TO: NZRL Staff, Districts and Affiliates and Board

FROM: Cushla Dawson

DATE: 22 December 2008

RE: Media Summary Tuesday 16 December to Monday 22 December 2008

Sparcs fly for league fans: boss Ray Haffenden has doused the flames ignited by Sparc's funding snub last week. Fans were outraged when the government funding organisation seemed to ignore their sport and the achievements of the world champion Kiwis. "Rugby league will get funding once the Sparc review into our sport is completed in February," Haffenden told Sunday News.

Warriors open 2009 at home to Eels: The Warriors will open their 2009 season with a home match against on Saturday, March 14. The Warriors will play three of their first four games at home, including matches against the Broncos and South Rabbitohs.

Bulldogs sign Kiwi junior: IN A massive boost ahead of next season, the Cootamundra Bulldogs have snared the signature of a 20-year-old Kiwi who has been a part of the Development Squad. Jonathon Carl, a utility back who is equally at home at , five-eighth or in the centres, and has the extra bonus of being an accomplished goal kicker, will fly out to early in the New Year to link with the Bulldogs.

Rugby league receives big increase in Sport funding: Rugby league has received a significant increase in funding from Sport England, with funding up from £18.5million to £29.4million. The award will cover a four-year period from April 2009 to March 2013. The will use the cash to increase participation by developing alternative forms of the game such as tag rugby and creating more opportunities for over-35s and women.

Best sporting moment of 08: New Zealand couch potatoes rejoiced in 2008, their fitness levels heightened by frequent leaps in the air as our Olympians, Kiwis rugby league players, Scott Dixon and All Blacks among others had a successful time.

Magical night lifts NZ to league's summit: Who would have believed it even a few weeks ago? Just a year after the Kiwis were thrashed 58-0 by Australia and whitewashed 3-0 in a series by Great Britain, league finds itself at the summit of the international game. The tag of world champions is the Kiwis' for the next five years thanks to a fairy tale night in Brisbane in November.

Ups and downs of rugby league’s centenary year: Rugby league’s centenary season was supposed to be a celebration of all that is great in the game. And for the most part it was. However rugby league’s ability to toss up controversy continued to overshadow the game’s most important year with poor sportsmanship by officials, player misbehaviour and fading loyalty again dominating headlines. Below is a snapshot of highs and lows of 2008.

Crowe says time for Rabbits to fend for themselves Actor Russell Crowe has told the South Sydney league club he owns it's time they stood on their own feet. In a video Christmas message to Rabbitohs members and fans, Crowe said while he and sponsors will be financing an upgrade of the club's facilities this year, he'll be standing aside at some stage, and the most important thing is to increase the club's membership base to about 15-thousand from its current 6-thousand. Crowe and businessman Peter Holmes a Court bought a 75 per cent stake in the NRL club for $3 million in 2006. Source: Radio New Zealand, 16 December 2008

Sparcs fly for league fans RUGBY league boss Ray Haffenden has doused the flames ignited by Sparc's funding snub last week.

Fans were outraged when the government funding organisation seemed to ignore their sport and the achievements of the world champion Kiwis.

"Rugby league will get funding once the Sparc review into our sport is completed in February," Haffenden told Sunday News.

"It was initially supposed to be finished by December but the job is being done in a thorough manner and will be pushed back until February now."

Haffenden is confident that once the results of the review are established, the sport will get some money.

"I would hope that is the case," he said.

Sparc's high performance manager Martin Toomey told Sunday News that rugby league's piece of the pie was being held in the warmer drawer until the review's findings were known.

"We were always going to keep them (league) separate," Toomey said. "We want the review to run its course and see what an independent committee suggests and then go from there.

"There are no guarantees but they could certainly get some funding once the review is completed."

If that were the case it would mark a huge turnaround for the sport.

A year ago Sparc lambasted the way rugby league was governed, which prompted the independent structural review.

"The relationship between Sparc and ourselves has improved out of sight in my opinion," Haffenden said. "I don't see anything that suggests otherwise."

The organisation was close to financial ruin after spending had run wild under chairman Andrew Chalmers.

He resigned, Haffenden took over, Gary Kemble was replaced by as Kiwis coach and Wayne Bennett brought in to assist. The pair led New Zealand to a stunning world cup win over arch rivals Australia.

