2008 Melbourne Football Club season

The 2008 Melbourne Football Club season was the club's 109th year in the VFL/AFL.

Melbourne Football Club

2008 season
Colin Sylvia during the 2008 season
President	Paul Gardiner (6th season) (to 9 June) Jim Stynes (from 12 June)
Coach	Dean Bailey (1st season)
Captain(s)	David Neitz (9th season) (rounds 1–5) James McDonald (1st season) (rounds 6–22) Cameron Bruce (1st season) (rounds 6–22)
Home ground	MCG (100,018 capacity)
Pre-season	First round
AFL season	16th
Finals series	DNQ
Best and fairest	Cameron Bruce
Leading goalkicker	Brad Miller (26 goals)
Highest home attendance	59,548 (round 11 vs. Collingwood)
Lowest home attendance	11,437 (round 13 vs. Sydney)
Average home attendance	30,777
Club membership	29,619 ( 1,542 / 5.49%)
← 2007 2009 →

In conjunction with the AFL celebrating 150 years since the sport of Australian rules football was first created, the Melbourne Football Club also celebrated its 150th anniversary since its foundation in 1858. This included the celebration of their "150 Heroes", which commemorated the 150 greatest contributing players to ever play for Melbourne. Despite the celebrations, the Demons were tarnished by major on and off field disasters that led to the resignation of Paul Gardiner as chairman of the club and installation of Jim Stynes midway through the season. During August, Jim Stynes attempted to eliminate Melbourne of its major debt with a program called "Debt Demolition".

Melbourne hosted 10 of its 11 games at the MCG, which included its first "home game" against the Brisbane Lions outside of the Gabba since 2000. They also played a home game at Manuka Oval in the nation's capital Canberra against the Sydney Swans during Round 13. Dean Bailey coached his first year as senior coach at Melbourne. David Neitz captained his ninth year for the Demons, however after aggravating a disc in his neck during the Round 5 clash against Carlton, he announced his retirement on 19 May. For the remainder of the year, the captaincy was shared between Cameron Bruce and James McDonald.

Melbourne's horrid year on-field form caused them to win only three matches and ensured they received their 11th wooden spoon.

2008 list changes

2007 trades

Trade gained	Traded from	Trade lost
Pick 14	Brisbane Lions	Travis Johnstone
John Meesen	Adelaide	Pick 37

Retirements and delistings

Player	New club	League	Reason	Ref
Nathan D. Brown	West Adelaide	SANFL	Retired
Clint Bizzell	Unknown	Unknown	Retired
Byron Pickett	Port Adelaide Magpies	SANFL	Retired
Ryan Ferguson	West Adelaide	SANFL	Delisted
Heath Neville	Hobart	TSL	Delisted
Shane Neaves	West Adelaide	SANFL	Delisted
Daniel Hayes	Unknown	Unknown	Delisted
Simon Godfrey	Norwood	Eastern Football League	Delisted
Daniel Ward	Unknown	Unknown	Delisted

National draft

Round	Overall pick	Player	State	Position	Team from	League from
1	4	Cale Morton		Forward/Midfield	Claremont	WAFL
1	14	Jack Grimes		Defender/Midfield	Northern Knights	TAC Cup
2	21	Addam Maric		Forward	Calder Cannons	TAC Cup
4	53	Kyle Cheney		Defender	North Ballarat Rebels	TAC Cup
5	66	Tom McNamara		Defender	South Adelaide	SANFL

Pre-season draft

Round	Overall pick	Player	State	Position	Team from	League from
1	3	Stefan Martin		Ruckman/Defender	Sandringham	VFL

Rookie draft

Round	Overall pick	Player	State	Position	Team from	League from
1	3	Trent Zomer		Utility	Eastern Ranges	TAC Cup
2	19	Austin Wonaeamirri		Forward	St Mary's Football Club Norwood	NTFL SANFL
3	35	Jake Spencer		Ruckman	Redland Bombers	QAFL
4	49	Shane Valenti		Midfield	Sandringham	VFL

2008 squad

Melbourne Football Club

Senior list						Rookie List		Coaching staff
1 Simon Buckley  2 Nathan Jones  3 Clint Bartram  4 Ben Holland  5 Brock McLean  6 Matthew Bate  7 Brad Miller  8 James Frawley  9 David Neitz  10 Cale Morton  11 Paul Johnson  12 Colin Sylvia  13 Adem Yze  14 Lynden Dunn  15 Ricky Petterd  16 Jack Grimes  17 Chris Johnson  18 Brad Green  19 Addam Maric		20 Colin Garland  21 Daniel Bell  22 Brent Moloney  23 James McDonald (c)  24 Russell Robertson  27 Jared Rivers  28 Isaac Weetra  29 Michael Newton  31 Paul Wheatley  32 Cameron Bruce  33 Stefan Martin  34 Jeff White  36 Aaron Davey  37 Matthew Warnock  40 Mark Jamar  41 Nathan Carroll  43 Jace Bode  45 Matthew Whelan				35 Trent Zomer  39 Austin Wonaeamirri  42 Jake Spencer  44 Shane Valenti		Head coach Dean Bailey Assistant coaches Josh Mahoney (forward coach) Anthony Rock (midfield coach) Sean Wellman (defensive coach) Mark Williams (development coach) Legend: (c) Captain(s) (vc) Vice-captain(s)

2008 season

Pre-season

NAB Cup

Week 1

	Round 1
Saturday, 16 February (4:40 pm)	Geelong	def.	Melbourne	Skilled Stadium (crowd: 15,000 est)	[1]
	0.8.1 (49) 1.12.4 (85) 1.15.7 (106) 2.22.11 (161)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	0.2.4 (16) 1.4.4 (37) 2.8.5 (71) 2.11.5 (89)	Umpires: Rosebury, Nicholls, Sully, Kamolins Television broadcast: Foxtel
Byrnes, Wojcinski		Super Goals	Buckley, Garland
Johnson 6, Lonergan 2, Gamble 2, Davenport 2, Kelly 2, Byrnes, Ablett, Stokes, Hunt, Prismall, Milburn, Mooney, Wojcinski		Goals	Newton 2, Garland 2, Valenti, Meesen, Sylvia, Zomer, Green, Weetra, Robertson
Johnson, Prismall, Ling, Stokes, Milburn, Mooney, Bartel, Wojcinski, Kelly		Best	Jones, Buckley, Valenti, Garland
Ablett (calf)		Injuries
Record: 0 Wins, 1 Loss, 0 Draws

