2008 AFL season
| 2008 AFL premiership season | |
|---|---|
| File:2008AFLToyota.png Logo of the 2008 AFL Season | |
| Teams | 16 |
| Premiers | Hawthorn |
| Attendance | |
| Matches played | 185 |
| Total attendance | 7,083,015 (38,287 per match) |
The Australian Football League season of 2008 commenced on 20 March 2008 and concluded on 27 September 2008. The season marked the 150th anniversary of Australian rules football. The season consisted of 22 rounds finals games and 4 rounds of finals to determine the 2008 AFL Premier.
NAB Cup
St Kilda won the National Australia Bank Cup, defeating the Adelaide at AAMI Stadium in Adelaide in the Final on 8 March 2008. St Kilda won by the score (69) to (64).
Premiership season
Round 1 (Season Launch/Easter)
Round 2
Round 3 (Rivalry Round)
Round 4
Round 5
Round 6 (ANZAC Round)
Round 7
AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match
Round 8
Round 9 (Indigenous Round)
Round 10
Round 11 (Queens Birthday)
Round 12
Round 13
Round 14 (Split Round)
Round 15
Round 16
Round 17
Round 18
Round 19 (Tom Wills Round)
Round 20
Round 21
Round 22
Ladder
Finals Series
The 2008 Finals Series will be conducted according to the conventions of the AFL's Amended "Final Eight" system that the AFL instituted in the AFL season 2000.
Qualifying and Elimination Finals
Semi Finals
Preliminary Finals
Grand Final
Game records
Statistics correct as at end of Round 22.
- Highest Score: 28.14 (182) - Geelong v West Coast 5.17 (47), Round 13 [1]
- Lowest Score: 5.9 (39) - Essendon v St Kilda 21.21 (147),Round 22[2]
- Highest Losing Score: 21.8 (134) - Carlton v Essendon 23.12 (150), Round 3 [3]
- Lowest Winning Score: 6.15 (51) - St Kilda v Sydney 6.13 (49), Round 1[4]
- Greatest Margin: 135 points - Geelong 28.14 (182) v West Coast 5.17 (47), Round 13[5]
- Smallest Margin (excluding draws): 1 point -
- Fremantle 13.10 (88) v Geelong 13.11 (89), Round 6
- Melbourne 14.9 (93) v Brisbane 13.14 (92), Round 14[6]
- Highest Aggregate Score: 44.20 (284) - Essendon 23.12 (150) v Carlton 21.8 (134), Round 3[7]
- Lowest Aggregate Score: 12.28 (100) - St Kilda 6.15 (51) v Sydney 6.13 (49), Round 1[8]
- Best Accuracy: 85.71% - 12.2 (74) Hawthorn v Western Bulldogs 15.16 (106), Round 10[9]
- Worst Accuracy: 22.73% -
- 5.17 (47) West Coast v Geelong 28.14 (182), Round 13
- 5.17 (47) Adelaide v West Coast 14.13 (97), Round 9[10]
Statistics leaders
Leading Goal-kickers and Coleman Medal
- 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 | 583 |
| 2 | Jimmy Bartel | Geelong | 552 |
| 3 | Kane Cornes | Port Adelaide | 551 |
| 4 | Sam Mitchell | Hawthorn | 529 |
| 5 | Adam Cooney | Western Bulldogs | 529 |
| 6 | Andrew Carrazzo | Carlton | 517 |
| 7 | Daniel Cross | Western Bulldogs | 513 |
| 8 | Scott Thompson | Adelaide | 507 |
