2008 Wigan Warriors season
The 2008 Wigan Warriors season saw the club compete in Super League XIII as well as the 2008 Challenge Cup tournament.
Contents |
[edit] Season Preview
Wigan will be looking to continue their return to the top of Super League after finishing 6th in 2007. During 2008 Wigan will continue to rebuild their squad under coach Brian Noble but they will have a new owner and chairman in Ian Lenagan from 1st December, 2007 after Maurice Lindsay retired and Dave Whelan decided to sell the club.
[edit] Full Squad
† Added to the squad for pre-season friendlies. †† Added to the squad on 27 May 2008. ‡ Qualify as non-quota players because they were playing in the British Federation before they were 21 years of age.
[edit] Transfers
Transfer for 2008 (In)
| Nat | Name | Transferred From | Fee | Date Signed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andy Coley[1] | Salford City Reds | Free Transfer | September 2007 | |
| Richie Mathers[2] | Gold Coast Titans | Free Transfer | November 2007 | |
| George Carmont[3] | Newcastle Knights | Free Transfer | November 2007 | |
| Karl Pryce[4] | Gloucester Rugby Union | Free Transfer | December 2007 | |
| Cameron Phelps | Canterbury Bulldogs | Free Transfer | May 2008 | |
| Tim Smith | Parramatta Eels | Free Transfer | May 2008 |
Transfer for 2008 (Out)
| Nat | Name | Transferred To | Fee | Date Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bryan Fletcher[5] | Retired | N/A | September 2007 | |
| David Vaealiki[6] | Manly Sea Eagles | Released | October 2007 | |
| Shane Millard | Retired | N/A | October 2007 | |
| Danny Hill[7] | Widnes Vikings | Released | November 2007 | |
| Ben Kavanagh | Widnes Vikings | Free Transfer | June 2008 | |
| Nicky Stanton | Leigh Centurions | Free Transfer | September 2008 |
2008 Loans (Out)
| Nat | Name | Loan To | Loan Started | Loan Ended |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Kavanagh | Widnes Vikings | February 2008 | June 2008 |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 | 21 | 1 | 5 | 940 | 457 | +483 | 43 | ||
| 2 | 27 | 21 | 0 | 6 | 863 | 413 | +450 | 42 | ||
| 3 | 27 | 16 | 2 | 9 | 694 | 625 | +69 | 34 | ||
| 4 | 27 | 13 | 3 | 11 | 648 | 698 | −50 | 29 | ||
| 5 | 27 | 14 | 0 | 13 | 705 | 625 | +80 | 28 | ||
| 6 | 27 | 14 | 0 | 13 | 690 | 713 | −23 | 28 | ||
| 7 | 27 | 11 | 1 | 15 | 564 | 713 | −149 | 23 | ||
| 8 | 27 | 11 | 0 | 16 | 574 | 760 | −186 | 22 | ||
| 9 | 27 | 11 | 0 | 16 | 569 | 763 | −194 | 22 | ||
| 10 | 27 | 10 | 1 | 16 | 638 | 681 | −43 | 21 | ||
| 11 | 27 | 8 | 1 | 18 | 538 | 699 | −157 | 17 | ||
| 12 | 27 | 7 | 1 | 19 | 593 | 869 | −276 | 15 | ||
| Teams qualifying for the Play-offs | |
| Wigan |
Source: superleague.co.uk.
Classification: 1st on competition points; 2nd on match points difference.
Competition points: for win = 2; for draw = 1; for loss = 0.
