This article is about the 2008 season of the Wigan Warriors in the European Super League and Challenge Cup.

Contents 1 Season Preview 2 Full Squad 3 Transfers 4 Table 5 Fixtures/Results 6 Statistics 7 Staff 8 References 9 External links

[edit] Season Preview

Wigan will be looking to continue their return to the top of Super League after finishing 6th in 2007. During 2008 Wigan will continue to rebuild their squad under coach Brian Noble but they will have a new owner and chairman in Ian Lenagan from 1st December, 2007 after Maurice Lindsay retired and Dave Whelan decided to sell the club.

[edit] Full Squad

No	Nat	Player	Position	Weight(Kg)	Height(m)	Age	Overseas	Previous Club
1		Richie Mathers	Full Back	96	1.88	24	No	Gold Coast Titans
2		Mark Calderwood	Right Wing	86	1.85	26	No	Leeds Rhinos
3		Darrell Goulding	Right Centre	90	1.82	19	No	Wigan Warriors Academy
4		George Carmont	Left Centre	91	1.80	29	Yes	Newcastle Knights
5		Pat Richards	Left Wing	99	1.91	25	Yes	Wests Tigers
6		Trent Barrett	Stand Off	94	1.82	30	Yes	St George Illawarra Dragons
7		Thomas Leuluai‡	Scrum Half	85	1.71	22	No	Harlequins RL
8		Stuart Fielden	Prop	108	1.91	28	No	Bradford Bulls
9		Mickey Higham	Hooker	86	1.73	27	No	Bradford Bulls
10		Iafeta Paleaaesina	Prop	118	1.87	25	Yes	New Zealand Warriors
11		Gareth Hock	Second Row	92	1.88	24	No	Wigan Warriors Academy
12		Phil Bailey	Second Row	93	1.89	27	Yes	Cronulla Sharks
13		Sean O'Loughlin	Loose Forward	93	1.87	25	No	Wigan Warriors Academy
14		Liam Colbon	Right Wing	92	1.87	23	No	Wigan Warriors Academy
15		Andy Coley	Prop	108	1.89	29	No	Salford City Reds
16		Harrison Hansen‡	Second Row	89	1.84	22	No	Wigan Warriors Academy
17		Michael McIlorum	Hooker	79	1.74	20	No	Wigan Warriors Academy
19		Paul Prescott	Prop	99	1.90	21	No	Wigan Warriors Academy
20		Karl Pryce	Centre	118	1.98	21	No	Gloucester RU
21		Cameron Phelps	Centre	89	1.78	23	Yes	Canterbury Bulldogs
22		Joel Tomkins	Second Row	95	1.88	20	No	Wigan Warriors Academy
23		Ben Kavanagh (On loan To Widnes Vikings)	Second Row	107	1.84	20	No	Wigan Warriors Academy
24		Eamon O'Carroll	Prop	103	1.80	20	No	Wigan Warriors Academy
25		Thomas Coyle (On loan to Halifax RLFC)	Scrum Half	83	1.71	20	No	Wigan Warriors Academy
26		Nicky Stanton	Right Wing	85	1.80	21	No	Wigan Warriors Academy
27		Lee Mossop	Prop	104	1.85	19	No	Wigan Warriors Academy
28		Mark Flanagan	Loose Forward	90	1.74	20	No	Bradford Bulls
29		Sam Tomkins	Stand Off	77	1.80	19	No	Wigan Warriors Academy
30		Chris Tuson	Second Row			18	No	Wigan Warriors Academy
31		Shaun Ainscough	Left Wing	86	1.73	18	No	Wigan Warriors Academy
32		Tim Smith	Scrum Half	92	1.80	23	Yes	Parramatta Eels
40		Sam Reay†	Full Back				No	Wigan Warriors Academy

† Added to the squad for pre-season friendlies. †† Added to the squad on 27 May 2008. ‡ Qualify as non-quota players because they were playing in the British Federation before they were 21 years of age.