| 9 | Matthew Boyd | Western Bulldogs | 505 |
| 10 | Luke Power | Brisbane Lions | 502 |
Kicks
| Rank | Player | Team | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alan Didak | Collingwood | 325 |
| 2 | Marc Murphy | Carlton | 310 |
| 3 | Dane Swan | Collingwood | 302 |
| 4 | Brent Harvey | North Melbourne | 299 |
| 5 | Nathan Bock | Adelaide | 298 |
| 6 | Jimmy Bartel | Geelong | 298 |
| 7 | Brent Stanton | Essendon | 295 |
| 7 | Leigh Montagna | St Kilda | 293 |
| 9 | Jordan McMahon | Richmond | 293 |
| 10 | Andrew Embley | West Coast | 283 |
Handballs
| Rank | Player | Team | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daniel Cross | Western Bulldogs | 326 |
| 2 | Kane Cornes | Port Adelaide | 302 |
| 3 | Joel Corey | Geelong | 300 |
| 4 | Sam Mitchell | Hawthorn | 291 |
| 5 | Shane Tuck | Richmond | 287 |
| 6 | Adam Cooney | Western Bulldogs | 273 |
| 7 | Cameron Bruce | Melbourne | 264 |
| 8 | Brett Deledio | Richmond | 264 |
| 9 | Matthew Boyd | Western Bulldogs | 262 |
| 10 | Brady Rawlings | North Melbourne | 260 |
Marks
| Rank | Player | Team | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matthew Richardson | Richmond | 206 |
| 2 | Nick Riewoldt | St Kilda | 188 |
| 3 | Samuel Fisher | St Kilda | 172 |
| 4 | Robert Murphy | Western Bulldogs | 160 |
| 5 | Cameron Mooney | Geelong | 155 |
| 6 | Paul Medhurst | Collingwood | 152 |
| 7 | Nathan Bock | Adelaide | 147 |
| 8 | Brad Johnson | Western Bulldogs | 147 |
| 9 | Andrew Embley | West Coast | 147 |
| 10 | Brian Lake | Western Bulldogs | 141 |
Tackles
| Rank | Player | Team | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brett Kirk | Sydney | 138 |
| 2 | Domenic Cassisi | Port Adelaide | 133 |
| 3 | Jude Bolton | Sydney | 129 |
| 4 | Lenny Hayes | St Kilda | 128 |
| 5 | Joel Corey | Geelong | 124 |
| 6 | Jimmy Bartel | Geelong | 116 |
| 7 | Luke Ball | St Kilda | 107 |
| 8 | James Kelly | Geelong | 107 |
| 9 | Scott Thompson | Adelaide | 106 |
| 10 | Daniel Cross | Western Bulldogs | 102 |
Hitouts
| Rank | Player | Team | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aaron Sandilands | Fremantle | 646 |
| 2 | Dean Cox | West Coast | 570 |
| 3 | Darren Jolly | Sydney | 530 |
| 4 | Mark Blake | Geelong | 494 |
| 5 | Jamie Charman | Brisbane Lions | 434 |
| 6 | Dean Brogan | Port Adelaide | 397 |
| 7 | David Hille | Essendon | 364 |
| 8 | Steven King | St Kilda | 361 |
| 9 | Troy Simmonds | Richmond | 359 |
| 10 | Brendon Lade | Port Adelaide | 349 |
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 the Geelong Football Club for holding top position on the ladder after 22 rounds.[1]
- The Wooden Spoon was obtained by the Melbourne Football Club who finished the season in last place on the ladder after 22 rounds.