There appears to be a lot more faith from the sport's stakeholders in Haffenden and his board and the sport seems to be back on the rise again.

"We are back on track but we still haven't got any money though," Haffenden said.

"We budgeted for a loss this year and all of our stakeholders knew that. Hopefully, that loss will be a little smaller than what we anticipated."

And now he's hoping there is a flow-on vibe from the world cup victory to give the sport the boost it needs.

"I have been travelling with the cup the last couple of weeks and I'm just staggered with the reception is has received," he said.

"The cup is on show at the New Zealand Rugby League Museum Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays so people can see it.

"A lot of good things have come out of this year but we can't sit back and think the job is done.

"I was speaking to Stephen Kearney the other day and he thought the work was just starting.

"Now that we have the cup we need to work twice as hard to keep that momentum going.

"Winning it has created a lot of work for all of us but that is a good thing."

(Source: Dale Budge, Sunday News, 21 December 2008)

Warriors open 2009 at home to Eels The New Zealand Warriors will open their 2009 National Rugby League season with a home match against Parramatta Eels on Saturday, March 14.

The Warriors will play three of their first four games at home, including matches against the and .

The Eels match will be a homecoming of sorts for new Parramatta coach Daniel Anderson, who guided the Warriors in 92 games from 2001-2004.

Their round two fixture is in Sydney against last year's champions, the Manly Sea Eagles on March 22.

Just the first five rounds have been confirmed in the draw, with the Warriors to travel to Newcastle in round five.

NRL draw for first five rounds

ROUND ONE

March 13: Storm v Dragons, ; Broncos v Cowboys, Brisbane

March 14: WARRIORS v Eels, Auckland; Sharks v Panthers, Sydney; Bulldogs v Sea Eagles, Sydney

March 15: Titans v Knights, Gold Coast; Roosters v Rabbitohs, Sydney

March 16: v Raiders, Sydney

ROUND TWO

March 20: Rabbitohs v Eels, Sydney; Broncos v Storm, Brisbane

March 21: Dragons v Titans, Wollongong; Panthers v Bulldogs, Sydney; Cowboys v Wests Tigers,

March 22: Raiders v Roosters, Canberra; Sea Eagles v WARRIORS, Sydney

March 23: Sharks v Knights, Toyota Stadium

ROUND THREE

March 27: Wests Tigers v Roosters, Sydney; Titans v Bulldogs, Gold Coast

March 28: WARRIORS v Broncos, Auckland; Eels v Raiders, Sydney; Cowboys v Storm, Townsville

March 29: Rabbitohs v Knights, ; Dragons v Sharks, Sydney

March 30: Sea Eagles v Panthers, Sydney

ROUND FOUR

April 3: Broncos v Dragons, Brisbane; Roosters v Eels, Sydney

April 4: Panthers v Wests Tigers, Sydney; Storm v Titans, Melbourne

April 5: WARRIORS v Rabbitohs, Auckland; Bulldogs v Sharks, Sydney, Knights v Sea Eagles, Newcastle

April 6: Raiders v Cowboys, Canberra

ROUND FIVE

April 10: Roosters v Broncos, Sydney; Eels v Dragons, Sydney

April 11: Sharks v Raiders, Sydney; Storm v Panthers, Melbourne; Cowboys v Titans, Townsville

April 12: Knights v WARRIORS, Newcastle; Sea Eagles v Wests Tigers, Sydney

April 13: Bulldogs v Rabbitohs, Sydney (Source: www.stuff.co.nz 19 December 2008)

Bulldogs sign Kiwi junior IN A massive boost ahead of next season, the Cootamundra Bulldogs have snared the signature of a 20-year- old Kiwi who has been a part of the New Zealand Warriors Development Squad.

Jonathon Carl, a utility back who is equally at home at fullback, five-eighth or in the centres, and has the extra bonus of being an accomplished goal kicker, will fly out to Australia early in the New Year to link with the Bulldogs.

Earlier this year Carl, who plays his club football for the Pontonsby Ponies sat on the bench for the Warriors Toyota Cup side, a team that went on to make the of their competition.

Carl will be the next of a long line of players attracted to the Bulldogs by former player and now senior grade head coach Mark Elia.

Elia worked a deal with player manager Peter Brown, who at one stage had New Zealand legend on his books.