NAB Challenge

Week 2

	Week 2
Friday, 22 Feb (7:30 pm)	Richmond	def.	Melbourne	Cazaly's Stadium (crowd: 5,321)	[2]
	5.3 (33) 6.4 (40) 11.5 (71) 14.10 (94)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	2.3 (15) 5.5 (35) 6.9 (45) 8.11 (59)	Umpires: Kamolins, Armstrong, Kennedy Television broadcast: none
Pettifer 3, Schulz 2, Hughes 2, Howat 2, Pattison, Foley, Morton, Brown, Raines		Goals	Newton 2, Bartram, Petterd, Green, Maric, Weetra, Davey
Pettifer, Newman, Simmonds, Tambling, Foley, Bowden		Best	Newton, Jones, Davey, Sylvia, Johnson, Valenti
Record: 0 Wins, 1 Loss, 0 Draws

Week 3

	Week 3
Friday, 29 Feb (7:00 pm)	Western Bulldogs	def.	Melbourne	Queen Elizabeth Oval (crowd: 7000 est)	[3]
	2.3 (15) 8.4 (52) 11.7 (73) 14.9 (93)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	5.4 (34) 6.6 (42) 9.9 (63) 9.9 (63)	Umpires: Head, Kamolins, Mollison Television broadcast: none
Murphy 2, Akermanis 2, Eagleton, Minson, O'Keefe, Ward, Hahn, Johnson, Boyd, Mulligan, Griffen, Welsh		Goals	Davey 2, Robertson 2, Neitz 2, Bate 2, Jones
Akermanis, Eagleton, Higgins, Hill, Cooney, Johnson		Best	Davey, Jones, Bate, Yze, Buckley, Sylvia
		Reports	Robertson (charging)
13 minutes into the last quarter a power failure caused a black-out of the stadium. The match was therefore abandoned with the Western Bulldogs leading Melbourne 14.9.93 to 9.9.63. Record: 0 Wins, 2 Losses, 0 Draws

Week 4

	Week 4
Saturday, 5 Mar (2:00 pm)	Melbourne	def. by	North Melbourne	Casey Fields (crowd: 6000+ est)
	6.3 (39) 8.4 (52) 10.8 (68) 14.10 (94)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	6.4 (40) 11.7 (73) 19.11 (125) 22.14 (146)	Television broadcast: none
North Melbourne finished comfortable winners over Melbourne winning 22.14.146 to 14.10.94. Record: 0 Wins, 3 Losses, 0 Draws

Home and away season

Round 1

	Round 1
Sunday, 23 Mar (4:40 pm)	Hawthorn	def.	Melbourne	MCG (crowd: 40,141)	[4]
	5.5 (35) 7.10 (52) 15.12 (102) 23.16 (154)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	1.1 (7) 1.5 (11) 2.10 (22) 6.14 (50)	Umpires: Farmer, Kennedy, Nicholls Television broadcast: Foxtel
Franklin 6, Roughead 3, Osborne 3, Dew 2, Boyle 2, Stokes 2, Campbell 2, Taylor, Young, Rioli		Goals	Robertson 3, Green 2, Newton
Bateman, Franklin, Mitchell, Gilham, Osborne, Ladson, Dew, Birchall		Best	Jones, Buckley, Green, Moloney
Croad (wrist)		Injuries
Melbourne lost its first game by over 100 points since Round 18, 1997. Debut(s): Cale Morton, Isaac Weetra Brownlow Votes: 1. Chance Bateman (Hawthorn), 2. Lance Franklin (Hawthorn), 3. Sam Mitchell (Hawthorn) Record: 0 Wins, 1 Loss, 0 Draws Ladder Position: 16th

Round 2

	Round 2
Saturday, 29 Mar (2:10 pm)	Melbourne	def. by	Western Bulldogs	MCG (crowd: 27,821)	[5]
	2.4 (16) 5.8 (38) 7.9 (51) 9.12 (66)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	2.5 (17) 9.9 (63) 18.13 (121) 24.17 (161)	Umpires: Farmer, Kamolins, Ryan Television broadcast: Network Ten
Neitz 2, White 2, Robertson 2, Davey, Green, Jones		Goals	Murphy 4, Hill 3, Welsh 3, Akermanis 3, Johnson 3, Cross 3, Giansiracusa, Wight, Gilbee, Hahn, Griffen
Wheatley, McDonald, Jones, Green, Carroll		Best	Cross, West, Murphy, Cooney, Hill, Gilbee, Griffen, Boyd
Milestone(s): James McDonald (200th AFL game) Brownlow Votes: 1. Matthew Boyd (Western Bulldogs), 2. Daniel Cross (Western Bulldogs), 3. Scott West (Western Bulldogs) Record: 0 Wins, 2 Losses, 0 Draws Ladder Position: 16th

Round 3

	Round 3
Sunday, 6 April (1:10 pm)	Geelong	def.	Melbourne	Skilled Stadium (crowd: 23,569)	[6]
	4.4 (28) 8.11 (59) 13.14 (92) 16.16 (112)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	3.4 (22) 6.6 (42) 10.8 (68) 12.10 (82)	Umpires: Wenn, Sully, Ryan Television broadcast: Foxtel
Hawkins 5, Mooney 2, Ling 2, Johnson 2, Blake, Ablett, Stokes, Milburn, Chapman		Goals	Bruce 3, Dunn 2, Morton 2, Miller, Wheatley, Neitz, White, Green
Corey, Bartel, Hawkins, Ling, Chapman, Taylor		Best	Morton, Johnson, Wheatley, Bruce, Green
Geelong finally unraveled its 2007 AFL premiership flag at the ground. Odds of up to $34 from some betting agencies were offered for Melbourne to beat Geelong. These were the highest ever offered in a VFL/AFL game. Despite Melbourne kicking the first 3 goals of the game and staying in it for a large proportion of the game, Geelong proved to be too strong for a young Demons outfit running away with the game by 30 points. Debut(s): Austin Wonaeamirri Brownlow Votes: 1. Joel Corey (Geelong), 2. Tom Hawkins (Geelong), 3. Paul Chapman (Geelong) Record: 0 Wins, 3 Losses, 0 Draws Ladder Position: 16th