[edit] Transfers

Transfer for 2008 (In)

Nat	Name	Transferred From	Fee	Date Signed
	Andy Coley[1]	Salford City Reds	Free Transfer	September 2007
	Richie Mathers[2]	Gold Coast Titans	Free Transfer	November 2007
	George Carmont[3]	Newcastle Knights	Free Transfer	November 2007
	Karl Pryce[4]	Gloucester Rugby Union	Free Transfer	December 2007
	Cameron Phelps	Canterbury Bulldogs	Free Transfer	May 2008
	Tim Smith	Parramatta Eels	Free Transfer	May 2008

Transfer for 2008 (Out)

Nat	Name	Transferred To	Fee	Date Released
	Bryan Fletcher[5]	Retired	N/A	September 2007
	David Vaealiki[6]	Manly Sea Eagles	Released	October 2007
	Shane Millard	Retired	N/A	October 2007
	Danny Hill[7]	Widnes Vikings	Released	November 2007
	Ben Kavanagh	Widnes Vikings	Free Transfer	June 2008
	Nicky Stanton	Leigh Centurions	Free Transfer	September 2008

2008 Loans (Out)

Nat	Name	Loan To	Loan Started	Loan Ended
	Ben Kavanagh	Widnes Vikings	February 2008	June 2008

[edit] Table

Regular season final standings

	Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	Pts
1	St Helens	27	21	1	5	940	457	+483	43
2	Leeds Rhinos	27	21	0	6	863	413	+450	42
3	Catalans Dragons	27	16	2	9	694	625	+69	34
4	Wigan Warriors	27	13	3	11	648	698	−50	29
5	Bradford Bulls	27	14	0	13	705	625	+80	28
6	Warrington Wolves	27	14	0	13	690	713	−23	28
7	Hull Kingston Rovers	27	11	1	15	564	713	−149	23
8	Wakefield Trinity Wildcats	27	11	0	16	574	760	−186	22
9	Harlequins RL	27	11	0	16	569	763	−194	22
10	Huddersfield Giants	27	10	1	16	638	681	−43	21
11	Hull F.C.	27	8	1	18	538	699	−157	17
12	Castleford Tigers	27	7	1	19	593	869	−276	15