Like Elia, Brown is a former New Zealand International and the pair also joined forces at club level where they won a couple of premierships with the TeAtatu Roosters.

“Jonathon is now too old for the Toyota Cup and was looking for an opportunity and Peter recommended him to me as a player who would enjoy the challenge of playing in Group Nine,” Elia said.

“Peter rates Jonathon as a classy style of player who can slot into any position in the backline.”

The signing of Carl comes amidst uncertainty surrounding the plans of a number of players from this year’s first grade squad who are entertaining the thought of playing elsewhere next season.

“We’d obviously like to keep all our players from this year, but if some players are considering testing themselves in other competitions, we can’t afford to sit on our hands and wait,” Elia said.

“We have to act and signing Jonathon is a step in that direction.”

The Bulldogs are also reportedly close to signing a prominent front rower from the district and are in the midst of talks with at least five other possible new recruits, some of whom have overseas experience.

With enforcer David Letele, rugged centre Willie Purcell and representative fullback Grant Miller all agreeing to terms, the Bulldogs again look set to field a formidable line up.

“The players we are speaking to vary from back rowers to centres and some have ties to Group Nine,” Elia said.

(Source: Cootamundra Herald, 19 December 2008)

Rugby league receives big increase in Sport England funding Rugby league has received a significant increase in funding from Sport England, with funding up from £18.5million to £29.4million.

The award will cover a four-year period from April 2009 to March 2013.

The Rugby Football League will use the cash to increase participation by developing alternative forms of the game such as tag rugby and creating more opportunities for over-35s and women.

The governing body have also detailed plans to further develop the game beyond its traditional heartland. RFL chief executive Nigel Wood said: “With this level of this funding award, the RFL’s Whole Sport Plan has been recognised by Sport England for its robust and detailed nature and its high quality.

“The level of funding also reflects the confidence Sport England has in the RFL to deliver its objectives. This reputation has been earned by our collective efforts and achievements in recent years”.

Also commenting the RFL’s national community development manager, Julia Lee, added: “The RFL is looking forward with great enthusiasm to working with all sections of the game to sustain and increase the growth in participation that we’ve already seen and to continue to move rugby league forward on all fronts.

“We will also continue to work hard to ensure that the sport is accessible to everybody and that the environment the sport is played in continues to be safe, enjoyable and effective for all.”

(Source: www.telegraph.co.uk 17 December 2008)

Best sporting moment of 08 New Zealand couch potatoes rejoiced in 2008, their fitness levels heightened by frequent leaps in the air as our Olympians, Kiwis rugby league players, Scott Dixon and All Blacks among others had a successful time.

"Suddenly the Great Wall of China jumped out in front of me," explained Mahe Drysdale, three-times world champion rower of his late race collapse in the Olympics single sculls at Beijing.

No writer could have summed it up better. Drysdale's bronze medal was one of sporting heroism - and if not everyone's sporting moment of the year, the image of him collapsed on a pontoon at Shunyi will be etched on the retinas of New Zealand sports fans for years to come.

Much had been expected from Drysdale, after a stirring battle with former Olympic champion in a series of trials at home to decide who would take the single sculls position at the Games.

It was hoped he would get New Zealand away to a gold start to August 16, the day when many medals featuring New Zealand finalists were decided, after a luckless 10-day start to the Games had left a bleary-eyed public back home desperate for success.

But the New Zealand opening ceremony flagbearer had been struck by a stomach bug and struggled to make the final, slowing dramatically in the late stages of his semifinal.

He was still struggling a few days later, but decided to attack full-on in the final, making his move after the 1000m mark, to take a lead by 1.6 seconds at the 1500m, only to be overhauled late by defending champion Olaf Tufte of Norway, then Czech Ondrej Synek.

Drysdale slumped forward in his boat, his face drained of colour and had to be helped into the officials' boat. Eight helpers were then needed to hoist his limp body on to the pontoon.

He had ice packs applied to his neck and legs, with water continually being tipped on his back, eventually managing to get to his feet and attend the medal ceremony.

"I've always walked out of the boat," he said later. "It was almost embarrassing I suppose, to do that. There wasn't anything left in the tank."

Soon after, Sick Saturday turned to Super Saturday. Drysdale was first on to the pontoon to greet twins Georgina and Caroline Evers-Swindell after their thrilling victory in the double sculls.