Round 4

	Round 4
Saturday, 12 April (2:10 pm)	North Melbourne	def.	Melbourne	MCG (crowd: 23,427)	[7]
	4.8 (32) 8.11 (59) 13.15 (93) 18.19 (117)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	1.0 (6) 3.6 (24) 5.10 (40) 11.13 (79)	Umpires: Farmer, Armstrong, McInerney Television broadcast: Foxtel
Thompson 5, Edwards 3, Thomas 3, Campbell 2, Jones 2, Grant, Harvey, Smith		Goals	Robertson 3, Wonaeamirri 2, Davey, Dunn, Jamar, McLean, Wheatley, White
Harvey, Wells, Rawlings, Thompson, Edwards, Power, Power, Campbell, Firrito		Best	Davey, McDonald, Green
Gibson (knee)		Injuries
		Reports	Miller (charging)
This match was originally scheduled to be played at Carrara Stadium. However due to North Melbourne's refusal to relocate north to the Gold Coast, the match was moved to the MCG. Brownlow Votes: 1. Daniel Wells (North Melbourne), 2. Nathan Thompson (North Melbourne), 3. Brent Harvey (North Melbourne) Record: 0 Wins, 4 Losses, 0 Draws Ladder Position: 16th

Round 5

	Round 5
Sunday, 20 April (1:10 pm)	Melbourne	def. by	Carlton	MCG (crowd: 44,159)	[8]
	1.3 (9) 4.5 (29) 4.9 (33) 9.14 (68)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	3.3 (21) 10.6 (66) 12.10 (82) 15.11 (101)	Umpires: Stevic, Stewart, Schmitt Television broadcast: Foxtel
Green 4, Robertson 2, Jamar, Jones, McDonald		Goals	Fevola 7, Judd 3, Fisher, Kreuzer, Ó hAilpín, Murphy, Pfeiffer
Bruce, Green, McLean, White, McDonald		Best	Judd, Scotland, Kreuzer, Waite, Carrazzo
Neitz (neck/shoulder)		Injuries	Bannister (hamstring), Gibbs
Whelan (striking)		Reports	Thornton (striking)
This game marked David Neitz's last ever AFL match, due to a neck injury sustained during the second quarter when Jarrad Waite laid a heavy tackle on him. Milestone(s): Daniel Bell (50th AFL game) Brownlow Votes: 1. Brendan Fevola (Carlton), 2. Jarrad Waite (Carlton), 3. Chris Judd (Carlton) Record: 0 Wins, 5 Losses, 0 Draws Ladder Position: 16th

Round 6

	Round 6
Sunday, 27 April (1:10 pm)	Brisbane Lions	def.	Melbourne	Gabba (crowd: 22,878)	[9]
	3.6 (24) 10.13 (73) 15.17 (107) 19.23 (137)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	2.1 (13) 5.2 (32) 8.3 (51) 13.7 (85)	Umpires: Nicholls, Head, Armstrong Television broadcast: Foxtel
Bradshaw 6, Hooper 4, Corrie 3, Johnstone 2, Brown 2, Adcock, Rischitelli		Goals	Jones 4, Wonaeamirri 3, Miller 2, Sylvia 2, Green, Robertson
Black, Power, Corrie, Macdonald, Brennan, Hooper		Best	Jones, Green, Moloney, Bruce, Wonaeamirri, Jamar
		Injuries	Sylvia (shoulder)
Brownlow Votes: 1. Daniel Bradshaw (Brisbane Lions), 2. Anthony Corrie (Brisbane Lions), 3. Simon Black (Brisbane Lions) Record: 0 Wins, 6 Losses, 0 Draws Ladder Position: 16th

Round 7

	Round 7
Sunday, 4 May (2:10 pm)	Melbourne	def.	Fremantle	MCG (crowd: 19,423)	[10]
	1.3 (9) 3.8 (26) 8.15 (63) 17.17 (119)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	5.6 (36) 11.10 (76) 13.17 (95) 15.23 (113)	Umpires: James, Stewart, Avon Television broadcast: Seven Network
Wonaeamirri 4, Robertson 4, Davey 3, Miller 3, Green 2, Moloney		Goals	Pavlich 5, Tarrant 3, Farmer 2, Palmer, Bell, Ibbotson, Mundy, Solomon
McLean, Wonaeamirri, Robertson, Davey, Miller, Bruce, Green		Best	Pavlich, Solomon, Palmer, Sandilands, Bell, Ibbotson, Tarrant
		Injuries	McPharlin (corked buttock), Headland (knee)
Trailing by as much as 51 points at the start of the third quarter, Melbourne kicked 14 goal to 4 in the second half to win by 6 points and give Dean Bailey a historical first win as a senior coach. Melbourne's win was the second greatest win from a half-time deficit in VFL/AFL history. Melbourne players received Brownlow votes from this match for the first time in 2008. Austin Wonaeamirri received the NAB AFL Rising Star nomitation for Round 7. Brownlow Votes: 1. Jeff White (Melbourne), 2. Matthew Pavlich (Fremantle), 3. Brock McLean (Melbourne) Record: 1 Win, 6 Losses, 0 Draws Ladder Position: 16th

