1989 NSWRL Grand Final
Sunday, 24 September 1989 · Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, New South Wales
1989 NSWRL Grand Final result: Canberra def. Balmain, 19-14, at Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, New South Wales on Sunday, 24 September 1989.
Result
| Team | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Canberra | 19 |
| Runner-up | Balmain | 14 |
Attendance: 40,500
NRL 1989 — full season ladder & finals series
| Pos | Club | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | Diff | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 22 | 18 | 1 | 3 | 390 | 207 | +183 | 37 |
| 2 | Penrith Panthers | 22 | 16 | 0 | 6 | 438 | 241 | +197 | 32 |
| 3 | Balmain Tigers | 22 | 14 | 1 | 7 | 380 | 236 | +144 | 29 |
| 4 | Canberra Raiders | 22 | 14 | 0 | 8 | 457 | 287 | +170 | 28 |
| 5 | Brisbane Broncos | 22 | 14 | 0 | 8 | 398 | 290 | +108 | 28 |
| 6 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 22 | 14 | 0 | 8 | 368 | 281 | +87 | 28 |
| 7 | Newcastle Knights | 22 | 11 | 0 | 11 | 281 | 281 | 0 | 22 |
| 8 | Parramatta Eels | 22 | 11 | 0 | 11 | 346 | 366 | -20 | 22 |
| 9 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 22 | 10 | 2 | 10 | 280 | 337 | -57 | 22 |
| 10 | St George Dragons | 22 | 10 | 0 | 12 | 330 | 356 | -26 | 20 |
| 11 | Eastern Suburbs Roosters | 22 | 9 | 1 | 12 | 348 | 346 | +2 | 19 |
| 12 | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | 22 | 9 | 1 | 12 | 334 | 343 | -9 | 19 |
| 13 | Gold Coast/Tweed Heads Giants | 22 | 7 | 1 | 14 | 223 | 383 | -160 | 15 |
| 14 | Western Suburbs Magpies | 22 | 7 | 1 | 14 | 229 | 389 | -160 | 15 |
| 15 | North Sydney Bears | 22 | 5 | 1 | 16 | 194 | 406 | -212 | 11 |
| 16 | Illawarra Steelers | 22 | 2 | 1 | 19 | 256 | 503 | -247 | 5 |
Qualified for the finals series — top 5 (“final five”) that season.
Finals series
Playoff
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Aug 1989 | Cronulla-Sutherland 38–14 Brisbane Broncos | Parramatta Stadium, Parramatta, NSW | 9,047 |
Minor Preliminary Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Sep 1989 | Canberra Raiders 31–10 Cronulla-Sutherland | Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, NSW | 18,186 |
Major Preliminary Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Sep 1989 | Balmain Tigers 24–12 Penrith Panthers | Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, NSW | 29,508 |
Minor Semi-Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Sep 1989 | Canberra Raiders 27–18 Penrith Panthers | Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, NSW | 20,314 |
Major Semi-Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Sep 1989 | Balmain Tigers 20–10 South Sydney Rabbitohs | Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, NSW | 40,000 |
Preliminary Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Sep 1989 | Canberra Raiders 32–16 South Sydney Rabbitohs | Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, NSW | 31,469 |
Grand Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Sep 1989 | Canberra Raiders 19–14 Balmain Tigers | Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, NSW |
Match officials
| Referee | Bill Harrigan |
Scorers
| Canberra | Tries: Gary Belcher — minute unconfirmed; John Ferguson — minute unconfirmed; Steve Jackson — minute unconfirmed Goals: Mal Meninga (3/6) Drop goals: Chris O'Sullivan (1, extra time) |
| Balmain | Tries: James Grant — minute unconfirmed; Paul Sironen — minute unconfirmed Goals: Andy Currier (3/4) |
Teams
| Canberra | Balmain | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gary Belcher | Fullback | Garry Jack | 1 |
| 2 | Matthew Wood | Wing | Steve O'Brien | 2 |
| 3 | Mal Meninga | Centre | Tim Brasher | 3 |
| 4 | Laurie Daley | Centre | Andy Currier | 4 |
| 5 | John Ferguson | Wing | James Grant | 5 |
| 6 | Chris O'Sullivan | Five-eighth | Michael Neil | 6 |
| 7 | Ricky Stuart | Halfback | Gary Freeman | 7 |
| 8 | Brent Todd | Prop | Steve Roach | 8 |
| 9 | Steve Walters | Hooker | Ben Elias | 9 |
| 10 | Glenn Lazarus | Prop | Steve Edmed | 10 |
| 11 | Dean Lance (c) | Second Row | Paul Sironen | 11 |
| 12 | Gary Coyne | Second Row | Bruce McGuire | 12 |
| 13 | Bradley Clyde | Lock | Wayne Pearce (c) | 13 |
| Substitutes | ||||
| 15 | Paul Martin | Michael Pobjie | 14 | |
| 20 | Steve Jackson | Shaun Edwards | 15 | |
| 22 | Kevin Walters | Kevin Hardwick | 16 | |
| Tim Sheens | Coach | Warren Ryan | ||
Clive Churchill Medal
Bradley Clyde (Canberra).
Match context
Widely hailed as one of the greatest Grand Finals ever played, the 1989 decider delivered the first premiership won by a club from outside Sydney, the first Grand Final decided in extra time, and a title won from fourth position on the ladder. Before 40,500 at the Sydney Football Stadium, Warren Ryan's Balmain, beaten finalists a year earlier and chasing a first title since 1969, seized control of the first half through tries to James Grant and Paul Sironen and the boot of English import Andy Currier, leading Tim Sheens' Canberra 12-2 at the break. When Currier's penalty goal made it 14-2 midway through the second half, the Tigers looked home, and Benny Elias' late field-goal attempt to ice the game agonisingly struck the crossbar. Instead, the Raiders mounted one of sport's famous comebacks. Fullback Gary Belcher crossed and Mal Meninga converted, then, after a controversial penalty against Bruce McGuire for shepherding helped swing momentum, and with Ryan having replaced star forwards Steve Roach and Sironen, who under the replacement rules could not return, 35-year-old winger John 'Chicka' Ferguson scored in the dying minutes. Meninga's pressure conversion levelled the scores at 14-14 and sent a Grand Final into extra time for the first time. Two minutes in, Balmain fullback Garry Jack knocked on, and from the ensuing possession five-eighth Chris O'Sullivan potted a field goal for 15-14. Then came the moment of legend: burly replacement prop Steve Jackson, dragged down by three defenders, twisted and reached out one-handed to plant the ball on the line for the premiership-winning try, sealing a 19-14 triumph. Nineteen-year-old lock Bradley Clyde, colossal in defence and tireless with the ball, won the Clive Churchill Medal. For the Canberra Raiders, premiers in just their eighth season and avenging their 1987 Grand Final defeat, the breakthrough launched a green-and-gold dynasty, with further titles following in 1990 and 1994 behind Meninga, Clyde, Ricky Stuart and Laurie Daley. For Balmain the loss was shattering: a second consecutive Grand Final defeat, a premiership surrendered from 14-2 ahead, and a drought stretching back to 1969 that the foundation club would never break before its 1999 merger. The match's drama, the crossbar, the comeback, Jackson's lunge, remains the benchmark against which epic Grand Finals are measured.
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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