[edit] Fixtures/Results
| Competition | Round | Opponent | Result | Score | Home/Away | Venue | Attendance | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friendly | N/A | Warrington Wolves | Lose | 30-22 | Away | Halliwell Jones Stadium | 6,573 | 13/01/2008 |
| Friendly | N/A | Bradford Bulls | Win | 16-28 | Away | Grattan Stadium | 5,036 | 20/01/2008 |
| Friendly | N/A | Widnes Vikings | Win | 18-42 | Away | Halton Stadium | 5,106 | 27/01/2008 |
| Super League XIII | 1 | Harlequins RL | Win | 28-47 | Away | Twickenham Stoop | 8,041 | 09/02/2008 |
| Super League XIII | 2 | Castleford Tigers | Win | 28-16 | Home | JJB Stadium | 16,667 | 15/02/2008 |
| Super League XIII | 3 | Hull | Lose | 24-22 | Away | KC Stadium | 13,226 | 22/02/2008 |
| Super League XIII | 4 | Bradford Bulls | Win | 28-14 | Home | JJB Stadium | 15,444 | 01/03/2008 |
| Super League XIII | 5 | Warrington Wolves | Lose | 32-20 | Away | Halliwell Jones Stadium | 13,024 | 08/03/2008 |
| Super League XIII | 6 | Huddersfield Giants | Win | 19-20 | Away | Galpharm Stadium | 8,417 | 16/03/2008 |
| Super League XIII | 7 | St. Helens | Lose | 46-10 | Away | Knowsley Road | 17,500 | 21/03/2008 |
| Super League XIII | 8 | Hull Kingston Rovers | Win | 18-12 | Home | JJB Stadium | 16,457 | 24/03/2008 |
| Super League XIII | 9 | Wakefield Trinity Wildcats | Win | 8-4 | Home | JJB Stadium | 12,933 | 28/03/2008 |
| Super League XIII | 10 | Leeds Rhinos | Win | 10-14 | Away | Headingley Carnegie Stadium | 18,769 | 05/04/2008 |
| Super League XIII | 11 | Catalans Dragons | Lose | 24-26 | Home | JJB Stadium | 13,044 | 11/04/2008 |
| Challenge Cup | Rnd4 | Pia Donkeys | Win | 74 - 4 | Home | JJB Stadium | 4,423 | 20/04/2008 |
| Super League XIII | 12 | Bradford Bulls | Lose | 26-12 | Away | Grattan Stadium | 11,894 | 27/04/2008 |
| Super League XIII | 13 | St Helens | Lose | 57-16 | Away | Millennium Stadium | 32,516 | 04/05/2008 |
| Challenge Cup | Rnd5 | Whitehaven | Win | 106-8 | Home | JJB Stadium | 3,814 | 12/05/2008 |
| Super League XIII | 14 | Warrington Wolves | Win | 38-14 | Home | JJB Stadium | 15,537 | 16/05/2008 |
| Super League XIII | 15 | Wakefield Trinity Wildcats | Win | 38-30 | Away | Atlantic Solutions Stadium | 6,370 | 25/05/2008 |
| Challenge Cup | QF | Leeds Rhinos | Lose | 23-16 | Away | Headingley Carnegie Stadium | 10,129 | 01/06/2008 |
| Super League XIII | 16 | Huddersfield Giants† | Postponed | N/A | Home | JJB Stadium | N/A | 06/06/2008 |
| Super League XIII | 17 | Catalans Dragons | Lose | 45-38 | Away | Stade Gilbert Brutus | 9,125 | 14/06/2008 |
| Super League XIII | 18 | Castleford Tigers | Draw | 22-22 | Away | The Jungle | 7,048 | 22/06/2008 |
| Super League XIII | 19 | Harlequins RL | Win | 38-20 | Home | JJB Stadium | 11,453 | 27/06/2008 |
| Super League XIII | 20 | Leeds Rhinos | Win | 23-22 | Home | JJB Stadium | 14,911 | 05/07/2008 |
| Super League XIII | 21 | Hull Kingston Rovers | Lose | 39-22 | Away | Craven Park | 8,481 | 13/07/2008 |
| Super League XIII | 22 | St Helens | Lose | 46-12 | Home | JJB Stadium | 19,958 | 18/07/2008 |
| Super League XIII | 16 | Huddersfield Giants† | Lose | 34-4 | Home | JJB Stadium | 12,216 | 25/07/2008 |
| Super League XIII | 23 | Hull FC | Win | 66-6 | Home | JJB Stadium | 12,842 | 01/08/2008 |
| Super League XIII | 24 | Catalans Dragons | Draw | 16-16 | Away | Stade Gilbert Brutus | 9,535 | 09/08/2008 |
| Super League XIII | 25 | Wakefield Trinity Wildcats | Win | 32-22 | Home | JJB Stadium | 12,319 | 15/08/2008 |
| Super League XIII | 26 | Leeds Rhinos | Lose | 16-52 | Home | JJB Stadium | 14,778 | 22/08/2008 |
| Super League XIII | 27 | St. Helens | Draw | 16-16 | Away | Knowsley Road | 14,113 | 05/09/2008 |
| Super League XIII Playoffs | Week 1 | Bradford Bulls‡ | Win | 30-14 | Home/Neutral | The Stobart Stadium Halton | 6,806 | 12/09/2008[8] |
| Super League XIII Playoffs | Week 2 | Catalans Dragons | Win | 26-50 | Away | Stade Gilbert Brutus | 9,985 | 20/09/2008 |
| Super League XIII Playoffs | Week 3 | Leeds Rhinos | Lose | 14-18 | Away | Headingley Carnegie Stadium | 13,112 | 26/09/2008 |
- † Wigan Warriors against Huddersfield Giants on 6 June 2008 was postponed due to resurfacing work at the JJB Stadium. The match was re-arranged for 25 July 2008.