Round 8

	Round 8
Sunday, 18 May (12:40 pm)	Adelaide	def.	Melbourne	AAMI Stadium (crowd: 35,649)	[11]
	8.1 (49) 12.6 (78) 15.15 (105) 22.18 (150)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	4.4 (28) 6.5 (41) 7.7 (49) 11.8 (74)	Umpires: Fila, Meredith, Ellis Television broadcast: Foxtel
Burton 5, Tippett 4, Goodwin 3, Jericho 3, Porplyzia 3, Stevens, Knights, van Berlo, Vince		Goals	Morton 3, Robertson 2, Wonaeamirri, Miller, Moloney, Garland, Bartram, Bate
Burton, Vince, Tippett, Porplyzia, van Berlo, Goodwin, Bock, Shirley		Best	Bartram, Buckley, Jones, Morton
Massie (hamstring)		Injuries	Rivers
Debut(s):Shane Valenti Brownlow Votes: 1. Brett Burton (Adelaide), 2. Bernie Vince (Adelaide), 3. Jason Porplyzia (Adelaide) Record: 1 Win, 7 Losses, 0 Draws Ladder Position: 16th

Round 9

	Round 9
Sunday, 25 May (2:10 pm)	Melbourne	def. by	Hawthorn	MCG (crowd: 41,341)	[12]
	4.3 (27) 6.4 (40) 9.5 (59) 12.6 (78)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	3.3 (21) 4.7 (31) 10.9 (69) 14.13 (97)	Umpires: James, Grun, Armstrong Television broadcast: Seven Network
Holland 3, Robertson 2, Wonaeamirri 2, Jones 2, Johnson, Davey, Bruce		Goals	Franklin 3, Rioli 3, Williams 3, Ladson, Campbell, Roughead, Ellis, Clarke
McLean, Bate, Davey, Holland, Wonaeamirri, Moloney		Best	Bateman, Rioli, Campbell, Birchall, Mitchell, Franklin
White (back), Robertson (thigh), Holland (shoulder)		Injuries	Lewis (thigh), Dew (hamstring)
Melbourne gave a spirited effort against Hawthorn after the announcement of David Neitz's retirement as well as controversial comments made by Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett against the club earlier that week. Despite a full game effort by Melbourne, Hawthorn would triumph by 19 points and regain top spot on the AFL ladder. Hawthorn's second win over Melbourne for the year allowed them to overtake Melbourne's tally in wins for all VFL/AFL games contested between the two sides. Brownlow Votes: 1. Brock McLean (Melbourne), 2. Brad Sewell (Hawthorn), 3. Sam Mitchell (Hawthorn) Record: 1 Win, 8 Losses, 0 Draws Ladder Position: 16th

Round 10

	Round 10
Sunday, 1 June (2:10 pm)	St Kilda	def.	Melbourne	Telstra Dome (crowd: 27,854)	[13]
	5.4 (34) 10.6 (66) 12.12 (84) 19.15 (129)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	2.2 (14) 3.4 (22) 3.6 (24) 7.8 (50)	Umpires: Stevic, Stewart, Head Television broadcast: Seven Network
Schneider 5, Milne 3, Birss 2, Koschitzke 2, Riewoldt, Dal Santo, Gram, Ball, Jones, Montagna, Dempster		Goals	Yze 3, Dunn, Robertson, Sylvia, Bruce
Ball, Fisher, Gram, Dal Santo, Goddard, Montagna, Riewoldt		Best	Mcdonald, McLean, Bruce, Warnock, Garland
		Injuries	Robertson (achilles), Bate (hand)
Russell Robertson's season would end pre-maturely after rupturing an Achilles tendon during the game. Milestone(s): Brad Miller (100th AFL game) Brownlow Votes: 1. Nick Riewoldt (St Kilda), 2. Nick Dal Santo (St Kilda), 3. Luke Ball (St Kilda) Record: 1 Win, 9 Losses, 0 Draws Ladder Position: 16th

Round 11

	Round 11
Monday, 9 June (2:10 pm)	Melbourne	def. by	Collingwood	MCG (crowd: 59,548)	[14]
	4.1 (25) 7.4 (46) 11.9 (75) 13.17 (95)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	3.2 (20) 8.5 (53) 15.8 (98) 17.14 (116)	Umpires: Vosso, Farmer, Meredith Television broadcast: Network Ten
Wonaeamirri 3, Sylvia 3, Yze 2, Green 2, Dunn, Jones, McLean		Goals	Didak 2, Shaw 2, Lockyer 2, Davis 2, Fraser, Johnson, Medhurst, Brown, Swan, Wellingham, O'Brien, Cox, Thomas
McLean, Jones, Bruce, Yze, Warnock, Dunn		Best	Burns, Didak, Lockyer, Maxwell, O'Brien, Bryan
Rivers (groin), Moloney (shoulder)		Injuries	Rocca (ankle), Pendlebury (back), Cook
Before the match Melbourne celebrated its 150 Heroes with a Lap of Honour around the MCG from past players. Also before the match Paul Gardiner announced his resignation as Melbourne's president and announced Jim Stynes as his successor. Collingwood's win ended Melbourne's winning streak of 4 consecutive Queen's Birthday clashes Brownlow Votes: 1. Adem Yze (Melbourne), 2. Scott Burns (Collingwood), 3. Tarkyn Lockyer (Collingwood) Record: 1 win, 10 losses, 0 draws Ladder position: 16th

Round 12

	Round 12
Sunday, 15 June (4:40 pm)	Richmond	def.	Melbourne	Telstra Dome (crowd: 27,348)	[15]
	3.6 (24) 11.13 (79) 13.15 (93) 16.20 (116)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	5.3 (33) 6.5 (41) 11.8 (74) 14.10 (94)	Umpires: Sully, Nicholls, Ryan Television broadcast: Foxtel
Richardson 5, Brown 3, Morton 2, Cotchin 2, Polak, Simmonds, Tuck, White		Goals	Miller 3, Bartram 2, Bruce 2, Davey 2, Bate, Garland, Green, White, Wonaeamirri
Richardson, Deledio, Brown, Tuck, Cotchin, Polak		Best	Bruce, Wheatley, McLean, Miller, White, Garland
Brownlow Votes: 1. Brock McLean (Melbourne), 2. Brett Deledio (Richmond), 3. Matthew Richardson (Richmond) Record: 1 Win, 11 Losses, 0 Draws Ladder Position: 16th

