2008 National Youth Competition season (rugby league)
| 2008 National Youth Competition | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Teams | 16 |
| Premiers |
 Canberra (1st title) |
| Minor premiers |
Canberra (1st title) |
| Matches played | 201 |
| Points scored | 9938 |
| Top try-scorer(s) |
 Ben Barba (28) |
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.
Numbers highlighted in green indicate that the team finished the round inside the top 8.
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.
5 October 2008, 2:15pm
Half Time: Brisbane 16 – 12
Jack Gibson Medal: Josh Dugan
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