In a finish that had veteran broadcaster Peter Montgomery spluttering, the Evers-Swindells beat Germans Annekatrin Thiele and Christiane Huth by one one-hundreth of a second.

The twins had not looked likely to defend their Olympic title after 18 months of injury woes and indifferent form, but proved true champions when it counted. They announced their retirement from soon after the Games.

Men's pair and George Bridgewater joined Drysdale as bronze medal winners, while Waddell, back at the Olympics for the first time since 2000, finished fourth with in the double sculls. There could not have been a greater contrast between the nail-biting finish of the Evers-Swindells and the way in which Valerie Vili dominated the women's shotput at the Bird's Nest stadium.

Vili, the supreme winner at the in February, walked out, looking and meaning business. First up, she threw farther than she had done ever before, 20.56m, and her opposition simply melted away. When her main rival Natallia Mikhnevic of Belarus could only manage 20.10m with her last throw, it was all over.

"As soon as I saw on the board, when it came up, I thought instantly there and then, screw the last throw. I'm done, I've won," said a delighted Vili.

She was New Zealand's first Olympic throwing gold medallist, and just the second field athlete to win, after long jumper Yvette Williams in 1952.

Cyclist won a silver medal in the 4000m individual pursuit to give New Zealand five medals in a day for the first time ever - and the All Blacks celebrated by beating South Africa, in Cape Town.

Later in the Games, board sailor won New Zealand's first boardsailing medal at an Olympics for 14 years, while 's bronze in the 1500m was New Zealand's first Olympic track medal since John Walker won gold in the same event at Montreal in 1976.

Scott Dixon brought joy to motorsport fans in May, becoming the first New Zealander to win the Indy 500, America's most prestigious motor race, and doing it from pole to pole.

In September, Dixon, 27, clutched a $US1 million ($NZ1.5m) cheque for winning the 17-race IndyCar series.

"Getting married, winning the 500, winning a championship in one year - not too many people can probably say they've done that," a beaming Dixon said.

Another driver of great talent was uncovered this year with 18-year-old Earl Bamber taking the wheel in New Zealand's car in this season's A1 grand prix series, after Jonny Reid was the main driver when NZ finished second in the 2007-08 series.

The world awoke to another emerging talent when 18-year-old Rotorua golfer won the US Amateur in August, earning him an invite to the first major of 2009 - the Masters at Augusta, Georgia - and probably unfair comparisons to Tiger Woods.

Mark Brown won the SAIL Open and the tri-sanctioned $US2.5 million ($NZ4.65m) Johnnie Walker Classic in successive weeks in India and won the Australasian Tour moneylist for the year.

Tim Wilkinson also zoomed up the world rankings, with three-top 10 finishes in his rookie year on the US PGA circuit and earnings of close to $2 million.

The Kiwis provided the upset of the year, winning rugby league's World Cup final against the Kangaroos 34- 20.

It was one of the great underdog moments in New Zealand sport, as the Australians had won the previous six World Cup titles and were expected to claim a seventh without too much trouble, after beating the Kiwis 30-6 in the opening match of the Cup.

But Kiwis' coach Stephen Kearney's young side displayed the sort of ticker needed to succeed on the big stage, with former Australian coach Wayne Bennett being the maestro in the background.

The match had a sour aftermath, with Kangaroos coach exploding, and calling official Ashley Klein a "cheat" who "cost us the World Cup". That quote is minus the Aussie expletives.

A probe was held into Stuart's behaviour and he resigned this month, describing his post-match conduct as "inappropriate and offensive".

It was a good year too for the New Zealand Warriors, who made the top four in the National Rugby League finals before copping a 32-6 hiding from eventual champions Manly.

One of the code's great characters, , retired from the NRL after the match, his 87th for the Warriors but his 312th first grade appearance, after 225 for Canberra. He also had 55 caps for the Kiwis before retiring from test duty two years ago. "I've just had fun mate," he said.

The All Blacks completed a majestic year with a Grand Slam over the Home Nations, giving coach Graham Henry a topsy to the turvy he had in 2007 when his side bowed out to France in the rugby World Cup quarterfinals.

Robbie Deans missed out on Henry's job and was gratefully snapped up by the Australians. While he had a good first season with them, he had to bow to Henry when it came to Bledisloe Cup results.

