2008 Gold Coast Titans season

2008 Gold Coast Titans season
NRL Rank	13th
2008 record	Wins: 10; Draws: 0; Losses: 14
Points scored	For: 476; Against: 586
Team information
CEO	Michael Searle
Coach	John Cartwright
Captain	Luke Bailey Scott Prince
Stadium	Skilled Park
Avg. Attend.	21,618
High. Attend.	27,176
Top scorers
Tries	Anthony Laffranchi (12)
Goals	Scott Prince (51)
Points	Scott Prince (124)
< 2007 List of seasons 2009 >

The 2008 Gold Coast Titans season was the 2nd in the club's history. They competed in the NRL's 2008 Telstra Premiership coached by John Cartwright and co-captained by Luke Bailey and Scott Prince. After 10 rounds of the premiership the Titans found themselves leading the competition with 7 wins from 9 games before slumping to finish the regular season 13th (out of 16) and failing to make the finals. Preston Campbell was awarded the Paul Broughton Medal for the club's player of the year.^[1]

Summary

Milestones

• Round 1: Four players made their debuts for the club; Jordan Atkins, Aaron Cannings, Ashley Harrison and Ben Jeffery. Jordan Atkins also made his NRL debut.
• Round 1: Jordan Atkins broke the club record for most tries scored by an individual in a single match.
• Round 2: Nathan Friend scored his 1st career try.
• Round 4: Daniel Conn scored his 1st career try.
• Round 7: Brenton Bowen made his debut for the club, after previously playing for the North Queensland Cowboys.
• Round 10: Shannon Walker made his debut for the club and his debut in the NRL.
• Round 12: Esikeli Tonga made his debut for the club and his debut in the NRL.
• Round 12: Brett Delaney played his 50th career game.
• Round 13: Brad Davis made his debut for the club and his debut in the NRL.
• Round 15: Mat Rogers played his 150th career game.
• Round 16: Will Matthews made his debut for the club and his debut in the NRL.
• Round 17: Brenton Bowen and Luke O'Dwyer played their 50th career game.
• Round 18: Michael Henderson played his 50th career game.
• Round 18: Two players made their debuts for the club; Matthew Cross and Jordan Rapana. Jordan Rapana also made his NRL debut and scored his 1st career try.
• Round 21: Preston Campbell played his 200th career game.
• Round 22: Jordan Rankin made his debut for the club and his debut in the NRL.
• Round 22: Gavin Cooper played his 200th career game.
• Round 23: Michael Hodgson played his 150th career game and Esikeli Tonga scored his 1st career try.
• Round 26: Two players made their debuts for the club; Selasi Berdie and Billy Ngawini. Selasi Berdie also made his NRL debut.

Squad list

Gold Coast Titans
First team squad								Coaching staff
Clint Amos - HK Jordan Atkins - WG Luke Bailey (c) - PR Selasi Berdie - PR, SR Brenton Bowen - WG Preston Campbell - FB Aaron Cannings - PR Daniel Conn - SR Gavin Cooper - CE, SR Matthew Cross - PR, SR Brad Davis - HK Brett Delaney - CE Ian Donnelly - PR		Nathan Friend - HK Josh Graham - CE, LK Ashley Harrison - LK Michael Henderson - PR Michael Hodgson - PR Ben Jeffery - WG Kris Kahler - SR Anthony Laffranchi - SR Josh Lewis - FE, HB Will Matthews - PR Brad Meyers - PR Mark Minichiello - SR Billy Ngawini - HB, HK		Luke O'Dwyer - CE, LK Matthew Petersen - WG (Mid-season loss) Scott Prince (c) - HB Jordan Rankin - FE, HB Jordan Rapana - WG Mat Rogers - CE, FE Smith Samau - WG James Stosic - PR Luke Swain - SR Esikeli Tonga - WG, CE Chris Walker - WG, CE Shannon Walker - FB				Head coach John Cartwright Legend: (c) Captain (vc) Vice captain Updated: Source(s): Titans 2008 Squad

