# 1998 Canterbury Bulldogs season

The 1998 Canterbury Bulldogs season was the 64th in the club's history. Coached by Steve Folkes and captained by Simon Gillies then Darren Britt, they competed in the 1998 NRL season's, finishing the regular season 9th (out of 20) to make a top-ten play-off grouping before reaching the grand final which they lost to the Brisbane Broncos.

## Match results

1998 Season Results :
| Round | Opponent | Result | Bulldogs | Opposition | Date | Venue | Crowd |
| 1 | Canberra Raiders | Win | 20 | 10 | 15 March | Belmore Sports Ground | 8,453 |
| 2 | Brisbane Broncos | Loss | 12 | 20 | 22 March | Belmore Sports Ground | 10,962 |
| 3 | Adelaide Rams | Loss | 20 | 22 | 27 March | Adelaide Oval | 8,390 |
| 4 | Balmain Tigers | Loss | 10 | 24 | 5 April | Belmore Sports Ground | 10,152 |
| 5 | Parramatta Eels | Loss | 14 | 22 | 11 April | Parramatta Stadium | 14,012 |
| 6 | Gold Coast Chargers | Win | 56 | 10 | 19 April | Belmore Sports Ground | 5,179 |
| 7 | Balmain Tigers | Win | 26 | 10 | 25 April | Leichhardt Oval | 18,485 |
| 8 | Adelaide Rams | Win | 38 | 4 | 3 May | Belmore Sports Ground | 5,041 |
| 9 | North Queensland Cowboys | Win | 24 | 18 | 9 May | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 15,288 |
| 10 | Auckland Warriors | Loss | 6 | 20 | 16 May | Belmore Sports Ground | 5,224 |
| 11 | Brisbane Broncos | Loss | 12 | 40 | 24 May | ANZ Stadium QLD | 15,407 |
| 12 | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | Win | 28 | 2 | 31 May | Belmore Sports Ground | 10,152 |
| 13 | North Sydney Bears | Loss | 4 | 38 | 7 June | Belmore Sports Ground | 9,427 |
| 14 | Newcastle Knights | Loss | 4 | 12 | 14 March | EnergyAustralia Stadium | 21,717 |
| 15 | Sydney City Roosters | Win | 22 | 10 | 21 June | Belmore Sports Ground | 8,926 |
| 16 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Loss | 6 | 28 | 27 June | Toyota Park | 10,243 |
| 17 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Won | 30 | 8 | 4 July | Sydney Football Stadium | 5,822 |
| 18 | Canberra Raiders | Win | 22 | 20 | 12 July | Canberra Stadium | 9,610 |
| 19 | Parramatta Eels | Loss | 6 | 7 | 18 July | Belmore Sports Ground | 9,541 |
| 20 | Penrith Panthers | Loss | 18 | 26 | 26 May | Penrith Stadium | 6,404 |
| 21 | Western Suburbs Magpies | Win | 56 | 14 | 2 August | Belmore Sports Ground | 6,125 |
| 22 | St. George Dragons | Win | 28 | 16 | 9 August | OKI Jubilee Stadium | 10,739 |
| 23 | Melbourne Storm | Win | 8 | 4 | 15 August | Belmore Sports Ground | 11,179 |
| 24 | Illawarra Steelers | Win | 25 | 24 | 23 August | WIN Stadium | 13,106 |
| Minor Semi Final | St. George Dragons | Win | 20 | 12 | 29 August | OKI Jubilee Stadium | 16,833 |
| Semi Final | North Sydney Bears | Win | 23 | 2 | 2 September | North Sydney Oval | 18,718 |
| 1st Preliminary Final | Newcastle Knights | Win | 28 | 16 | 12 September | Sydney Football Stadium | 24,449 |
| 1st Grand Final Qualifier | Parramatta Eels | Win | 32 | 20 | 20 September | Sydney Football Stadium | 36,841 |
| GRAND FINAL | Brisbane Broncos | Loss | 12 | 38 | 27 September | Sydney Football Stadium | 40,857 |

## Grand final

The 1998 NRL grand final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the 1998 NRL season. It was the first grand final of the re-unified National Rugby League and featured minor premiers and the previous year's Super League premiers, the Brisbane Broncos against the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. It was to be the first grand final under the National Rugby League partnership's administration and the last to be played at the Sydney Football Stadium. It was also the first time these two sides had met in a grand final.
Brisbane scored first but by half time trailed the Canterbury side 10–12. However, the Brisbane club scored 28 unanswered points in the second half, winning 12–38 and equaling the second highest score for a team in grand final history.
* Sunday, 27 September 15:00 AEST (UTC+10)
| Brisbane Broncos | 38 – 12 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs |
| Tries: 7 De Vere 2' Campion 27' Carroll 41' Sailor 50' Tallis 59' Lee 68' Smith 75' Goals: 5 Lockyer 4', 43', 60', 69', 76' (5/7) | 1st: 10–12 2nd: 28–0 Report | Tries: 2 Grimaldi 21' Talau 30' Goals: 2 Halligan pen 11', 22' (2/3) |
* Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney Attendance: 40,857 Referee: Bill Harrigan Touch judges: Steve Betts, John McCormack Clive Churchill Medal: Gorden Tallis (Brisbane)