That was only after Deans had taken the Crusaders to his fifth title, with a 20-12 win over the Waratahs in the Super 14 final.

The All Blacks won home matches against Ireland, England and Samoa; retained the Bledisloe Cup while winning the Tri-Nations; beat Australia in Hong Kong and completed an undefeated Grand Slam tour of the , where it had to be said the standard of opposition was disappointing.

In all, there were 14 wins out of 16, resulting in Henry claiming coach of the year at the national rugby awards, with Andrew Hore winning player of the year, though the undoubted standouts were captain Richie McCaw and first five-eighth Daniel Carter.

Canterbury beat Wellington 7-6 in the Air NZ provincial competition final.

It was a turbulent year for New Zealand cricket.

After the defections last year of top players such as Nathan Astle and Craig McMillan, long-time captain Stephen Fleming retired in March, with 7000 runs scored at an average of a tick over 40.

New skipper Daniel Vettori fought valiantly but the losses came frequently and the wins were restricted mainly to the one-day arena, a 3-1 series victory in England being the highlight.

Coach John Bracewell continued to mesmerise with his batting switches and he bowed out after a caning by Australia in November, replaced by Englishman Andy Moles.

The White Ferns gave the tough Australians a run for their money before going down 3-2 in the Rosebowl one- day series this year.

The see-saw battle between Australia and New Zealand in netball was as intense as ever, with the ledger balanced at two wins apiece by year's end.

The Silver Ferns returned home with a trans-Tasman trophy despite their 41-43 loss to the Diamonds in the final test in Melbourne in November, winning the trophy on goal difference.

Australian teams dominated the new trans-Tasman netball league, with losing finalists Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic the only New Zealand team to feature in the top five of the 10-team competition, won by Sydney Swifts. Southland broke a 49-year-old drought in winning the national competition.

The New Zealand football team had a good year, being crowned Oceania Nations Cup champions and qualifying for the playoffs to win a place in the World Cup finals in South Africa in 2010.

The Wellington Phoenix had a tough introduction to the A-League, finishing last in 2007-08, but improved in the latest season, winning five matches and proving tough to beat home.

The women basketballers showed up their male counterparts by qualifying for the Olympics, with the men dropping out in a qualifying tournament quarterfinal in Athens in July.

The Tall Ferns beat Malawi in their opening match in Beijing and lost their next four and that was that.

But the Breakers were a revelation. After going down to Brisbane in a sudden-death quarterfinal to end their 2007-08 season, they rebounded this season to lead National Basketball League, winning six on the trot, before a late-year fade saw them drop to second on the table.

Sam Warriner was disappointed by her 16th placing in the Olympics triathlon but her timing was great two months later when she won the Huatulco World Cup triathlon in Mexico, the last big event of the season to claim BG Triathlon World Cup series championship. won the bronze medal at the Olympics triathlon.

Gary Lawson and Val Smith spearheaded a fine New Zealand performance at the world bowls championships in January, both winning two gold medals and helping their country to win the team title.

Sharon Sims announced her retirement after a stellar bowls career in which she won three world titles, a Commonwealth Games gold medal and four golds at Asia-Pacific championships.

Shane Cameron won his three heavyweight boxing bouts during the year, prompting the possibility of former world heavyweight contender David Tua next year.

The sporting world farewelled some greats during the year, including famed swimming coach Duncan Laing, the guide behind Danyon Loader's two Olympics gold medals in 1996.

Long-time New Zealand football boss Charlie Dempsey died in June, while cricketers Bob Cunis, Hedley Howarth and Merv Wallace also marched on.

More recently, former All Black prop and rugby commentator John Drake passed on.

New Zealand sporting great Sir Murray Halberg was honoured in June, being admitted to the Order of New Zealand, which is limited to 20 living people at one time.

(Source: The Christchurch Press, 17 December 2008)

Magical night lifts NZ to league's summit Who would have believed it even a few weeks ago? Just a year after the Kiwis were thrashed 58-0 by Australia and whitewashed 3-0 in a series by Great Britain, New Zealand rugby league finds itself at the summit of the international game.

The tag of world champions is the Kiwis' for the next five years thanks to a fairy tale night in Brisbane in November.