Round 13

	Round 13
Sunday, 22 June (1:10 pm)	Melbourne	def. by	Sydney	Manuka Oval (crowd: 11,437)	[16]
	2.2 (14) 5.3 (33) 10.5 (65) 11.8 (74)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	7.2 (44) 10.5 (65) 12.10 (82) 17.12 (114)	Umpires: Sully, Grun, Head Television broadcast: Foxtel
Bate 4, Wonaeamirri 3, Bruce, Johnson, McLean, Miller		Goals	Hall 5, Buchanan 2, Mattner 2, O'Loughlin 2, Goodes, Jolly, Malceski, O'Keefe, Playfair, Roberts-Thomson
Bate, Dunn, Green, Johnson, Garland, Johnson		Best	Hall, Kirk Mattner, Jolly, Bolton, O'Loughlin
Brownlow Votes: 1. Matthew Bate (Melbourne), 2. Barry Hall (Sydney), 3. Brett Kirk (Sydney) Record: 1 Win, 12 Losses, 0 Draws Ladder Position: 16th

Round 14

	Round 14
Sunday, 29 June (1:10 pm)	Melbourne	def.	Brisbane Lions	MCG (crowd: 23,278)	[17]
	5.4 (34) 6.6 (42) 10.8 (68) 14.9 (93)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	2.3 (15) 5.9 (39) 9.13 (67) 13.14 (92)	Umpires: Head, Armstrong, Jeffery Television broadcast: Foxtel
Sylvia 4, Miller 4, Wonaeamirri 2, Bruce 2, Bate, Green		Goals	Brown 5, Bradshaw 4, Hooper 2, Patfull, Rischitelli
Wheatley, Green, Johnson, Miller, Sylvia, Whelan, Jones		Best	Power, Brown Rischitelli, Bradshaw, Black
McLean (ankle)		Injuries	Johnstone (hamstring)
A mark and goal in the goal square by Brad Miller followed by a charge up the ground with the ball from the half-back line by Austin Wonaeamirri allowed Melbourne to win its second game of the year by a point. After selling a home game to the Gabba against the Brisbane Lions each year for seven years, Melbourne would win its first game against the Brisbane Lions at the MCG since Round 18, 1998. For the first and only time in 2008, Melbourne players would collect all the Brownlow votes in a game. Colin Garland received the NAB AFL Rising Star nomitation for Round 14. Debut(s): Stefan Martin Brownlow Votes: 1. Chris Johnson (Melbourne), 2. Paul Wheatley (Melbourne), 3. Brad Green (Melbourne) Record: 2 Wins, 12 Losses, 0 Draws Ladder Position: 16th

Round 15

	Round 15
Sunday, 13 July (2:10 pm)	Western Bulldogs	def.	Melbourne	Telstra Dome (crowd: 27,446)	[18]
	3.2 (20) 7.4 (46) 12.7 (79) 14.11 (95)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	1.0 (6) 4.2 (26) 5.6 (36) 9.10 (64)	Umpires: Farmer, McLaren, Keating Television broadcast: Seven Network
Akermanis 3, Minson 3, Eagleton 2, Giansiracusa 2, Hahn 2, Harbrow, Cross		Goals	Miller 3, Green 2, Dunn, Johnson, Buckley, Newton
Cross, Boyd, Lake, Gilbee, Akermanis, Eagleton, Hill, Everitt		Best	Bruce, Garland, Johnson, Wheatley, Martin, Miller
Welsh (back)		Injuries
Brownlow Votes: 1. Lindsay Gilbee (Western Bulldogs), 2. Cameron Bruce (Melbourne), 3. Matthew Boyd (Western Bulldogs) Record: 2 Wins, 13 Losses, 0 Draws Ladder Position: 16th

Round 16

	Round 16
Sunday, 20 July (2:40 pm)	Fremantle	def.	Melbourne	Subiaco (crowd: 31,638)	[19]
	0.2 (2) 5.9 (39) 11.15 (81) 16.18 (114)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	5.1 (31) 6.3 (39) 7.5 (47) 10.8 (68)	Umpires: Kennedy, Hendrie, Avon Television broadcast: Foxtel
Pavlich 5, McPharlin 3, Ibbotson, Schammer, Carr, McManus, O'Brien, Sandilands, Tarrant, Peake		Goals	Morton 2, Miller 2, Bate 2, Newton 2, Johnson, Jamar
Pavlich, Schammer, Ibbotson, Crowley, McPharlin, McManus		Best	Johnson, Wheatley, Buckley, Bruce, Bate, Jones
O'Brien (hamstring)		Injuries
Brownlow Votes: 1. Michael Johnson (Fremantle), 2. Antoni Grover (Fremantle), 3. Matthew Pavlich (Fremantle) Record: 2 Wins, 14 Losses, 0 Draws Ladder Position: 16th

Round 17

	Round 17
Sunday, 27 July (2:10 pm)	Melbourne	def. by	North Melbourne	MCG (crowd: 21,330)	[20]
	1.3 (9) 3.4 (22) 6.8 (44) 10.10 (70)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	7.3 (45) 9.6 (60) 11.9 (75) 14.14 (98)	Umpires: McLaren, Fila, Hendrie, Television broadcast: Seven Network
Miller 3, Newton 2, Davey, Valenti, Johnson, Sylvia, Morton		Goals	Thomas 5, Jones 4, Harvey 2, Petrie, Hale, Campbell
Buckley, Jones, Valenti, Davey, McDonald, Johnson		Best	Harvey, Hale, Jones, Thomas, Gibson, Simpson, Rawlings
Dunn (striking)		Reports
Debut(s): Addam Maric Brownlow Votes: 1. Simon Buckley (Melbourne), 2. Adam Simpson (North Melbourne), 3. Brent Harvey (North Melbourne) Record: 2 Wins, 15 Losses, 0 Draws Ladder Position: 16th