- Chris Judd from the Carlton Football Club 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]
Rising Star Nominees
The AFL Rising Star award for 2008 was awarded to Rhys Palmer from the Fremantle Football Club. In the final voting he received maximum votes from eight of the nine judges to beat Hawthorn's Cyril Rioli by 7 votes. Trent Cotchin from Richmond was third with last years number 1 draft pick Matthew Kreuzer fourth and Palmer's Fremantle teammate Garrick Ibbotson in fifth position.[5] A total of 79 players who were eligible for the award played more than 5 games during the 2008 season.[6]
| Round | Player | Team | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bachar Houli | Essendon | |
| 2 | Josh Hill | Western Bulldogs | |
| 3 | Rhys Palmer | Fremantle | 44 |
| 4 | Kieran Jack | Sydney | |
| 5 | Ben McKinley | West Coast | 6 |
| 6 | Cyril Rioli | Hawthorn | 37 |
| 7 | Austin Wonaeamirri | Melbourne | 1 |
| 8 | Kurt Tippett | Adelaide | |
| 9 | Garrick Ibbotson | Fremantle | 7 |
| 10 | Nathan J. Brown | Collingwood | 3 |
| 11 | Matthew Kreuzer | Carlton | 11 |
| 12 | Trent Cotchin | Richmond | 21 |
| 13 | Jarryd Morton | Hawthorn | |
| 14 | Colin Garland | Melbourne | |
| 15 | Jack Riewoldt | Richmond | |
| 16 | Kyle Reimers | Essendon | |
| 17 | Brad Ebert | West Coast | |
| 18 | Gavin Urquhart | North Melbourne | |
| 19 | Shaun Grigg | Carlton | |
| 20 | Cale Morton | Melbourne | 3 |
| 21 | Bradd Dalziell | Brisbane Lions | |
| 22 | Alipate Carlile | Port Adelaide | 2 |
Club Best and Fairests
Notable Events
- 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 highest ever odds for an AFL/VFL game of $34 were offered for Melbourne to beat Geelong in their Round 3 clash at Skilled Stadium. Geelong won by 30 points.
- Western Bulldogs came back from a 37 point deficit from the Saints at quarter time to comeback and the win the game by 38 points to make a 75-point turnaround in Round 4.
- 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, the equal-longest suspension handed out since the tribunal was reconfigured, 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 8 weeks after hitting Geelong's Cameron Ling in the cheekbone with a reckless bump.
- Collingwood's 73 point win over Essendon in round 6 was the biggest victory on an Anzac Day Match ever.
- Sydney earned a controversial draw against North Melbourne at Telstra Dome in round six, after it was later revealed that the tying behind was scored with nineteen men on the field. As a direct consequence of this, the league amended the interchange laws in round nine.
- 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.
- Round 14 marked the first time all non-Victorian clubs lost in the same round since Port Adelaide entered the competition in 1997. The feat was repeated in Round 15.
- With its final round victory, Geelong matched the 2000 Essendon record of 21 wins in a 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 & 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 season saw the 8th placed St Kilda requiring a win of 90+ points over Essendon to claim 4th place going into the finals. They recorded a 108 point victory which stole the Crows' 4th place.
- On Monday 1 September, Leigh Matthews announced his resignation from his senior coaching position at the Brisbane Lions. Michael Voss has taken up this position despite committing to the West Coast Eagles 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 have 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).
Australia will be taking on Ireland in the a two test International Rules series. This series will be played in Australia and the matches will be played at Subiaco oval, Perth, Friday night the 24 October. The second test will be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday night the 31st of October. Last year the International Rules series was aborted by the Irish to to their thought that the Australians were to rough in the previous series held in Ireland. However after discussions between the teams they have decided to go on with this years series if the Australians decided to play fairly. The 25 man Australian squad lead by Michael Malthouse includes: Nathan Bock (Adelaide)
