1998 NRL Grand Final

Sunday, 27 September 1998 · Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, New South Wales

1998 Grand Final ▾

1998 NRL Grand Final result: Brisbane Broncos def. Canterbury-Bankstown, 38-12, at Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, New South Wales on Sunday, 27 September 1998.

Result

TeamScore
WinnerBrisbane Broncos38
Runner-upCanterbury-Bankstown12

Attendance: 40,857

NRL 1998 — full season ladder & finals series

PosClubPWDLPFPADiffPts
1Brisbane Broncos241815688310+37837
2Newcastle Knights241815562381+18137
3Melbourne Storm241716546372+17435
4Parramatta Eels241716468349+11935
5North Sydney Bears241707663367+29634
6Sydney Roosters241608680383+29732
7Canberra Raiders241509564429+13530
8St. George2413110486490-427
9Canterbury-Bankstown2413011489411+7826
10Manly-Warringah2413011503473+3026
11Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks2412111438387+5125
12Illawarra Steelers2411112476539-6323
13Balmain Tigers249114381463-8219
14Penrith Panthers248214525580-5518
15Auckland Warriors249015417518-10118
16North Queensland Cowboys249015361556-19518
17Adelaide Rams247017393615-22214
18South Sydney Rabbitohs245019339560-22110
19Gold Coast Chargers244020289654-3658
20Western Suburbs Magpies244020371802-4318

Qualified for the finals series — top 10 (reunified-competition finals) that season.

Finals series

Minor Preliminary Semi-Final

DateResultVenueAttendance
28 Aug 1998Canberra Raiders 17–4 Manly-WarringahBruce Stadium, Bruce, ACT15,953
29 Aug 1998St George Dragons 12–20 Canterbury-BankstownJubilee Oval, Kogarah, Sydney, NSW16,833

Major Preliminary Semi-Final

DateResultVenueAttendance
29 Aug 1998Parramatta Eels 25–12 North Sydney BearsParramatta Stadium, Parramatta, NSW16,033
30 Aug 1998Melbourne Storm 12–26 Sydney RoostersAAMI Park, Melbourne, VIC18,274

Minor Semi-Final

DateResultVenueAttendance
4 Sep 1998North Sydney Bears 2–23 Canterbury-BankstownNorth Sydney Oval, Sydney, NSW18,718
5 Sep 1998Melbourne Storm 24–10 Canberra RaidersAAMI Park, Melbourne, VIC12,592

Major Semi-Final

DateResultVenueAttendance
5 Sep 1998Newcastle Knights 15–26 Sydney RoostersMarathon Stadium, Newcastle, NSW26,482
6 Sep 1998Brisbane Broncos 10–15 Parramatta EelsSuncorp Stadium, Brisbane, QLD21,172

Elimination Preliminary Final

DateResultVenueAttendance
12 Sep 1998Canterbury-Bankstown 28–16 Newcastle KnightsSydney Football Stadium, Moore Park, Sydney, NSW24,449
13 Sep 1998Brisbane Broncos 30–6 Melbourne StormSydney Football Stadium, Moore Park, Sydney, NSW20,354

Preliminary Final

DateResultVenueAttendance
19 Sep 1998Brisbane Broncos 46–18 Sydney RoostersSuncorp Stadium, Brisbane, QLD28,374
20 Sep 1998Canterbury-Bankstown 32–20 Parramatta EelsSydney Football Stadium, Moore Park, Sydney, NSW36,841

Grand Final

DateResultVenueAttendance
27 Sep 1998Brisbane Broncos 38–12 Canterbury-BankstownSydney Football Stadium, Moore Park, Sydney, NSW40,857

Permalink to this season's ladder page →

Match officials

RefereeBill Harrigan

Scorers

Brisbane BroncosTries: Michael De Vere 3'; Kevin Campion — minute unconfirmed (approx 27'); Tonie Carroll — minute unconfirmed (approx 41'); Wendell Sailor — minute unconfirmed (approx 49'); Gorden Tallis — minute unconfirmed (approx 58'); Phillip Lee 69'; Darren Smith 75'
Goals: Darren Lockyer (5/7)
Canterbury-BankstownTries: Tony Grimaldi 22'; Willie Talau — minute unconfirmed (approx 30')
Goals: Daryl Halligan (2/3)

Teams

Brisbane BroncosCanterbury-Bankstown
1Darren LockyerFullbackRod Silva1
14Michael De VereWingGavin Lester2
3Steve RenoufCentreWillie Talau3
4Darren SmithCentreShane Marteene4
5Wendell SailorWingDaryl Halligan5
6Kevin WaltersFive-eighthCraig Polla-Mounter6
7Allan Langer (c)HalfbackCorey Hughes7
8Shane WebckeFront RowDarren Britt (c)8
9Phillip LeeHookerJason Hetherington9
10Andrew GeeFront RowSteve Price10
11Brad ThornSecond RowRobert Relf11
12Gorden TallisSecond RowTony Grimaldi12
13Tonie CarrollLockTravis Norton13
Substitutes
2Michael HancockSteve Reardon14
15John PlathTroy Stone15
16Kevin CampionGlen Hughes16
17Petero CivonicevaDavid Thompson17
Wayne BennettCoachSteve Folkes

Clive Churchill Medal

Gorden Tallis (Brisbane Broncos).

Match context

The 1998 decider carried special weight as the first Grand Final of the reunified National Rugby League, staged after the bitter 1997 Super League War had split the code into rival ARL and Super League competitions before peace was brokered for a single 1998 season. Brisbane, chasing a second consecutive premiership to match their 1992-93 back-to-back feat, went in as clear favourites against a Canterbury-Bankstown side coached by Steve Folkes and inspired by the ball-playing of Jason Smith. The Bulldogs stunned the crowd at Sydney Football Stadium with tries to Tony Grimaldi and Willie Talau, and despite an early Michael De Vere try and a Kevin Campion four-pointer for Brisbane, Canterbury led 12-10 at the break. De Vere, a late call-up after Michael Hancock withdrew with a finger injury, would prove pivotal. Canterbury prop Troy Stone battled through a broken arm in a display of typical Grand Final toughness, but his team's resistance evaporated after the interval. Brisbane produced one of the most emphatic second-half demolitions in Grand Final history, piling on 28 unanswered points through tries to Tonie Carroll, Wendell Sailor, Gorden Tallis, debutant Phillip Lee and Darren Smith, to run out 38-12 winners. Tallis, the rampaging Queensland back-rower, was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal for his all-action display, capping a man-of-the-match performance with a try of his own. The scoreline extended Brisbane's unbeaten Grand Final record to four from four appearances and confirmed the club as the dominant force of the code's newly unified era. In an ironic postscript, try-scorer Darren Smith would defect to Canterbury the following season. The match also marked the final Grand Final staged at the old Sydney Football Stadium at Moore Park, with the code's showpiece set to shift to the new Stadium Australia at Homebush from 1999, and the crowd of 40,857 was the lowest for a Grand Final at the venue since 1989, reflecting some lingering fan disillusionment from the Super League split even as the on-field product delivered a statement result for the resurgent Broncos dynasty.

Sources

Data last verified: 11 August 2026.

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