Balmain Tigers 28–8 Penrith Panthers — Playoff, 1988 NRL Finals Series
16 Aug 1988 · Parramatta Stadium, Parramatta, NSW · Attendance: 14,206
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
Playoff, 1988 NRL finals series: Balmain Tigers 28–8 Penrith Panthers, at Parramatta Stadium, Parramatta, NSW on 16 Aug 1988.
Scorers
| Balmain Tigers | Tries: John Davidson; Gary Freeman; Ellery Hanley; Michael Pobjie Goals: Ross Conlon (6/7) |
| Penrith Panthers | Tries: David Greene Goals: Neil Baker (2/5) |
Team sheets
| Balmain Tigers | Penrith Panthers | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Garry Jack | Fullback | Rod McNeill | 5 |
| 2 | John Davidson | Wing | Neil Baker | 1 |
| 3 | Ellery Hanley | Centre | Graeme Bradley | 3 |
| 4 | Michael Pobjie | Centre | Brad Izzard | 4 |
| 5 | Ross Conlon | Wing | David Greene | 2 |
| 6 | Michael Neil | Five-Eighth | Chris Mortimer | 6 |
| 7 | Gary Freeman | Halfback | Doug Delaney | 7 |
| 8 | Wayne Pearce (c) | Prop | Craig Connor | 8 |
| 9 | David Brooks | Hooker | Barry Walker | 9 |
| 10 | Paul Sironen | Prop | John Cartwright | 10 |
| 11 | Steve Roach | Second Row | Matt Goodwin | 11 |
| 12 | Ben Elias | Second Row | Royce Simmons (c) | 12 |
| 13 | Bruce McGuire | Lock | Peter Kelly | 13 |
| Substitutes | ||||
| 18 | Kevin Hardwick | Geoff Gerard | 14 | |
| 19 | Steve Edmed | Col Bentley | 18 | |
| Darren Currie | 19 | |||
| Steve Carter | 20 | |||
| Warren Ryan | Coach | Ron Willey | ||
Match officials
| Referee | Mick Stone |
Match report
Steve Roach (Balmain) and Matt Goodwin (Penrith) were both sent off. Player of the Match: Michael Neil. Penrith's jersey numbering on the source is unusual (fullback wearing #5, wing wearing #1) — reported exactly as printed, possibly a genuine numbering quirk of the fixture.