Matthew Boyd (Western Bulldogs)
Jared Brennan (Brisbane Lions)
Campbell Brown (Hawthorn)
Shaun Burgoyne (Port Adelaide)
Matt Campbell (North Melbourne)
Ryan Crowley (Fremantle)
Michael Firrito (North Melbourne)
Nathan Foley (Richmond)
Brent Harvey (North Melbourne)
Roger Hayden (Fremantle)
Leigh Montagna (St Kilda)
Daniel Motlop (Port Adelaide)
Marc Murphy (Carlton)
Michael Osborne (Hawthorn)
Scott Pendlebury (Collingwood)
Drew Petrie (North Melbourne)
David Rodan (Port Adelaide)
Max Rooke (Geelong)
Brad Sewell (Hawthorn)
Kade Simpson (Carlton)
Adam Selwood (West Coast)
Dale Thomas (Collingwood)
Scott Thompson (Adelaide)
Daniel Wells (North Melbourne)
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.[27]
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.[28]
Scott McLaren umpired his 300th game in Round 4[29] and Shane McInerney umpired his 250 game in Round 4.[30] Experienced field umpires Martin Ellis and Matthew Head both announced their retirements during the year.[31][32]
Player changes
Debuts
A total of 84 players made their AFL debut in 2008,[33] including 14 of the 17 first round draft selections from the 2007 AFL Draft[34]. Hawthorn's Cyril Rioli was the only debutant to play all 22 games in the Home and Away season.[33]
Retirements
| Name | Club | Date Retired | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beau McDonald | Brisbane Lions | 14 February | Recent injuries forced him out of the game.[35] |
| Danny Jacobs | Hawthorn | 12 March | Hip injury.[36] |
| Hugh Minson | Port Adelaide | 9 April | Knee problems.[37] |
| David Neitz | Melbourne | 19 May | Neck problems.[38] |
| Matthew Carr | Fremantle | 19 May | Leg problems.[39] |
| Michael Braun | West Coast | 7 July (will finish season) | Time is right.[40] |
| Peter Bell | Fremantle | 7 July | Time is right.[41] |
| Andrew McDougall | Western Bulldogs | 17 July | Injury and non-selection.[42] |
| Shaun McManus | Fremantle | 29 July | Time is right.[43] |
| Michael Wilson | Port Adelaide | 5 August | Injury.[44] |
| Robert Harvey | St Kilda | 6 August (will finish season) | Time is right.[45] |
| Heath Black | Fremantle | 6 August | Injury.[46] |
| Mal Michael | Essendon | 15 August (will finish season) | Time is right.[47] |
| Rhett Biglands | Adelaide | 18 August | Knee Injury.[48] |
| Nigel Lappin | Brisbane Lions | 19 August | Achilles injury .[49] |
| Mark Johnson | Fremantle | 20 August (will finish season) | Time is right.[50] |
| Jason Johnson | Essendon | 25 August | Time is right.[51] |
| Adam Ramanauskas | Essendon | 25 August | Time is right.[52] |
| Shannon Grant | North Melbourne | 26 August (will finish season) | Time is right.[53] |
| Luke Webster | Fremantle | 27 August | Injuries and club's future direction.[54] |
| Nathan Bassett | Adelaide | 27 August (will finish season) | Health concerns.[55] |
| Ben Holland | Melbourne | 30 August | Time is right.[56] |
| Jeff Farmer | Fremantle | 2 September | Time is right.[57] |
| Nathan Ablett | Geelong | 2 September | Pursue a career in the building industry.[58] |
| Ben Mathews | Sydney | 2 September | Time is right.[59] |
| Jess Sinclair | North Melbourne | 10 September | Time is right.[60] |
| Peter Everitt | Sydney | 12 September | Time is right.[61] |
| Fraser Gehrig | St Kilda | 13 September | Unsuccessful attempt to relaunch his football career.[62] |
| Ryan Lonie | Collingwood | 15 September | Injury.[63] |
| Shane Wakelin | Collingwood | 15 September | Time is right.[64] |
| Nathan Thompson | North Melbourne | 19 September | No offer for 2009[65] |
| Scott Burns | Collingwood | 22 September | Time is right[66] |
| Ken McGregor | Adelaide | 30 September | Time is right[67] |
| Jason Saddington | Carlton | 13 October | Time is right[68] |
| Shane Crawford | Hawthorn | 8 Novemeber | Time is right[69] |
Sackings/Delistings
2008 Trade Week