Squad movement

Gains

Players	Previous Club	Until End of	Notes
Brenton Bowen	North Queensland Cowboys	2009	[2]
Aaron Cannings	Parramatta Eels	2010	[3]
Matthew Cross	Penrith Panthers	2009	[4]
Ashley Harrison	Sydney Roosters	2010	[5]
Ben Jeffery	Wests Tigers	2009	[6]
Billy Ngawini	Bulldogs	2008	[7]

Losses

Players	Club	Until End of	Notes
Matt Hilder	Newcastle Knights	2009	[8]
Richard Mathers	Wigan Warriors	2010	[9]
David Myles	Retired
Lelea Paea	Released
Matthew Petersen	Wakefield Trinity Wildcats (Mid-season)	2010	[10]
Jake Webster	Hull Kingston Rovers	2010	[11]

Re-signings

Players	Club	Until End of	Notes
Preston Campbell	Gold Coast Titans	2009	[12]
Nathan Friend	Gold Coast Titans	2009	[13]
Josh Graham	Gold Coast Titans	2010	[14]
Michael Henderson	Gold Coast Titans	2012	[15]
Anthony Laffranchi	Gold Coast Titans	2011	[16]
Will Matthews	Gold Coast Titans	2011	[17]
Brad Meyers	Gold Coast Titans	2010	[18]
Jordan Rankin	Gold Coast Titans	2011	[19]
Shannon Walker	Gold Coast Titans	2010	[20]

Ladder

	Team	Pld	W	D	L	B	PF	PA	PD	Pts
1	Melbourne	24	17	0	7	2	584	282	+302	38
2	Manly-Warringah	24	17	0	7	2	645	355	+290	38
3	Cronulla	24	17	0	7	2	451	384	+67	38
4	Sydney Roosters	24	15	0	9	2	511	446	+65	34
5	Brisbane	24	14	1	9	2	560	452	+108	33
6	Canberra	24	13	0	11	2	640	527	+113	30
7	St. George Illawarra	24	13	0	11	2	489	378	+111	30
8	New Zealand	24	13	0	11	2	502	567	-65	30
9	Newcastle	24	12	0	12	2	516	486	+30	28
10	Wests Tigers	24	11	0	13	2	528	560	-32	26
11	Parramatta	24	11	0	13	2	501	547	-46	26
12	Penrith	24	10	1	13	2	504	611	-107	25
13	Gold Coast	24	10	0	14	2	476	586	-110	24
14	South Sydney	24	8	0	16	2	453	666	-213	20
15	North Queensland	24	5	0	19	2	474	638	-164	14
16	Bulldogs	24	5	0	19	2	433	782	-349	14