Round 18

	Round 18
Saturday, 2 August (2:10 pm)	Essendon	def.	Melbourne	MCG (crowd: 46,334)	[21]
	3.1 (19) 9.6 (60) 14.8 (92) 19.10 (124)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	2.2 (14) 7.3 (45) 11.5 (71) 17.6 (108)	Umpires: Kennedy, Sully, Fila Television broadcast: Foxtel
Lloyd 8, Monfries 3, McPhee 2, Lovett 2, Atkinson, Reimers, Slattery, Jetta		Goals	Morton 3, Sylvia 3, Maric 2, Bate 2, Bartram, Green, Buckley, Davey, Johnson, Jamar, Wonaeamirri
Lloyd, Hille, Monfries, Fletcher, McPhee, Peverill, Lovett-Murray, Nash		Best	McDonald, Sylvia, Morton, Garland, Dunn, Bate, Bruce
Reimers (hamstring)		Injuries	Garland (hamstring), Davey (heel)
Matthew Lloyd took the 2008 Mark of the Year in this match leaping over Brad Green, Matthew Warnock and Sam Lonergan to do so. Brownlow Votes: 1. Adam McPhee (Essendon), 2. Cale Morton (Melbourne), 3. Matthew Lloyd (Essendon) Record: 2 Wins, 16 Losses, 0 Draws Ladder Position: 16th

Round 19

	Round 19
Friday, 8 August (7:05 pm)	Melbourne	def. by	Geelong	MCG (crowd: 34,610)	[22]
	0.0 (0) 1.3 (9) 2.6 (18) 5.11 (41)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	8.5 (53) 12.7 (79) 19.10 (124) 24.13 (157)	Umpires: Donlon, Kennedy, Ryan Television broadcast: Seven Network
Valenti 2, Johnson, Johnson, Wonaeamirri		Goals	Morton 4, Stokes 4, Prismall 3, Ablett 2, Bartel 2, Ling 2, Mackie 2, Blake, Gamble, Johnson, Mooney, Selwood
Whelan, Wheatley, Maric, Martin		Best	Mackie, Ling, Selwood, Corey, Scarlett, Prismall
This match kicked off Tom Wills Round. Tom Wills was regarded as one of the pioneers of writing the rules to Australian Rules Football as well as creating and being the very first captain of the Melbourne Football Club in 1858. He also played a majority of Australian Rules Football games for Geelong as one of their first ever players. This match commemorated the 150th anniversary of the first ever game of Australian Rules Football contested between Scotch College and Melbourne Grammar School on 7 August 1858, in the Richmond Paddock. To celebrate the 150th Anniversary of Australian Rules Football a match was contested between Scotch College and Melbourne Grammar School as pre-game entertainment to the clash between Melbourne and Geelong. This match begun half an hour earlier than the usual Friday Night Football starting time of 7:40 PM and was broadcast live across Australia. This was to prevent it from clashing with the Opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics which was also broadcast by Channel 7. In cold and wet conditions, Melbourne was inflicted with its heaviest loss for the season (116 points) and at the time the second worst loss to Geelong in VFL/AFL history before Round 19, 2011 where Geelong thrashed Melbourne by 186 points. Brownlow Votes: 1. Joel Corey (Geelong), 2. Joel Selwood (Geelong), 3. Andrew Mackie (Geelong) Record: 2 Wins, 17 Losses, 0 Draws Ladder Position: 16th

Round 20

	Round 20
Saturday, 16 August (2:10 pm)	Melbourne	def.	West Coast	MCG (crowd: 17,598)	[23]
	1.3 (9) 5.7 (37) 8.12 (60) 11.13 (79)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	2.2 (14) 4.5 (29) 5.10 (40) 5.15 (45)	Umpires: Ryan, Ellis, Nicholls Television broadcast: Network Ten
Bruce 2, Newton 2, Bartram, Bate, Green, Johnson, Miller, Morton, Sylvia		Goals	McKinley 2, Armstrong, LeCras, Lynch
Bruce, Wheatley, Morton, Green, McDonald, Whelan, Buckley, Jones		Best	Armstrong, Cox, Embley, Mackenzie
		Injuries	Wilkes (neck)
Despite the West Coast Eagles kicking 3 early goals in the second quarter, Melbourne would bounce back and win their third and final game of the season comfortably in cold and rainy conditions. Melbourne would concede only one goal in the second half to obtain their greatest winning margin for the season (34 points). Melbourne would win its first game against West Coast since Round 7, 2004. Cale Morton received the NAB AFL Rising Star nomitation for Round 20. Brownlow Votes: 1. Dean Cox (West Coast), 2. Cale Morton (Melbourne), 3. Paul Wheatley (Melbourne) Record: 3 Wins, 17 Losses, 0 Draws Ladder Position: 16th

Round 21

	Round 21
Saturday, 23 August (2:40 pm)	Port Adelaide	def.	Melbourne	AAMI Stadium (crowd: 18,875)	[24]
	6.6 (42) 9.10 (64) 10.17 (77) 18.21 (129)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	1.0 (6) 2.4 (16) 4.8 (32) 7.9 (51)	Umpires: Margetts, Head, Keating Television broadcast: Foxtel
Motlop 5, Westhoff 2, Westhoff 2, Lade 2, Burgoyne 2, Pearce 2, Rodan, Cassisi, Boak		Goals	Miller 2, Bruce, Bate, Wonaeamirri, Jamar, Newton
Burgoyne, Burgoyne, Cassisi, Motlop, Logan, Brogan, Pearce		Best	Wheatley, Buckley, McDonald, Garland, Morton
Chaplin (knee)		Injuries
Brownlow Votes: 1. Shaun Burgoyne (Port Adelaide), 2. Daniel Motlop (Port Adelaide), 3. Domenic Cassisi (Port Adelaide) Record: 3 Wins, 18 Losses, 0 Draws Ladder Position: 16th