Play-offs

[edit] Fixtures/Results

Competition	Round	Opponent	Result	Score	Home/Away	Venue	Attendance	Date
Friendly	N/A	Warrington Wolves	Lose	30-22	Away	Halliwell Jones Stadium	6,573	13/01/2008
Friendly	N/A	Bradford Bulls	Win	16-28	Away	Grattan Stadium	5,036	20/01/2008
Friendly	N/A	Widnes Vikings	Win	18-42	Away	Halton Stadium	5,106	27/01/2008
Super League XIII	1	Harlequins RL	Win	28-47	Away	Twickenham Stoop	8,041	09/02/2008
Super League XIII	2	Castleford Tigers	Win	28-16	Home	JJB Stadium	16,667	15/02/2008
Super League XIII	3	Hull FC	Lose	24-22	Away	KC Stadium	13,226	22/02/2008
Super League XIII	4	Bradford Bulls	Win	28-14	Home	JJB Stadium	15,444	01/03/2008
Super League XIII	5	Warrington Wolves	Lose	32-20	Away	Halliwell Jones Stadium	13,024	08/03/2008
Super League XIII	6	Huddersfield Giants	Win	19-20	Away	Galpharm Stadium	8,417	16/03/2008
Super League XIII	7	St Helens RLFC	Lose	46-10	Away	Knowsley Road	17,500	21/03/2008
Super League XIII	8	Hull Kingston Rovers	Win	18-12	Home	JJB Stadium	16,457	24/03/2008
Super League XIII	9	Wakefield Trinity Wildcats	Win	8-4	Home	JJB Stadium	12,933	28/03/2008
Super League XIII	10	Leeds Rhinos	Win	10-14	Away	Headingley Carnegie Stadium	18,769	05/04/2008
Super League XIII	11	Catalans Dragons	Lose	24-26	Home	JJB Stadium	13,044	11/04/2008
Challenge Cup	Rnd4	Pia Donkeys	Win	74 - 4	Home	JJB Stadium	4,423	20/04/2008
Super League XIII	12	Bradford Bulls	Lose	26-12	Away	Grattan Stadium	11,894	27/04/2008
Super League XIII	13	St Helens	Lose	57-16	Away	Millennium Stadium	32,516	04/05/2008
Challenge Cup	Rnd5	Whitehaven	Win	106-8	Home	JJB Stadium	3,814	12/05/2008
Super League XIII	14	Warrington Wolves	Win	38-14	Home	JJB Stadium	15,537	16/05/2008
Super League XIII	15	Wakefield Trinity Wildcats	Win	38-30	Away	Atlantic Solutions Stadium	6,370	25/05/2008
Challenge Cup	QF	Leeds Rhinos	Lose	23-16	Away	Headingley Carnegie Stadium	10,129	01/06/2008
Super League XIII	16	Huddersfield Giants†	Postponed	N/A	Home	JJB Stadium	N/A	06/06/2008
Super League XIII	17	Catalans Dragons	Lose	45-38	Away	Stade Gilbert Brutus	9,125	14/06/2008
Super League XIII	18	Castleford Tigers	Draw	22-22	Away	The Jungle	7,048	22/06/2008
Super League XIII	19	Harlequins RL	Win	38-20	Home	JJB Stadium	11,453	27/06/2008
Super League XIII	20	Leeds Rhinos	Win	23-22	Home	JJB Stadium	14,911	05/07/2008
Super League XIII	21	Hull Kingston Rovers	Lose	39-22	Away	Craven Park	8,481	13/07/2008
Super League XIII	22	St Helens	Lose	46-12	Home	JJB Stadium	19,958	18/07/2008
Super League XIII	16	Huddersfield Giants†	Lose	34-4	Home	JJB Stadium	12,216	25/07/2008
Super League XIII	23	Hull FC	Win	66-6	Home	JJB Stadium	12,842	01/08/2008
Super League XIII	24	Catalans Dragons	Draw	16-16	Away	Stade Gilbert Brutus	9,535	09/08/2008
Super League XIII	25	Wakefield Trinity Wildcats	Win	32-22	Home	JJB Stadium	12,319	15/08/2008
Super League XIII	26	Leeds Rhinos	Lose	16-52	Home	JJB Stadium	14,778	22/08/2008
Super League XIII	27	St Helens RLFC	Draw	16-16	Away	Knowsley Road	14,113	05/09/2008
Super League XIII Playoffs	Week 1	Bradford Bulls‡	Win	30-14	Home/Neutral	The Stobart Stadium Halton	6,806	12/09/2008[8]
Super League XIII Playoffs	Week 2	Catalans Dragons	Win	26-50	Away	Stade Gilbert Brutus	9,985	20/09/2008
Super League XIII Playoffs	Week 3	Leeds Rhinos	Lose	14-18	Away	Headingley Carnegie Stadium	13,112	26/09/2008

• † Wigan Warriors against Huddersfield Giants on 6 June 2008 was postponed due to resurfacing work at the JJB Stadium. The match was re-arranged for 25 July 2008.
• ‡ Match was originally due to take place at the JJB Stadium but the venue was changed due to the unavailability of the Stadium on that date.

[edit] Statistics

Team Statistics Statistic Total Total Tries 109 Total Points 648 Total Goals 105 Drop Goals 2 Metres 34324 Carries 5111 Tackles 7412 Offloads 316 Attacking Kicks 282 Runs From Dummy Half 744 Tackle Busts 667 Maker Tackles 857 Clean Breaks 149 Forty Twenties 1 Kicks In General Play 497 Missed Goals 31 Missed Tackles 31 Errors 270 Penalties 229 Red Cards (Sent Off) 4 Yellow Cards (Sin Binned) 4

Top 5 Appearances Player Name Appearances Andy Coley 36 Thomas LeuLuai 35 George Carmont 35 Pat Richards 34 Harrison Hansen 34 Top 5 Try Scores Player Name Tries Pat Richards 17 George Carmont 15 Harrison Hansen 14 Thomas LeuLuai 14 Joel Tomkins 12 Top 3 Goal Scorers Player Name Goals Pat Richards 157 Cameron Phelps 4 Sean O'Loughlin 4

[edit] Staff

Management Board

• President - Peter Higginbottom
• Owner and Chairman - Ian Lenagan
• Chief Executive - Mick Hogan
• Performance Director - Joe Lydon
• Interim Financial Director - Paul Wright