Fixtures

Regular season

Date	Round	Opponent	Venue	Score	Tries	Goals	Attendance
Friday, 14 March	Round 1	North Queensland Cowboys	Skilled Park	36 – 18	Atkins (4), Bailey, Laffranchi	Prince (6/8)	26,974
Monday, 24 March	Round 2	St. George Illawarra Dragons	WIN Stadium	12 – 30	Friend, Minichiello	Prince (2/2)	10,521
Saturday, 29 March	Round 3	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	Skilled Park	18 – 4	Rogers, Meyers, Atkins	Prince (3/3), Jeffery (0/1)	19,050
Saturday, 5 April	Round 4	Canberra Raiders	Skilled Park	32 – 12	Bailey, O'Dwyer, Laffranchi, Conn, Jeffery, Minichiello	Prince (4/7)	17,381
Friday, 11 April	Round 5	Parramatta Eels	Parramatta Stadium	28 – 20	Petersen, Cannings, Friend, Prince, Graham	Prince (4/5)	13,321
Friday, 18 April	Round 6	Brisbane Broncos	Skilled Park	26 – 24	Petersen (3), Harrison, Laffranchi	Prince (3/5)	27,176
Sunday, 27 April	Round 7	New Zealand Warriors	Skilled Park	36 – 24	Harrison, Jeffery, Meyers, Campbell, Laffranchi, Bowen	Prince (6/7)	25,310
Saturday, 3 May	Round 8	Newcastle Knights	EnergyAustralia Stadium	12 – 13	Prince, Minichiello	Prince (2/2)	21,280
	Round 9	Bye
Friday, 16 May	Round 10	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	Skilled Park	24 – 20	Samau, Meyers, Luke O'Dwyer, Prince	Prince (4/5)	22,676
Sunday, 25 May	Round 11	Wests Tigers	Leichhardt Oval	18 – 20	Cannings, Bowen, Campbell	Prince (3/3)	17,493
Sunday, 1 June	Round 12	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	Toyota Stadium	14 – 30	Minichiello, O'Dwyer, Delaney	Prince (1/3)	8,214
Monday, 9 June	Round 13	Melbourne Storm	Skilled Park	18 – 0	Delaney, Meyers, Jeffery	Rogers (3/4)	19,409
	Round 14	Bye
Monday, 23 June	Round 15	South Sydney Rabbitohs	ANZ Stadium	23 – 24	Laffranchi (2), Prince, Atkins	Prince (4/6)	9,827
Saturday, 28 June	Round 16	St. George Illawarra Dragons	Skilled Park	22 – 26	Jeffery, Delaney, O'Dwyer, Rogers	Rogers (3/5)	26,453
Friday, 4 July	Round 17	Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	Skilled Park	14 – 34	Laffranchi (2)	Rogers (3/3)	21,374
Friday, 11 July	Round 18	Sydney Roosters	Sydney Football Stadium	32 – 28	Jeffery (2), Rapana (2), Rogers, Graham	Rogers (4/6)	10,762
Saturday, 19 July	Round 19	Penrith Panthers	Skilled Park	22 – 36	Rapana, O'Dwyer, Laffranchi, Hodgson	Rogers (3/4)	17,759
Saturday, 26 July	Round 20	Canberra Raiders	Canberra Stadium	4 – 46	Laffranchi	Davis (0/1)	8,700
Friday, 1 August	Round 21	Melbourne Storm	Olympic Park Stadium	4 – 44	Rapana	Rogers (0/1)	9,400
Monday, 11 August	Round 22	Newcastle Knights	Skilled Park	12 – 32	Rapana, Meyers	Campbell (2/2)	15,136
Saturday, 16 August	Round 23	North Queensland Cowboys	Dairy Farmers Stadium	26 – 20	Laffranchi (2), Rogers, Campbell, Tonga	Prince (3/5)	17,605
Friday, 22 August	Round 24	Brisbane Broncos	Suncorp Stadium	21 – 25	Campbell, Rogers, Josh Graham	Prince (4/4) & (FG)	39,757
Monday, 1 September	Round 25	Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	Brookvale Oval	10 – 28	Cooper, Atkins	Prince (1/2)	14,755
Sunday, 7 September	Round 26	Wests Tigers	Skilled Park	12 – 28	Prince, Delaney	Prince (2/2)	20,723
Legend:   Win   Loss   Draw   Bye