In the World Cup final at a packed Suncorp Stadium, skipper and his men made a mockery of the Kangaroos' status as raging favourites to score a stunning 34-20 victory.

Almost every pre-game reading of the tea leaves had suggested otherwise.

The Kangaroos had held the World Cup since 1975 and won every one of their 13 cup encounters against New Zealand going back to the inaugural tournament in 1954.

They were also on an eight-match winning streak against the Kiwis and had cruised through their three pool matches and their semifinal.

New Zealand's passage to the championship decider had been less straightforward.

After a disappointing 30-6 loss to Australia in the opening weekend, they had two tough scraps with England before coming out on top in both.

The underdog Kiwis then showed what the simple mix of mistake reduction and good defence could do, as they came back from an early 10-0 deficit to rattle the usually unflappable Kangaroos.

Two key moments in the second half turned the contest in their favour.

Midway through the spell, newly-crowned International Player of Year , who had set up Australia's first two tries, produced a howler on defence.

The fullback threw a wild pass that was snapped up by for a gift four-pointer.

Then, with 10 minutes to go, the Kiwis were awarded a rare penalty try when was held back in a kick-chase.

Marshall's simple conversion gave his side a 28-20 cushion with time running out. Any thoughts of a Kangaroo fightback were snuffed out by a sixth New Zealand try, before the final whistle sparked jubilant celebrations among the Kiwis and their supporters.

It had taken New Zealand 54 years to claim the World Cup for the first time, but the wait only made the achievement that much sweeter.

"That's my grand final," said Cayless, who has yet to win a National Rugby League premiership after 12 seasons with Parramatta.

"That's the biggest thing for me. I just can't believe it."

Victory was also a triumph for the coaching combination of newcomer Stephen Kearney and his more experienced assistant, Wayne Bennett.

Ironically, Bennett, a six-time NRL title winner with Brisbane, was at the helm for Australia on the last black day for the Kangaroos, their 24-0 defeat to the Kiwis in the 2005 Tri-Nations final.

Bennett resigned after that result in Leeds, and his successor, Ricky Stuart, did the same this month.

Stuart's departure came in far more controversial circumstances and included a $A20,000 fine imposed under World Cup disciplinary provisions.

Defeat in the final had rankled Stuart so much that he abused referee Ashley Klein and English official Stuart Cummings in a hotel foyer the day after the match.

The Kiwis' success followed another impressive late-season surge by the New Zealand Warriors in the NRL.

The Warriors won eight of their last 10 round-robin matches to snatch the eighth and final spot in the playoffs.

They then caused a huge boilover by downing defending champions Melbourne in fortress Olympic Park, before grabbing a home win over the to get into last four.

However, preliminary final opponents Manly proved too strong, the Sea Eagles qualifying for the grand final, where they humiliated Melbourne 40-0.

Manu Vatuvei's feats for the Warriors, including 16 tries in 17 appearances, in a season hampered by injury were rewarded with the accolade of International Winger of the Year.

In October, the curtain came down on one of the sport's great careers, with former Kiwi skipper Ruben Wiki announcing his retirement after 312 NRL games, 87 for the Warriors.

The rest of the centre-cum-prop's appearances were for Canberra, with whom he made his first-grade debut in 1993 and won a premiership the following year.

Wiki, 35, also played a world record 55 tests between 1994 and 2006.

News that Wiki was hanging up his boots was followed by the surprise announcement that champion halfback Stacey Jones was bringing his out of storage.

Jones, 32, has signed a one-year deal with the Warriors, the club where he spent 11 seasons before his move to the English at the end of 2005.

Nicknamed the Little General, the former Kiwi retired a year ago and was the Warriors' kicking coach during the 2008 campaign.

He still holds club records for games played (238), tries scored (75) and total points (654).

(Source: Robert Lowe, NZPA, 17 December 2008)

Ups and downs of rugby league’s centenary year Rugby league’s centenary season was supposed to be a celebration of all that is great in the game. And for the most part it was. However rugby league’s ability to toss up controversy continued to overshadow the game’s most important year with poor sportsmanship by officials, player misbehaviour and fading loyalty again dominating headlines.

Below is a snapshot of highs and lows of 2008.

HIGHLIGHTS

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Melbourne fullback BILLY SLATER stamped himself as a superstar and was without doubt the most exciting player to watch in 2008. Named the world’s best player. He would have won the Dally M medal too if not for a punching suspension.