Rugby

• Performance Director - Joe Lydon
• Head Coach - Brian Noble
• Assistant Coach - Phil Veivers
• Strength & Conditioning Coach - Mike Forshaw
• Reserve Team Coach - Shaun Wane
• Academy Team Coach - John Pendlebury
• Assistant Academy Coach - Ged Byrne
• Player & Coach Development Manager - Ray Unsworth
• Head of Youth Recruitment & Player Welfare - Brian Foley
• Chief Scout - Jack Roden
• Youth Performance Analyst & Administration Support Officer - Keith Schmechel
• Chief Medical Officer - Dr D Humphries
• Honorary Club Dentist - Dr Howard Jones
• Physiotherapist - Rebecca Hodgkiss
• Physiotherapist - Emma Greenwood
• Masseur - Andrew Pinkerton
• Kit Manager - George Unsworth
• Statistician - Malc Clarke
• Statistician - Gordon Melling
• Time Keeper - Keith Hayton

Administration

• Chief Executive - Mick Hogan
• Administration Staff - Carol Banks, Mary Sharkey, Mandy Johnston
• Safety Officer - Ray Johnston
• Stadium Manager - Alan Sumner

Marketing

• Marketing Director - Simon Collinson
• Commercial Director - Geoff Warburton
• Sales Manager - Joyce Pickles
• Media Manager - Graham Emmerson
• New Media Assistant - Stewart Williams
• Marketing & Hospitality Executive - Louise Williams, Sam Banks
• Membership Coordinator - Janice Hart
• Warriors World Supervisor - Joyce Gorman, Janet Harrison

Community Development

• Community Development Manager - Mike Watson
• Education Manager - Darren Fletcher
• Primary Link Coordinator - Amanda Wilkinson
• Community Sports Coach - Martin McLoughlin
• Community Rugby Coach - Terri Dwyer
• Community Rugby Coach - Thomas Brindle
• Community Rugby Coach - Sam Tomkins

Finance

• Interim Finance Director - Paul Wright
• Finance Assistant - Tracey Preston
• Finance Assistant - Christine Lowe

Lotto

• Lottery Assistant - Vicky Cowpland
• Lottery Assistant - Keith Mills

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official site
• Wigan RL 2008 Season on the CherryandWhite.co.uk Wigan RL Fansite.
• Wigan RL 2008 Reserve Team on the CherryandWhite.co.uk Wigan RL Fansite.
• Wigan RL 2008 Academy Team on the CherryandWhite.co.uk Wigan RL Fansite.
• Wigan-Warriors fan site

v • d • e Wigan Warriors Rugby League Football Club History • Records • Stadium • Current squad • List of players • Honours Seasons 2006 • 2007 • 2008 • 2009 • 2010 Stadiums Folly Field (1872–1877; 1879–1886) • Prescott Street (1877–1879; 1886–1901) • Springfield Park (1901–1902) • Central Park (1902–1999) • DW Stadium (1999–present) Head Coaches Jim Sullivan (1932–1952; 1961) • Maurice Hughes (1952–1953) • Ted Ward (1953–1956) • Joe Egan (1956–1961) • Johnny Lawrenson (1961) • Griff Jenkins (1961–1963) • Eric Ashton (1963–1973) • Graham Starkey (1973–1974) • Edward "Ted" Toohey (1974–1975) • Joe Coan (1975–1976) • Vince Karalius (1976–1979) • Kel Coslett (1979–1980) • George Fairbairn (1980–1981) • Maurice Bamford (1981–1982) • Alex Murphy (1982–1984) • Colin Clarke/Alan McInnes (1984–1986) • Graham Lowe (1986–1989) • John Monie (1989–1993; 1997–1999) • John Dorahy (1993–1994) • Graeme West (1994–1997) • Eric Hughes (1997) • Andy Goodway (1999) • Frank Endacott (1999–2001) • Stuart Raper (2001–2003) • Mike Gregory (2003–2004) • Denis Betts (2004–2005) • Ian Millward (2005–2006) • Brian Noble (2006–2009) • Michael Maguire (2009–present) Captains Andy Farrell (1998–2005) • Sean O'Loughlin (2006–present)