Round 22

	Round 22
Sunday, 31 August (2:10 pm)	Melbourne	def. by	Richmond	MCG (crowd: 37,046)	[25]
	2.1 (13) 3.1 (19) 4.4 (28) 6.5 (41)	Q1 Q2 Q3 Final	2.5 (17) 8.9 (57) 12.10 (82) 18.13 (121)	Umpires: Margetts, Ryan, Ellis Television broadcast: Seven Network
White 2, Green, Holland, Sylvia, Whelan		Goals	Deledio 4, Bowden 3, Jackson 2, Riewoldt 2, Connors, Foley, McMahon, Morton, Tivendale, Tuck, White
Yze, Whelan, Bruce, Warnock, Garland		Best	Bowden, Tuck, Newman, Deledio, Foley, McGuane, Johnson, McMahon
Sylvia (ankle), Petterd (hamstring)		Injuries	Connors
Miller (wrestling)		Reports	Morton (wrestling)
Melbourne would finish the year on the bottom of the ladder with 3 wins and 19 losses. Ben Holland, Jeff White and Adem Yze played their last AFL game in this match and retired straight afterwards. Debut(s): Jack Grimes Milestone(s): Nathan Jones (50th AFL game) Brownlow Votes: 1. Shane Tuck (Richmond), 2. Brett Deledio (Richmond), 3. Joel Bowden (Richmond) Record: 3 Wins, 19 Losses, 0 Draws Ladder Position: 16th

Ladder

2008 AFL ladder

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	D	PF	PA	PP	Pts
1	Geelong	22	21	1	0	2672	1651	161.8	84	Finals series
2	Hawthorn (P)	22	17	5	0	2434	1846	131.9	68
3	Western Bulldogs	22	15	6	1	2506	2112	118.7	62
4	St Kilda	22	13	9	0	2126	1923	110.6	52
5	Adelaide	22	13	9	0	2017	1838	109.7	52
6	Sydney	22	12	9	1	2095	1863	112.5	50
7	North Melbourne	22	12	9	1	2121	2187	97.0	50
8	Collingwood	22	12	10	0	2267	2038	111.2	48
9	Richmond	22	11	10	1	2228	2288	97.4	46
10	Brisbane	22	10	12	0	2156	2200	98.0	40
11	Carlton	22	10	12	0	2217	2354	94.2	40
12	Essendon	22	8	14	0	2130	2608	81.7	32
13	Port Adelaide	22	7	15	0	2118	2208	95.9	28
14	Fremantle	22	6	16	0	1988	2121	93.7	24
15	West Coast	22	4	18	0	1670	2535	65.9	16
16	Melbourne	22	3	19	0	1629	2602	62.6	12

Source: AFL ladder
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for.
(P) Premiers

Ladder breakdown by opposition

Opponent	Played	Won	Lost	Drew	Premiership points	Points for	Points against	Percentage (%)
West Coast	1	1	0	0	4	79	45	175.56
Fremantle	2	1	1	0	4	187	227	82.38
Brisbane Lions	2	1	1	0	4	179	230	77.83
Essendon	1	0	1	0	0	108	124	87.10
Collingwood	1	0	1	0	0	95	116	81.90
Carlton	1	0	1	0	0	68	101	67.33
North Melbourne	2	0	2	0	0	149	225	66.22
Sydney	1	0	1	0	0	74	114	64.91
Richmond	2	0	2	0	0	135	237	56.96
Hawthorn	2	0	2	0	0	128	251	51.00
Western Bulldogs	2	0	2	0	0	130	256	50.78
Adelaide	1	0	1	0	0	74	150	49.33
Geelong	2	0	2	0	0	123	269	45.72
Port Adelaide	1	0	1	0	0	51	129	39.53
St Kilda	1	0	1	0	0	50	129	38.76
Total	22	3	19	0	12	1629	2601	62.61

Awards

Brownlow Medal tally

Player	1 vote games	2 vote games	3 vote games	Total votes
Paul Wheatley	0	1	1	(5)
Brock McLean	2	0	1	(5)
Cale Morton	0	2	0	(4)
Brad Green	1	0	0	(3)
Cameron Bruce	0	1	0	(2)
Chris Johnson	1	0	0	(1)
Jeff White	1	0	0	(1)
Adem Yze	1	0	0	(1)
Matthew Bate	1	0	0	(1)
Simon Buckley	1	0	0	(1)
Total	7	4	3	(24)

Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Medal tally (top 10)

Position	Player	Votes
1st	Cameron Bruce	(75)
2nd	Brock McLean	(60)
3rd	Brad Green	(57)
4th	Matthew Warnock	(47)
5th	James McDonald	(46)
6th	Brad Miller	(40)
6th	Cale Morton	(40)
8th	Clint Bartram	(39)
8th	Paul Wheatley	(39)
8th	Austin Wonaeamirri	(39)

Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Trophy – Cameron Bruce

Sid Anderson Memorial Trophy (Second in the Best and Fairest) – Brock McLean

Ron Barassi Snr Memorial Trophy (Third in the Best and Fairest) – Brad Green

Ivor Warne-Smith Memorial Trophy (Fourth in the Best and Fairest) – Matthew Warnock

Dick Taylor Memorial Trophy (Fifth in the Best and Fairest) – James McDonald

Harold Ball Memorial Trophy (Best First Year Player) – Cale Morton

Troy Broadbridge Trophy (highest polling MFC player in the Casey Best and Fairest) – Adem Yze

Ron Barassi Leadership Award – Brad Green

Ian Ridley Club Ambassador Award – Clint Bartram

Norm Smith Memorial Trophy (Coach's Award) – Matthew Warnock

Leading Goalkicker Award – Brad Miller (26)

150 Heroes

Melbourne FC announced its "150 Heroes" to celebrate its 150th birthday at Crown Casino on 7 June 2008. These were also presented during the Queen's Birthday Clash against Collingwood in Round 11. Each player, or their closest relative, were presented with an official 150 heroes medallion.

