunal was reconfigured to a points-based system in 2005, for striking West Coast defender Brent Staker with a clean punch to the head. Later in the season, Fremantle's Dean Solomon beat that record, being suspended for eight weeks after hitting Geelong's Cameron Ling in the cheekbone with an elbow.
  • Melbourne won its first game for the season in round 7 against Fremantle by six points, after recovering from a 50-point half-time deficit, the second-largest half-time deficit ever overcome in VFL/AFL history.[11] This was the second in a VFL/AFL-record string of five consecutive games which Fremantle lost after holding a three-quarter time lead.
  • West Coast suffered its worst ever loss at Subiaco Oval, and worst loss anywhere since 1989, in round 13, losing to Geelong by 135 points.
  • In round 13, Dustin Fletcher (in his 288th game) and his father, Ken (264 games), claimed the record of most VFL/AFL games played by a father-son combination (552 games).
  • In round 16, Richmond player Joel Bowden deliberately conceded two behinds directly from the kick-in, to waste time while protecting his team's four-point lead over Essendon. This was a major motivation for the introduction of a rule from 2009 that allows the umpire to give award free kick for a deliberate rushed behind.
  • With its final-round victory, Geelong matched the 2000 Essendon record of 21 wins in a home-and-away season. Ironically, Geelong also set the record for the highest average losing margin in a VFL/AFL season, with its only loss coming by 86 points at the hands of Collingwood.
  • In the round 22 match between Carlton and Hawthorn, Hawthorn forward Lance Franklin became the first player since Tony Lockett in 1998 to kick 100 goals in the home-and-away Season. Franklin became the 28th player in VFL/AFL history to reach this milestone, and the first indigenous player to do so.
  • In the same game, Brendan Fevola scored seven second-half goals to fall one goal short of the same milestone, becoming the first person in VFL/AFL history to be stranded on 99 goals for a season.
  • The final game of the home and away season saw the 8th-placed St Kilda requiring a win of 90+ points over Essendon to claim 4th place going into the finals. St Kilda recorded a new record winning margin over Essendon of 108 points which saw the Saints replace Adelaide in 4th place for the finals series.
  • On Monday 1 September, Leigh Matthews announced his resignation from his senior coaching position at the Brisbane Lions. Michael Voss took up this position despite committing to West Coast for 2009.
  • The second elimination final between Sydney and North Melbourne was the lowest crowd number for a final outside Victoria with only 19,127 despite being at ANZ Stadium where Sydney had averaged 50,000 for finals.
  • The Grand Final between Geelong and Hawthorn drew a crowd of 100,012, the first crowd over 100,000 people since the 1986 Grand Final.
  • By losing the Grand Final after finishing with a home-and-away record of 21–1, Geelong broke the record set in 1935 and 1936 by South Melbourne (16–2) for best record by a non-premier, and the record for most wins by a non-premier held jointly by Collingwood (1973) and West Coast (1991) (both 19 wins).
  • Sydney played in a controversial draw against North Melbourne at Telstra Dome in round 6; it was later revealed that Sydney had nineteen men on the field for a brief period of play before, during and after the behind that tied the scores was scored.[12] As a direct consequence of this, the league amended the interchange laws in round 9, appointing interchange stewards to police the players and to signal to the field umpires if an infringement has occurred. Any infringement now results in a free kick being awarded.[13]

Club leadership[]