In total only six trades were completed, with many players who requested trades, including Ryan O'Keefe, Andrew Lovett, Mark Seaby, Josh Carr and Daniel Harris unable to finalise deals during the week.[89] The low number of completed trades prompted calls by the AFLPA for a form of free agency to be introduced, although it could be explained as a one-off event due to a combination of the high regard for the players available in year's draft and the impending concessions to be given to the expansion teams, Gold Coast and Western Sydney in the coming years.[90]
| Player | Original club | New club | Traded for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Farren Ray and Pick #48 | Western Bulldogs | St Kilda | Draft Pick #31 |
| Rhyce Shaw and Pick #61 | Collingwood | Sydney | Draft Pick #46 |
| Adam Thomson | Port Adelaide | Richmond | Draft Pick #42 |
| Anthony Corrie | Brisbane Lions | Collingwood | Draft Pick #93 |
| Brent Prismall | Geelong | Essendon | Draft Pick #39 |
| Robert Warnock and Pick #69 | Fremantle | Carlton | Draft Picks #24,56 and 72 |
Coaching 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 reported as a move to make way for potential coaching candidate, Michael Voss.[91]
- Despite being newly signed for two years as Assistant Coach of the West Coast Eagles, as expected, former Brisbane Lions captain Michael Voss was appointed as coach of the Brisbane Lions, one day after Leigh Matthews resigned.[92]
See also
Footnotes
- ^ Cats demolish Eagles by 99 points
- ^ Eagles, Dockers picked for All Australian squad
- ^ a b Looyd, Davis make their mark
- ^ Richmond's Deledio wins 2008 Army Award
- ^ "Rhys Palmer claims Rising Star award". Herald Sun. 2008-09-03. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
- ^ Footwire Rising Star Statistics
- ^ "Club best and fairest results". Realfooty. 2008-10-05. Retrieved 2008-10-05.
- ^ AAP (2008-10-05). "Brown top Lion". Realfooty. Retrieved 2008-10-05.
- ^ AAP (2008-10-05). "Pavlich named Dockers' best". Realfooty. Retrieved 2008-10-05.
- ^ Arup, Thomas (2008-10-05). "Franklin is top Hawk in year of personal and team accolades". Realfooty. Retrieved 2008-10-05.
- ^ AAP (2008-10-05). "Fisher voted best Saint". Realfooty. Retrieved 2008-10-05.
- ^ "Goodwin to captain the Crows". AdelaideNow. 2007-12-12. Retrieved 2008-01-22.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Four co-captains may be enough for Lions". Sydney Morning Herald. 2008-02-12. Retrieved 2008-02-13.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Judd will skipper Blues, Stevens to deputy". AFL.com.au. 2008-02-19. Retrieved 2008-02-19.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Each man will get his chance: Ratten". Ben Broad. 2008-01-23. Retrieved 2008-01-23.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Burns to captain Pies". Sebastian Hassett. 2008-03-06. Retrieved 2008-03-06.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Mitchell to captain Hawks in 2008". Catherine Murphy. 2007-10-06. Retrieved 2008-01-29.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Neitz decides to stay as Demon's skipper". Sydney Morning Herald. 2008-01-17. Retrieved 2008-02-01.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "North leadership group adds two true Roos". Michael Tormey. 2008-01-30. Retrieved 2007-01-30.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Tredrea to lead Power again". AFL. 2008-03-12. Retrieved 2008-03-12.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Newman ready for the challenge". AFL. 2008-11-02. Retrieved 2008-05-05.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ "Saints appoint Riewoldt sole skipper". AFL. 2008-03-12. Retrieved 2008-03-12.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Bolton steps up". Herald Sun. 2008-02-13. Retrieved 2008-02-14.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Glass to captain West Coast". Mic Cullen. 2007-11-09. Retrieved 2008-01-22.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Embley loses leadership role at Eagles". The Age. 2007-12-04. Retrieved 2008-01-22.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Boyd and Morris take the lead at Bulldogs". Jennifer Witham. 2008-01-22. Retrieved 2008-01-22.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Matthews, Bruce (2008-09-15). "More umpires mean fewer mistakes". Herald Sun. Retrieved 2008-09-24.
