2008 AFL season
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, who beat minor premiers 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
Premiership season
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Round 5
Round 6
Round 7
AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match
Round 8
Round 9
Round 10
Round 11
Round 12
Round 13
Round 14
Round 15
Round 16
Round 17
Round 18
Round 19
Round 20
Round 21
Round 22
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 |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 |
Bold – Home game
Ladder
Ladder progression
Finals series
Week one
Week two
Week three
Week four
Statistics
Leading goalkickers
The Coleman Medal was awarded to Lance Franklin for kicking the most goals at the end of the home and away season.Disposals
| Rank | Player | Team | Total |
| 1 | Joel Corey | 730 | |
| 2 | Jimmy Bartel | 702 | |
| 3 | Sam Mitchell | 667 | |
| 4 | Daniel Cross | 663 | |
| 5 | Adam Cooney | 637 | |
| 6 | Matthew Boyd | 629 | |
| 7 | Kane Cornes | 613 | |
| 8 | Joel Selwood | 607 | |
| 9 | Gary Ablett, Jr. | 606 | |
| 10 | Dane Swan | 590 |
Kicks
Handballs
Marks
| Rank | Player | Team | Total |
| 1 | Nick Riewoldt | 240 | |
| 2 | Samuel Fisher | 228 | |
| 3 | Matthew Richardson | 220 | |
| 4 | Robert Murphy | 204 | |
| 5 | Cameron Mooney | 201 | |
| 6 | Brendon Goddard | 182 | |
| 7 | Paul Medhurst | 179 | |
| 8 | Brian Lake | 175 | |
| 9 | Brad Johnson | 172 | |
| 10 | Clinton Young | 172 |
Tackles
| Rank | Player | Team | Total |
| 1 | Brett Kirk | 151 | |
| 2 | Lenny Hayes | 144 | |
| 3 | Jude Bolton | 143 | |
| 4 | Joel Corey | 138 | |
| 5 | Domenic Cassisi | 133 | |
| 6 | Jimmy Bartel | 124 | |
| 7 | Daniel Cross | 117 | |
| 8 | Martin Mattner | 126 | |
| 9 | James Kelly | 112 | |
| 10 | Daniel Harris | 109 |
Hitouts
| Rank | Player | Team | Total |
| 1 | Aaron Sandilands | 646 | |
| 2 | Dean Cox | 571 | |
| 3 | Darren Jolly | 543 | |
| 4 | Mark Blake | 525 | |
| 5 | Jamie Charman | 434 | |
| 6 | Steven King | 408 | |
| 7 | Dean Brogan | 397 | |
| 8 | David Hille | 364 | |
| 9 | Troy Simmonds | 359 | |
| 10 | Robert Campbell | 358 |
Awards
- The 2008 Brownlow Medal for the AFL's fairest and best player was awarded to Adam Cooney, of the, who polled 24 votes.
- The Leigh Matthews Trophy as the AFL's most valuable player was awarded to Gary Ablett, Jr., of.
- The Coleman Medal was awarded to Lance Franklin of, 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 ' for holding top position on the ladder after 22 rounds.
- The Wooden Spoon was obtained by ' who finished the season in last place on the ladder after 22 rounds.
- Chris Judd from was named the captain of the 2008 All-Australian Team, with seven Geelong players named and nine players made their All-Australian debuts.
- The AFL Mark of the Year and Alex Jesaulenko Medal was awarded to Matthew Lloyd of for a spectacular high mark against in round 19.
- The AFL Goal of the Year and Phil Manassa Medal was awarded to Leon Davis of for his chase, tackle and goal against in round 22.
- 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 's round 7 loss to.
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
The AFL Rising Star award for 2008 was awarded to Rhys Palmer from.Club Best and Fairests
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 came back from a 37-point deficit against at quarter time to win the game by 38 points, a 75-point turnaround, in round 3.
- The produced its biggest ever comeback in round 4 against when they were down by 47 points late in the third quarter to win by 20 points, a 67-point turnaround.
- 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 defender Brent Staker with a clean punch to the head. Later in the season, 's Dean Solomon beat that record, being suspended for eight weeks after hitting 's Cameron Ling in the cheekbone with an elbow.
- won its first game for the season in round 7 against by six points, after recovering from a 50-point half-time deficit, the second-largest half-time deficit ever overcome in VFL/AFL history. This was the second in a VFL/AFL-record string of five consecutive games which Fremantle lost after holding a three-quarter time lead.
- suffered its worst ever loss at Subiaco Oval, and worst loss anywhere since 1989, in round 13, losing to by 135 points.
- In round 13, Dustin Fletcher and his father, Ken, claimed the record of most VFL/AFL games played by a father-son combination.
- 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, matched the 2000 record of 21 wins in a home-and-away season. Ironically, 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.
- In the round 22 match between and, 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 requiring a win of 90+ points over to claim 4th place going into the finals. recorded a new record winning margin over Essendon of 108 points which saw the Saints replace in 4th place for the finals series.
- On Monday 1 September, Leigh Matthews announced his resignation from his senior coaching position at the. Michael Voss took up this position despite committing to for 2009.
- The second elimination final between and 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 and 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, broke the record set in 1935 and 1936 by for best record by a non-premier, and the record for most wins by a non-premier held jointly by and .
- played in a controversial draw against 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. 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.
Club leadership
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.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.
Scott McLaren umpired his 300th game, and Shane McInerney umpired his 250 game, in round 4. Experienced field umpires Martin Ellis and Matthew Head both announced their retirements during the year.
Coach changes
- Surprising some, Leigh Matthews announced his retirement as coach of the 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.
- Despite being newly signed for two years as assistant coach of, as expected, former Brisbane Lions captain Michael Voss was appointed as coach of the Brisbane Lions, one day after Leigh Matthews resigned.
Footnotes