Finals
Further information: 2008 NRL season results#FinalsThe National Rugby League employs the McIntyre Final Eight System and, for the second year running, preliminary finals were allowed to be played outside of Sydney.
- The Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles recorded the biggest winning Grand Final margin in Australia's rugby league history after defeating the Melbourne Storm 40–0, eclipsing the 38–0 score line set by Eastern Suburbs over St. George Dragons in 1975.
- The New Zealand Warriors became the first 8th-placed team to beat the 1st placed Minor Premiers since the McIntyre Final Eight System came into the competition in 1999 by beating the Melbourne Storm 18–15, scoring a match winning try with only three minutes remaining.
- The Brisbane Broncos won their first Qualifying Finals match since 2002.
| Qualifying Finals | Semi Finals | Preliminary Finals | Grand Final | |||||||||||||||
| 1 | Melbourne Storm | 15 | ||||||||||||||||
| 8 | NZ Warriors | 18 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1W | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | 32 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | 38 | 4W | NZ Warriors | 30 | NZ Warriors | 6 | |||||||||||
| 7 | St. George Illawarra | 6 | 2L | Sydney Roosters | 13 | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | 40 | |||||||||||
| Melbourne Storm | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 36 | 2W | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 0 | |||||||||||||
| 6 | Canberra Raiders | 10 | 3W | Brisbane Broncos | 14 | Melbourne Storm | 28 | |||||||||||
| 1L | Melbourne Storm | 16 | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Sydney Roosters | 16 | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Brisbane Broncos | 24 | ||||||||||||||||
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Crowd | |||||
| QUALIFYING FINALS | ||||||||
| Sydney Roosters | 16 – 24 | Brisbane Broncos | 12 September 2008, 8:00pm | Sydney Football Stadium | Tony Archer | 18,343 | ||
| Cronulla Sharks | 36 – 10 | Canberra Raiders | 13 September 2008, 6:30pm | Toyota Stadium | Jared Maxwell | 18,252 | ||
| Manly Sea Eagles | 38 – 6 | St. George Illawarra Dragons | 13 September 2008, 8:30pm | Brookvale Oval | Shayne Hayne | 19,227 | ||
| Melbourne Storm | 15 – 18 | New Zealand Warriors | 14 September 2008, 4:00pm | Olympic Park | Jason Robinson | 15,193 | ||
| SEMI FINALS | ||||||||
| New Zealand Warriors | 30 – 13 | Sydney Roosters | 19 September 2008, 8:30pm | Mt Smart Stadium | Tony Archer | 25,595 | ||
| Brisbane Broncos | 14 – 16 | Melbourne Storm | 20 September 2008, 7:45pm | Suncorp Stadium | Shayne Hayne | 50,466 | ||
| PRELIMINARY FINALS | ||||||||
| Cronulla Sharks | 0 – 28 | Melbourne Storm | 26 September 2008, 7:45pm | Sydney Football Stadium | Tony Archer | 27,570 | ||
| Manly Sea Eagles | 32 – 6 | New Zealand Warriors | 27 September 2008, 7:45pm | Sydney Football Stadium | Shayne Hayne | 32,095 | ||
| GRAND FINAL | ||||||||
| Manly Sea Eagles | 40 – 0 | Melbourne Storm | 5 October 2008, 5.00pm | ANZ Stadium | Tony Archer | 80,388 | ||
Read more about this topic: 2008 NRL Season