- ^ "All-Australian umpire axed for decider". Sydney Morning Herald. AAP. 2008-09-23. Retrieved 2008-09-24.
- ^ "AFL umpire to officiate in 300th match". AAP. 2008-04-09. Retrieved 2008-09-24.
- ^ "Milestones 2008". AFLUA. 2008-09-20. Retrieved 2008-09-24.
- ^ Morrison, Joel (2008-09-02). "Ellis calls it a day". AFL.com.au. Retrieved 2008-09-24.
- ^ Morrison, Joel (2008-09-02). "Head looks to the future". AFL.com.au. Retrieved 2008-09-24.
- ^ a b "2008 AFL Season Review". All The Stats. Retrieved 2008-09-06.
- ^ "AFL National Draft held at the end of Season 2007". Footy Wire. Retrieved 2008-09-06.
- ^ "Injuries end it for Big Beau". The Courier Mail. 2008-02-14. Retrieved 2008-02-14.
- ^ "Danny Jacobs Announces Retirement". AFL. 2008-03-12. Retrieved 2008-03-12.
- ^ "Hugh Minson retires". Port Adelaide Football Club. 2008-04-09. Retrieved 2008-04-17.
- ^ "Neitz announces immediate retirement". AFL website. 2008-05-19. Retrieved 2008-05-19.
- ^ "Matthew Carr pulls pin on Freo career". AFL website. 2008-05-19. Retrieved 2008-05-19.
- ^ "Eagle champ Braun announces retirement". AFL website. 2008-07-07. Retrieved 2008-07-07.
- ^ "Bell calls an end to a glittering career". AFL website. 2008-07-07. Retrieved 2008-07-07.
- ^ "Bulldog McDougall calls it quits". WB website. 2008-07-17. Retrieved 2008-07-17.
- ^ "McManus to retire after Sunday's derby". AFL website. 2008-07-29. Retrieved 2008-07-29.
- ^ "Power veteran Wilson calls it quits". AFL website. 2008-08-05. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
- ^ "Robert Harvey retires". AFL website. 2008-08-06. Retrieved 2008-08-06.
- ^ "Freo defender Black announces retirement". AFL website. 2008-08-06. Retrieved 2008-08-06.
- ^ "Mal Michael retires .. again". AFL website. 2008-08-15. Retrieved 2008-08-15.
- ^ "Knee injury forces Biglands to retire". AFL website. 2008-08-18. Retrieved 2008-08-18.
- ^ "Nigel Lappin calls it quits". AFL website. 2008-08-19. Retrieved 2008-08-19.
- ^ "Freo's Johnson will retire at end of season". AFL website. 2008-08-20. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
- ^ "Johnson and Rama retire". AFL website. 2008-08-25. Retrieved 2008-08-25.
- ^ "Johnson and Rama retire". AFL website. 2008-08-25. Retrieved 2008-08-25.
- ^ "Shannon Grant calls it quits". AFL website. 2008-08-26. Retrieved 2008-08-26.
- ^ "Luke Webster latest Docker to quit". PerthNow. 2008-08-27. Retrieved 2008-08-31.
- ^ "Veteran Crow calls it quits". AFL website. 2008-08-27. Retrieved 2008-08-27.
- ^ "Demon Holland announces retirement". AFL website. 2008-08-30. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
- ^ "Farmer, 'The Wizard' calls it quits". AFL website. 2008-09-02. Retrieved 2008-09-02.
- ^ "Nathan Ablett to stop playing football". AFL website. 2008-09-02. Retrieved 2008-09-02.
- ^ "No more for Swan Mathews". AFL website. 2008-09-04. Retrieved 2008-09-04.
- ^ "Roo Sinclair to bound no more". AFL website. 2008-09-10. Retrieved 2008-09-10.
