2008 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles season

Sunday 5 October

Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	40 – 0	Melbourne Storm
Tries: Michael Robertson (3) Matt Ballin Brent Kite David Williams Steve Menzies Steven Bell Goals: Matt Orford (0/2) Steve Matai (2/4) Jamie Lyon (2/2)	[28]	Tries: Goals:

ANZ Stadium, Sydney Attendance: 80,388 Referee: Tony Archer Player of the Match: Brent Kite

Manly-Warringah

Melbourne

FB 1 Brett Stewart LW 2 Michael Robertson RC 3 Steven Bell LC 4 Steve Matai RW 5 David Williams FE 6 Jamie Lyon HB 7 Matt Orford (c) PR 8 Brent Kite HK 9 Matt Ballin PR 10 Josh Perry SR 11 Anthony Watmough SR 12 Glenn Hall LK 13 Glenn Stewart Substitutions: IC 14 Heath L'Estrange IC 15 Mark Bryant IC 16 Jason King IC 17 Steve Menzies Coach: Des Hasler

FB 1 Billy Slater RW 2 Steve Turner LC 3 Matt Geyer RC 4 Israel Folau LW 5 Anthony Quinn FE 6 Greg Inglis HB 7 Cooper Cronk (c) PR 8 Jeff Lima HK 9 Russ Aitken PR 10 Brett White SR 11 Michael Crocker SR 12 Jeremy Smith LK 13 Dallas Johnson Substitutions: IC 14 Scott Anderson IC 15 Adam Blair IC 16 Sika Manu IC 17 Antonio Kaufusi Coach: Craig Bellamy

1st Half
The grand final's first quarter was played end to end with each side able to hold the other's attacking opportunities out. In the twenty-fourth minute the Sea Eagles' hooker Matt Ballin at close-range ran from dummy-half and crashed over the try-line. After the video referee ruled the grounding successful, Matt Orford's conversion attempt hit the upright and missed so the score remained 4 - 0 with fifteen minutes of the first half remaining. Nine minutes later, the Sea Eagles were again on the attack and from ten metres out, moved the ball through the hands to the left wing where Michael Robertson dived over in the corner. The video referee was again called upon to examine the try, which was ruled to have been successfully scored just as Robertson's feet were being dragged onto the sideline by a defender. Orford's difficult kick went wide, so the Sea Eagles' lead remained at 8-0 with under five minutes of the half remaining which were played out with no further points scored.

2nd Half
In the forty-seventh minute, The Sea Eagles were within twenty metres of the Storm's try-line when Matt Orford at first receiver put a grubber kick into the left corner which bounced up perfectly for Michael Robertson racing through on the wing to grab and dive over for his second try. Kicking duty was handed to Steve Matai who coolly converted Robertson's try from next to the sideline, bringing his side's lead to 14–0. Three minutes later, and from a similar attacking position, the Sea Eagles kept the ball alive, a pass from Brett Stewart fifteen metres out arriving at the feet of Steve Matai who, with only one defender before him, picked it up and passed to Michael Robertson to dive over again in the same corner. Matai's second sideline conversion attempt missed, so the Sea Eagles were leading 18–0. In the fifty-seventh minute the Sea Eagles were again down in the Storm's half and on the last tackle decided to run the ball, which was kept alive and passed through seven sets of hands before going to a charging Brent Kite who stretched out of the tackle and slammed the ball down under the posts.[29] Matai kicked the easy conversion and it was sea Eagles 24, Storm 0. Ten minutes later the Sea Eagles got another try when, from within the Storm's ten-metre line, they moved the ball out to David Williams on the right wing to dive over in the corner. The conversion attempt by Matai went wide so the Sea Eagles were leading 28–0. In the seventy-second minute the Sea Eagles ran the ball down toward the left corner with Robertson passing back in to Steve Menzies, who was playing in his 349th and final NRL match to crash over for a try, his 180th. Jamie Lyon took over the goal kicking and converted Menzies' try to give Manly a 34–0 lead. However, the finale was to come at the seventy-five-minute mark when from their forty-metre line, Sea Eagles second rower Glenn Hall burst into open space, passing back inside for Brett Stewart who was running through in support. Stewart was chased down just short of the try-line by Storm halfback Cooper Cronk, but he managed to flick the ball back without looking into the arms of Steven Bell to also get a try in his last game at the club. Jamie Lyon's simple conversion put the final score at 40–0.

It was at the time the fourth-biggest loss in the Storm's history.

The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles defeated the Melbourne Storm 40–0, scoring eight tries, four of which were converted. This is the highest Rugby League Grand Final margin in Australian history, eclipsing the 1975 NSWRFL season's Grand Final where Eastern Suburbs defeated St George, 38–0 at the Sydney Cricket Ground.[30] It is also the first time that a team has been kept scoreless in a Grand Final since the 1978 NSWRL Grand Final Replay, where Cronulla lost to Manly 16–0.[30] Sea Eages forward Brent Kite was named man-of-the-match and received the Clive Churchill Medal.[31]

The 2008 Grand Final was the last match for Super League-bound Steve Menzies of Manly.[30] Playing in this match brought his career games played to 349, equalling the current record from Terry Lamb.[30]

• Australia – Brent Kite, Josh Perry, Brett Stewart*, Glenn Stewart, Anthony Watmough, David Williams
• New Zealand – Steve Matai
• Fiji – Nick Bradley-Qalilawa
• Scotland – Michael Robertson

* Brett Stewart was originally selected in Australia's World Cup squad but withdrew with a shoulder injury.[32]

• New South Wales – Brett Stewart

• Country Origin – Glenn Stewart