1988 NSWRL Season — Final Regular-Season Ladder

First expansion season of the competition beyond NSW/ACT: Brisbane Broncos, Newcastle Knights and Gold Coast-Tweed Giants joined, bringing the competition to 16 teams and 22 rounds (no byes with an even number of teams). Competition points: 2 for a win, 1 for a draw. South Sydney's competition points (24) reflect a 2-point penalty deduction (they earned 26 on the field: 12 wins + 2 draws) for a breach of the replacement/interchange rule in Round 8. Cronulla-Sutherland won the minor premiership (J.J. Giltinan Shield) but Canterbury-Bankstown (2nd) won the Grand Final, defeating Balmain (6th) 24-12. Some sources render the Gold Coast club as 'Gold Coast Chargers', but that name was only adopted in the 1990s — in 1988 the club was named 'Gold Coast-Tweed Giants'.