The criteria for inclusion was games played (minimum of 100), best-and-fairest awards, premierships, Brownlow Medals, contribution to the club and State representation. Those who died in the war were judged based on their achievements before their death. The heroes named were:

Jim Abernethy, Frank Adams, Bill Allen, Stan Alves, Syd Anderson, Tony Anderson, Lance Arnold, Ron Baggott, Garry Baker, Harold Ball, Ron Barassi, Percy Beames, John Beckwith, George Bickford, Ray Biffin, Barry Bourke, Harry Brereton, Cameron Bruce, Keith Carroll, Geoff Case, Albert Chadwick, Noel Clarke, Geoff Collins, Jack Collins, Chris Connolly, Bob Corbett, Denis Cordner, Don Cordner, Ted Cordner, Vin Coutie, Harry Coy, Jim Davidson, Frank Davis, Ross Dillon, Carl Ditterich, Brian Dixon, Len Dockett, Adrian Dullard, Hugh Dunbar, Richie Emselle, Fred Fanning, Jeff Farmer, Matthew Febey, Steven Febey, Dick Fenton-Smith, Rowley Fischer, Robert Flower, Laurie Fowler, Maurice Gibb, Peter Giles, Terry Gleeson, Brad Green, Rod Grinter, George Haines, Gary Hardeman, Henry Harrison, Gerard Healy, Greg Healy, Dick Hingston, Paul Hopgood, Danny Hughes, Anthony Ingerson, Eddie Jackson, Alan Johnson, Bob Johnson, Tassie Johnson, Trevor Johnson, Travis Johnstone, Gordon Jones, Les Jones, Bryan Kenneally, Allan La Fontaine, Clyde Laidlaw, Frank Langley, Jack Leith, Andrew Leoncelli, Charlie Lilley, Wally Lock, Harry Long, John Lord, Andy Lovell, Brett Lovett, Glenn Lovett, Garry Lyon, Hassa Mann, George Margitich, Peter Marquis, Bernie Massey, Anthony McDonald, James McDonald, Fred McGinis, Shane McGrath, Bob McKenzie, Col McLean, Ian McLean, Noel McMahen, Ken Melville, Laurie Mithen, Peter Moore, Jack Mueller, David Neitz, Stephen Newport, Jack O'Keefe, Andrew Obst, Gordon Ogden, Greg Parke, Joe Pearce, Jack Purse, Ian Ridley, Guy Rigoni, Frank Roberts, Russell Robertson, Alby Rodda, Brian Roet, Peter Rohde, Alan Rowarth, David Schwarz, Norm Smith, Steven Smith, Earl Spalding, Stuart Spencer, Charlie Streeter, Steven Stretch, Jim Stynes, Tony Sullivan, Dick Taylor, Ted Thomas, Ian Thorogood, Stephen Tingay, John Townsend, Keith Truscott, Geoff Tunbridge, Bill Tymms, Barrie Vagg, Francis Vine, Todd Viney, Ivor Warne-Smith, Ray Wartman, Athol Webb, Greg Wells, Jeff White, Sean Wight, Don Williams, Brian Wilson, Stan Wittman, Shane Woewodin, Graeme Yeats, Charlie Young, Adem Yze

Off-field crises and debt demolition

Aside from Melbourne's on-field struggles throughout the year, they were also placed into financial turmoil and the possibility of filing for bankruptcy.

On 4 February, CEO Steve Harris announced his resignation after reportedly cutting Melbourne's pre-existing debt by 50% and increasing membership sales by 40% since 2003. He was later replaced by former Wimbledon tennis champion Paul McNamee on 18 March, despite the fact that McNamee did not originally apply for the job.

With no cash, no solidified training or administration base and decreased membership count from 2007, the Demons found themselves winning only one game in the first half of the season. On 23 May, Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett suggested that Melbourne should relocate to the Gold Coast if they were to have a financially stable future. Melbourne was expected to lose $1–2 million during the year and put their near future as an existing football club in doubt.

Melbourne had little to celebrate heading into their 150 Heroes dinner on 7 June, during which Jim Stynes announced his intention to challenge Paul Gardiner's role as Melbourne's president. Two days later, before the Queen's Birthday clash, Gardiner announced his resignation as Melbourne's president, and endorsed Stynes to take over. On 12 June, Stynes was announced as the new president of the Melbourne Football Club and announced his primary intention to wipe off Melbourne's debt. Three days later he announced that Melbourne was $4.5 million in debt and that he would create a campaign called Debt Demolition to wipe off the debt. The campaign took place during August, beginning on 5 August during the 150 Foundation Heroes dinner. Guests and supporters were asked to dig deep and donate at least $5,000 to be considered a 150 Foundation Hero.

During June, Melbourne had a late surge in membership purchases for 2008. On 30 June, Melbourne successfully increased their membership count from 2007 gaining a record high 29,619 members at the time and falling just short of their goal of 30,000.

On 23 July, Stynes sacked Paul McNamee as CEO of the club. During his time as CEO, NcNamee was criticised for taking a mid-season holiday to England to play in a Wimbledon doubles match. He was also criticised for trying to lure Brisbane Lions' forward Jonathan Brown to Melbourne. Stynes stated, however, that the main reason he was sacked was his lack of a football background.

Melbourne held its 150 Foundation Heroes dinner on 5 August where they launched their Debt Demolition campaign. Melbourne raised $1.3 million from former players and supporters that night. At the end of the month the club had raised up to $3 million. Despite all the donations Melbourne received, their major sponsor Primus Telecom announced that it would not continue its $1 million per year arrangements with the club in 2009.

On 26 August, Melbourne announced Cameron Schwab as their new CEO. Schwab left his role of CEO at Fremantle and re-joined Melbourne for the third time since 1982.

On 18 December, the AFL agreed to increase Melbourne's 2009 from $250,000 to $1 million, with the Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC) contracted to match the AFL's offer. However, financial disagreements between the MCC and AFL prevented them from co-funding all Victorian clubs temporarily until an agreement was worked out on 20 December.

Melbourne finished the year $2.5 million in debt. They continued with the Debt Demolition campaign in August 2009, finishing the year with a debt of $1.5 million, and in August 2010. On 5 August 2010 Melbourne clear all of its $4.5 million debt as Jim Stynes announced the club to be debt free for the first time in 30 years.

External links

• Official website of the Melbourne Football Club
• Official website of the AFL