- ‡ Match was originally due to take place at the JJB Stadium but the venue was changed due to the unavailability of the Stadium on that date.
[edit] Statistics
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Team Statistics
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Top 5 Appearances
Top 5 Try Scores
Top 3 Goal Scorers
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[edit] Staff
Management Board
- President - Peter Higginbottom
- Owner and Chairman - Ian Lenagan
- Chief Executive - Mick Hogan
- Performance Director - Joe Lydon
- Interim Financial Director - Paul Wright
Rugby
- Performance Director - Joe Lydon
- Head Coach - Brian Noble
- Assistant Coach - Phil Veivers
- Strength & Conditioning Coach - Mike Forshaw
- Reserve Team Coach - Shaun Wane
- Academy Team Coach - John Pendlebury
- Assistant Academy Coach - Ged Byrne
- Player & Coach Development Manager - Ray Unsworth
- Head of Youth Recruitment & Player Welfare - Brian Foley
- Chief Scout - Jack Roden
- Youth Performance Analyst & Administration Support Officer - Keith Schmechel
- Chief Medical Officer - Dr D Humphries
- Honorary Club Dentist - Dr Howard Jones
- Physiotherapist - Rebecca Hodgkiss
- Physiotherapist - Emma Greenwood
- Masseur - Andrew Pinkerton
- Kit Manager - George Unsworth
- Statistician - Malc Clarke
- Statistician - Gordon Melling
- Time Keeper - Keith Hayton
Administration
- Chief Executive - Mick Hogan
- Administration Staff - Carol Banks, Mary Sharkey, Mandy Johnston
- Safety Officer - Ray Johnston
- Stadium Manager - Alan Sumner
Marketing
- Marketing Director - Simon Collinson
- Commercial Director - Geoff Warburton
- Sales Manager - Joyce Pickles
- Media Manager - Graham Emmerson
- New Media Assistant - Stewart Williams
- Marketing & Hospitality Executive - Louise Williams, Sam Banks
- Membership Coordinator - Janice Hart
- Warriors World Supervisor - Joyce Gorman, Janet Harrison
Community Development
- Community Development Manager - Mike Watson
- Education Manager - Darren Fletcher
- Primary Link Coordinator - Amanda Wilkinson
- Community Sports Coach - Martin McLoughlin
- Community Rugby Coach - Terri Dwyer
- Community Rugby Coach - Thomas Brindle
- Community Rugby Coach - Sam Tomkins
Finance
- Interim Finance Director - Paul Wright
- Finance Assistant - Tracey Preston
- Finance Assistant - Christine Lowe
Lotto
- Lottery Assistant - Vicky Cowpland
- Lottery Assistant - Keith Mills
[edit] References
- ^ "Wigan snap up Coley from Salford". BBC Sport. 2007-09-06. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_league/super_league/wigan/6981878.stm.
- ^ "Mathers returns to UK with Wigan". BBC Sport. 2007-11-06. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_league/7080606.stm.
- ^ "Wigan sign Samoa centre Carmont". BBC Sport. 2007-11-27. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_league/super_league/wigan/7115051.stm.
- ^ "Pryce back in League with Wigan". BBC Sport. 2007-12-18. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_league/super_league/wigan/7150378.stm.
- ^ "Wigan's Fletcher decides to quit". BBC Sport. 2007-10-06. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_league/super_league/wigan/7031298.stm.
- ^ "Vaealiki Joins Manly". Sporting Life. 2007-11-10. http://www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=rleague/07/11/26/RUGBYL_Vaealiki.html.
- ^ "Wigan release second rower Hill". BBC Sport. 2007-11-28. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_league/super_league/wigan/7117035.stm.
- ^ Wigan Warriors Attendance figures 2008
[edit] External links
- Official site
- Wigan RL 2008 Season on the Wigan RL Fansite.
- Wigan RL 2008 Reserve Team on the Wigan RL Fansite.
- Wigan RL 2008 Academy Team on the Wigan RL Fansite.
- Wigan-Warriors fan site
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