Statistics

Name	App	T	G	FG	Pts
Amos, ClintClint Amos	6	0	0	0	0
Atkins, JordanJordan Atkins	14	7	0	0	28
Bailey, LukeLuke Bailey	9	2	0	0	8
Berdie, SelasiSelasi Berdie	1	0	0	0	0
Bowen, BrentonBrenton Bowen	5	2	0	0	8
Campbell, PrestonPreston Campbell	21	4	2	0	20
Cannings, AaronAaron Cannings	15	2	0	0	8
Conn, DanielDaniel Conn	16	1	0	0	4
Cooper, GavinGavin Cooper	14	1	0	0	4
Cross, MatthewMatthew Cross	3	0	0	0	0
Davis, BradBrad Davis	6	0	0	0	0
Delaney, BrettBrett Delaney	23	4	0	0	16
Friend, NathanNathan Friend	21	2	0	0	8
Graham, JoshJosh Graham	23	3	0	0	12
Harrison, AshleyAshley Harrison	20	2	0	0	8
Henderson, MichaelMichael Henderson	7	0	0	0	0
Hodgson, MichaelMichael Hodgson	22	1	0	0	4
Jeffery, BenBen Jeffery	19	6	0	0	24
Laffranchi, AnthonyAnthony Laffranchi	20	12	0	0	48
Lewis, JoshJosh Lewis	2	0	0	0	0
Matthews, WillWill Matthews	9	0	0	0	0
Meyers, BradBrad Meyers	15	5	0	0	20
Minichiello, MarkMark Minichiello	16	4	0	0	16
Ngawini, BillyBilly Ngawini	1	0	0	0	0
O'Dwyer, LukeLuke O'Dwyer	21	5	0	0	20
Petersen, MatthewMatthew Petersen	4	4	0	0	16
Prince, ScottScott Prince	16	5	51	2	124
Rankin, JordanJordan Rankin	1	0	0	0	0
Rapana, JordanJordan Rapana	5	5	0	0	20
Rogers, MatMat Rogers	17	5	16	0	52
Samau, SmithSmith Samau	1	1	0	0	4
Stosic, JamesJames Stosic	16	0	0	0	0
Swain, LukeLuke Swain	11	0	0	0	0
Tonga, EsikeliEsikeli Tonga	5	1	0	0	4
Walker, ShannonShannon Walker	3	0	0	0	0
Totals	—	84	69	2	476

Source: NRL 2008 - Gold Coast Titans Summary

Representative honours

The following players played a representative match in 2008.

Australian Kangaroos

• Anthony Laffranchi
• Scott Prince

Mate Ma'a Tonga

• Esikeli Tonga

NSW Blues

• Anthony Laffranchi

NSW City Origin

• Brett Delaney
• Mark Minichiello

NSW Country Origin

• Anthony Laffranchi

Queensland Maroons

• Ashley Harrison
• Scott Prince

Toa Samoa

• Smith Samau

References

1. Marshall, Matt (26 September 2008). "Preston Campbell wins Titans player of year award". The Courier Mail.
2. "Bowen signs two-year deal with Titans". The Brisbane Times. 20 June 2007.
3. "Titans sign Parra prop". The Brisbane Times. 5 June 2007.
4. Marshall, Matt (3 September 2008). "Melbourne Storm snaps up unhappy Titan Matt Cross". The Herald Sun.
5. "Titans snare Harrison". ABC News. 12 November 2007.
6. "Jeffery joins Titans". The Weekly Times Online. 27 June 2007.
7. "Future Titans stars step up". goldcoast.com.au. 18 February 2008.
8. "Hilder hooking in". The Newcastle Herald. 1 May 2008.
9. Hampson, Andy (7 November 2007). "Mathers move delights Noble". Sportinglife.com.
10. "Matt Petersen released by Gold Coast Titans for England". The Daily Telegraph. 4 May 2008.
11. Turgeon, Luke (30 August 2007). "Ready to take centre stage". goldcoast.com.au.
12. "Titans re-sign Campbell". The Courier Mail. 1 May 2008.
13. "Friend extends Titan deal". Foxsports. 22 April 2008.
14. "Graham re-signs for two years". The Courier Mail. 30 April 2008.
15. "Michael Henderson re-signs". The Daily Telegraph. 17 July 2008.
16. "Bailey confident, Laffranchi re-signs". Foxsports. 12 May 2008.
17. "Former Kyogle junior Will Matthews re-signed by Titans; to make NRL debut". The Far North Coaster. 25 June 2008.
18. "Former Origin prop to sign new deal with Gold Coast Titans". The Courier Mail. 20 August 2008.
19. Turgeon, Luke (6 August 2008). "Rankin signs new deal". goldcoast.com.au.
20. "Walker re-signs with Titans". The Daily Telegraph. 7 May 2008.

Coordinates: 28°4′1″S 153°22′44″E / 28.06694°S 153.37889°E