Club Coach Captain(s) Vice Captain(s)/Leadership Group
Adelaide Neil Craig Simon Goodwin[14] Nathan Bassett, Brett Burton, Tyson Edwards, Ben Rutten and Nathan van Berlo
Brisbane Lions Leigh Matthews Simon Black, Jonathan Brown, Nigel Lappin and Luke Power[15] N/A
Carlton Brett Ratten Chris Judd[16] Nick Stevens (vc), Andrew Carrazzo, Heath Scotland and Kade Simpson[17]
Collingwood Mick Malthouse Scott Burns[18] Josh Fraser (vc), Tarkyn Lockyer, Nick Maxwell and Scott Pendlebury
Essendon Matthew Knights Matthew Lloyd Mark McVeigh and David Hille (vc)
Fremantle Mark Harvey Matthew Pavlich Josh Carr (vc)
Geelong Mark Thompson Tom Harley Cameron Ling (vc), Cameron Mooney (vc), Joel Corey, Paul Chapman and Max Rooke
Hawthorn Alastair Clarkson Sam Mitchell[19] Luke Hodge (vc), Shane Crawford, Chance Bateman and Brad Sewell
Melbourne Dean Bailey Cameron Bruce and James McDonald Brock McLean and Brad Miller[20]
North Melbourne Dean Laidley Adam Simpson[21] Brady Rawlings, Daniel Harris, Michael Firrito, Nathan Thompson, Drew Petrie, Corey Jones, Daniel Pratt and Brent Harvey
Port Adelaide Mark Williams Warren Tredrea[22] Brendon Lade (vc), Chad Cornes (vc), Shaun Burgoyne (vc), Michael Wilson, Kane Cornes and Dom Cassisi
Richmond Terry Wallace Kane Johnson Chris Newman (vc), Nathan Foley (vc), Nathan Brown, Troy Simmonds, Joel Bowden and Kayne Pettifer[23]
St Kilda Ross Lyon Nick Riewoldt[24] Lenny Hayes
Sydney Paul Roos Leo Barry, Craig Bolton and Brett Kirk[25] N/A
West Coast John Worsfold Darren Glass[26] Dean Cox (vc), Tyson Stenglein (vc), Matt Priddis, Ashley Hansen and Adam Selwood[27]
Western Bulldogs Rodney Eade Brad Johnson Scott West, Robert Murphy, Daniel Cross, Daniel Giansiracusa, Matthew Boyd and Dale Morris[28]

Umpires[]

The AFL introduced an additional two boundary umpires in round 21 in order to reduce the error rate and enable the umpires to keep up with the play.[29]

Brett Rosebury was appointed the 2008 All-Australian umpire, the first West Australian umpire to receive that honour. Controversially, however, he was not appointed to umpire the AFL Grand Final, with Scott McLaren, Michael Vozzo and Shaun Ryan selected ahead of Rosebury.[30]

Scott McLaren umpired his 300th game,[31] and Shane McInerney umpired his 250 game, in round 4.[32] Experienced field umpires Martin Ellis and Matthew Head both announced their retirements during the year.[33][34]

Coach changes[]

  • Surprising some, Leigh Matthews announced his retirement as coach of the Brisbane Lions two days after their final game of the season in what was replaced as a move to make way for potential coaching candidate, Michael Voss.[35]
  • Despite being newly signed for two years as assistant coach of West Coast, as expected, former Brisbane Lions captain Michael Voss was appointed as coach of the Brisbane Lions, one day after Leigh Matthews resigned.[36]

See also[]

Footnotes[]

  1. ^ Cats demolish Eagles by 99 points Archived 15 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Eagles, Dockers picked for All Australian squad Archived 24 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b Looyd, Davis make their mark
  4. ^ Richmond's Deledio wins 2008 Army Award Archived 9 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ "Docker Rhys Palmer wins 2008 Rising Star award". PerthNow. 2 September 2008. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  6. ^ "Club best and fairest results". Realfooty. 5 October 2008. Archived from the original on 5 October 2008. Retrieved 5 October 2008.
  7. ^ AAP (5 October 2008). "Brown top Lion". Realfooty. Archived from the original on 6 October 2008. Retrieved 5 October 2008.
  8. ^ AAP (5 October 2008). "Pavlich named Dockers' best". Realfooty. Archived from the original on 6 October 2008. Retrieved 5 October 2008.
  9. ^ Arup, Thomas (5 October 2008). "Franklin is top Hawk in year of personal and team accolades". Realfooty. Archived from the original on 7 October 2008. Retrieved 5 October 2008.
  10. ^ AAP (5 October 2008). "Fisher voted best Saint". Realfooty. Archived from the original on 8 October 2008. Retrieved 5 October 2008.
  11. ^ AFL Tables – Game Records
  12. ^ Roos returns fire on North's reaction
  13. ^ AFL interchange rules overhauled Archived 9 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine
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  35. ^ Lutton, Phil; Matthews walks away from Lions; Realfooty; 1 September 2008
  36. ^ AAP; Lions hand reins to Voss; Foxsports; 2 September 2008

References[]

External links[]

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