Premiers Canberra (1st title) Top try-scorer(s) Ben Barba (28) Location Australasia Points scored 9,938 | Minor premiers Canberra (1st title) Dates 12 Sep 2008 – 5 Oct 2008 Teams 16 Matches played 201 | |
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Similar 2008 Rugby League, 2014 NRL season, 2013 NRL season, 2015 NRL season, 2016 NRL season | ||
The 2008 National Youth Competition is the first season of the competition and is sponsored as the Toyota Cup. The draw and structure of the competition mirrors that of its first grade counterpart, the National Rugby League.
Contents
Ladder Progression
Numbers highlighted in green indicate that the team finished the round inside the top 8.
Grand Final
A Spectacular try to second-rower Jarrad Kennedy seven minutes into golden-point extra time gave Canberra a thrilling 28-24 victory over Brisbane in the U20 rugby league grand final at ANZ Stadium.
Kennedy was mobbed by jubilant Raiders teammates after collapsing over the line in exhaustion after willing himself to back up centre Jarrod Croker, who had collected a cross-field kick from halfback Matt Smith as the clock wound down.
Canberra won the hard way, though, recovering from 20-12 down early in the second half and then needing a missed conversion attempt from Broncos halfback Ben Hunt to force extra time.
Gunning for their eighth straight victory, Brisbane made a worrying start, conceding a soft try to five-eighth Michael Picker, which fullback Josh Dugan converted for a 6-0 lead after 10 minutes.
The Broncos steadied and went to the interval with a 16-12 buffer after tries to Hunt, interchange forward Michael Spence and winger Jharal Yow Yeh.
The Broncos looked set to go on with the job when centre Brendon Gibb crossed out wide in the opening minutes of the second half, but the Raiders refused to lie down.
A second try to Michael Picker and a goose-stepping four-pointer to winger Drury Low, plus Dugan's heroics, eventually set the scene for Kennedy's match-winning play.
Match Summary
5 October 2008, 2:15pm
Half Time: Brisbane 16 – 12
Jack Gibson Medal: Josh Dugan
Referees: Shayne Hayne
Venue: ANZ Stadium, Sydney
Toyota Cup Player of the Year
The winner of the award is decided by the most number of votes during the year as decided by the referee of each game on a 3-2-1 basis for each game played throughout the regular season.
Winner: Ben Hunt, Brisbane Nominated: Ben Barba, Bulldogs Eddie Paea, South Sydney Matt Mundine, St. George IllawarraToyota Cup Team of the Year
The Toyota Cup Team of the Year is voted on by the 16 Toyota Cup coaches, with the players with the highest votes in each position selected.