- ^ "Sad swansong for spida". AFL website. 2008-09-12. Retrieved 2008-09-12.
- ^ "End of the line for the G-Train". AFL website. 2008-09-13. Retrieved 2008-09-13.
- ^ "Lonie quits, Burns ponders future". AFL website. 2008-09-15. Retrieved 2008-09-15.
- ^ "Wakelin calls it a day as Pies look ahead". Realfooty website. 2008-09-15. Retrieved 2008-09-15.
- ^ "North's Thompson announces retirement". AFL website. 2008-09-19. Retrieved 2008-09-19.
- ^ "Burns calls an end to career". AFL website. 2008-09-22. Retrieved 2008-09-22.
- ^ "McGregor calls end to AFL career". AFL website. 2008-09-30. Retrieved 2008-09-30.
- ^ "Six and out for Blues". AFL website. 2008-10-13.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Unknown parameter|http://www.afl.com.au/News/NEWSARTICLE/tabid/208/Default.aspx?newsId=ignored (help) - ^ "Hawks shock: Veteran retires". AFL website. 2008-11-8.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help); Unknown parameter|http://www.afl.com.au/News/NEWSARTICLE/tabid/208/Default.aspx?newsId=ignored (help) - ^ "Johns axed". AFL Website. 2008-08-15. Retrieved 2008-08-15.
- ^ "Delisted Peverill hopes to play elsewhere". AFL Website. 2008-08-25. Retrieved 2008-08-25.
- ^ a b "Melbourne dumps Yze and White". AFL Website. 2008-08-26. Retrieved 2008-08-26.
- ^ "Tivendale's Tiger days over". AFL Website. 2008-08-28. Retrieved 2008-08-28.
- ^ "Ryley Dunn Departs". AFL Website. 2008-09-03. Retrieved 2008-09-03.
- ^ a b c "Eagles axe three". AFL Website. 2008-09-04. Retrieved 2008-09-04.
- ^ a b "Bode and Weetra delisted". Melbourne fc.com.au. 2008-09-04. Retrieved 2008-09-04.
- ^ a b c d "Brisbane Lions discard premiership player Copeland". AFL Website. 2008-09-19. Retrieved 2008-09-19.
- ^ a b c "Magpies cut Holland, Egan and Iles". AFL Website. 2008-09-23. Retrieved 2008-09-23.
- ^ a b "Scott West 'to part ways with Bulldogs'". Real Footy Website. 2008-09-23. Retrieved 2008-09-23.
- ^ "Sydney says Rhyce Shaw in, Nick Davis out". Heraldsun Website. 2008-10-12. Retrieved 2008-10-12.
- ^ a b c "Nathan Ablett cut as player culls continue". Herald Sun. 2008-10-15. Retrieved 2008-09-27.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Hawthorn delists four". Official AFL Website. 2008-10-16. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
- ^ "Hawthorn delists four". Official AFL Website. 2008-10-16. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
- ^ "Hawthorn delists four". Official AFL Website. 2008-10-16. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
- ^ "Hawthorn delists four". Official AFL Website. 2008-10-16. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
- ^ a b c d e f g "St Kilda boots seven ahead of AFL National Draft". Heraldsun Website. 2008-10-22. Retrieved 2008-10-22.
- ^ "Saints Axe Fiora". Heraldsun Website. 2008-10-31. Retrieved 2008-10-31.
- ^ "Bailey speaks out at Johnson loss". Melbournefc.com.au. 2008-10-31. Retrieved 2008-10-31.
- ^ "Prismall a Bomber, Warnock a Blue". Fox Sports. 2008-10-10. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ AAP (2008-10-10). "Players union renews call for free agency". WA Today. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
- ^ Lutton, Phil; Matthews walks away from Lions; Realfooty; 1 September 2008
- ^ AAP; Lions hand reins to Voss; Foxsports; 2 September 2008