Honourable mentions: and . Snubbed by NSW Origin selectors the Manly stars turned on brilliant seasons to inspire their side to premiership glory. Orford won the Dally M medal and Kite the medal.

BEST WIN OF THE YEAR: Manly’s 40-0 premiership win over Melbourne was the largest victory in grand final history. Despite the lopsided scoreline it was fast, entertaining and exciting - everything rugby league fans pay money to see.

Honourable mention: Brisbane’s 30-26 win over Parramatta at Suncorp Stadium in round 12. chip-kicked on the fulltime siren for Denan Kemp to score his fourth try of the game and break the deadlock.

UPSET OF THE YEAR: New Zealand’s World Cup final triumph over Australia had to be seen to be believed. The Kangaroos were overwhelming favourites and had swept all before them until the Suncorp Stadium decider. The Kiwis’ 34-20 win had controversial under-tones - with a crucial penalty try - but the better team won on the day.

Honourable mention: Warriors 18 bt Melbourne 15. The first time the eighth-placed team has beaten the first since the NRL brought in the final eight system. Given no chance at kick off, a try to in the final minutes saw the Warriors upset Melbourne on home soil.

TRY OF THE YEAR: and his superman effort to set up one of the tries of the century in the Centenary Test at the SCG. He leapt over the deadball line and threw a pass back over his head in mid-air for to score. Amazing.

Honourable mention: Manly’s BRETT STEWART. Not once, not twice, but three times in the grand final he magically threw passes either around his back, between his legs or off the ground for Sea Eagles tries. Thoroughly entertaining.

QUOTE OF THE YEAR: “You’ve sent a dumb forward off and you’ve sent off our smart hooker. It’s unfair.” - Gold Coast captain to ref during match v Wests Tigers.

SURPRISE OF THE YEAR: The Warriors’ fairytale finish to get to within one win of the grand final after qualifying in eighth place. They won 10 of their last 13 games and without a recognised halfback almost made the decider. Their bearded tribute to retiring Ruben Wiki was another highlight.

Honourable mention: It wasn’t pretty but somehow Cronulla finished level with Melbourne and Manly on top of the ladder at the end of the regular season. World Cup minnows Fiji, otherwise known as the “god squad”, also rate a mention for their run to the semi-finals.

FAREWELL OF THE YEAR: Manly champion leaves the NRL with a second premiership and tied on a record 349 games with .

Honourable mentions: RUBEN WIKI. The Warriors grew beards in honour of their spiritual leader and then almost made the grand final. WAYNE BENNETT departed the Broncos for the Dragons after more than two decades and six premierships as coach in Brisbane. Legendary JACK GIBSON, coach of the Team of the Century, who passed away on the day of the Centenary Test.

LOWLIGHTS

DUMMY SPIT OF THE YEAR: Australian coach RICKY STUART’s abusive tirade at World Cup referee Ashley Klein the day after his team lost the final to New Zealand. Fined $20,000, it ultimately caused him to walk away from the job. Sore loser. Dishonourable mention: Melbourne coach CRAIG BELLAMY and chief executive BRIAN WALDRON’s stunning press conference attack on the media and NRL judiciary for ’s finals suspension. A $50,000 whinge.

WALK OUT OF THE YEAR: $ONNY BILL WILLIAMS. His exit to in France, only weeks after assuring club bosses he was happy to see out the remaining four years on his contract, left many disillusioned fans.

CONTROVERSIAL OFF-FIELD INCIDENT OF THE YEAR: Cronulla star ’s alleged wounding of his girlfriend. Stood down from the Sharks’ finals campaign, it left his career in limbo.

BLUNDER OF THE YEAR: BILLY SLATER and his World Cup final brain explosion. His blindside run and wild pass on his goal line to gift Benji Marshall a Kiwi try went a long way to ensuring the Kangaroos lost.

DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE YEAR: Hard to separate North and Parramatta. Both should have played in the finals, threatened for the title even, but hardly fired a shot. Both start 2009 with new coaches.

Dishonourable mention: NSW’s performance in State of Origin II. The 30-0 loss was the largest in Origin history and set up Queensland’s third series win in a row. And England.

(Source: www.theroar.com.au 16 December 2008)