| New South Wales Rugby League season 1988 | |
 | |
| Teams | 16 |
| Premiers |  Canterbury-Bankstown (6th title) |
| Minor premiers |  Cronulla-Sutherland (1st title) |
| Matches played | 183 |
| Points scored | 6559 (average 35. The Bulldogs Rugby League Football Club (formerly Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and "The Berries") are an Australian professional Rugby league The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are an Australian professional Rugby league team based in Cronulla New South Wales in the Sutherland Shire, south of Sydney 842 per match) |
| Attendance | 1,966,658 (average 10,747 per match) |
| Top points scorer(s) |  Gary Belcher (218) |
| Top try scorer(s) | John Ferguson (20) |
The 1988 New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the eighty-first season of professional rugby league football in Australia. Gary Belcher (born 28 May, 1962 is an Australian former Rugby league footballer and commentator John "Chicka" Ferguson (born July 1954 an Indigenous Australian, is a former professional Rugby league player in the New South Wales Rugby League New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the first Rugby league football club competition established in Australia History See also History of rugby league The grass roots of rugby league can be traced to early football history, through the playing of ball games This season saw further expansion of the competition, and the first since 1982. 1982 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the seventy-fifth season of professional Rugby league football in Australia. Sixteen clubs contested for the Winfield Cup, making it the largest NSWRL premiership yet, including five Sydney-based foundation teams, another six from Sydney, two from greater New South Wales, two from Queensland, and one from the Australian Capital Territory. Winfield Cup was an Australian Rugby league trophy awarded to the winner of the New South Wales Rugby League premiership 's (NSWRL Grand Final from 1982 New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the first Rugby league football club competition established in Australia Sydney (ˈsɪdniː is the most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 4 Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern corner of the mainland continent } The Australian Capital Territory (ACT is the Capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and its smallest self-governing internal territory During the season NSWRL teams also competed for the 1988 Panasonic Cup. For background information about this competition please refer to the Amco Cup main page
Contents |
Season Summary
This season saw the premiership's first expansion since 1982 with the addition of three teams: the Brisbane Broncos, the Gold Coast-Tweed Giants and the Newcastle Knights. 1982 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the seventy-fifth season of professional Rugby league football in Australia. The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional Rugby league club based in the city of Brisbane Queensland. Gold Coast were a Rugby league team which played in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership from 1988 to 1994, the Australian Rugby The Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional Rugby league football team based in Newcastle New South Wales. On March 4th the season opened with the first game of rugby league played at the newly-built Sydney Football Stadium. History See also History of rugby league The grass roots of rugby league can be traced to early football history, through the playing of ball games The Sydney Football Stadium (colloquially known as SFS, and formerly known as Aussie Stadium between 2002 and mid-2007 is located in Moore Park, in The St. George Dragons defeated the Eastern Suburbs Roosters 24–14. The St George Dragons were a team in the National Rugby League competition in Australia The Sydney Roosters is a professional Rugby league club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, Australia. The brand new Brisbane Broncos, featuring Australian test and Queensland State of Origin captain Wally Lewis appearing for the first time in the NSWRL premiership, played their first match against the previous season's premiers Manly and won 44-10. Walter James "Wally" Lewis AM (born 1 December 1959 in Brisbane, Queensland) is an Australian former
Eventual grand finalists the Balmain Tigers had a dreadful start to the season with six wins and five losses by the end of the first full round. The Balmain Tigers (also known as the Sydney Tigers from 1995-96 were one of the founding rugby league football clubs of the New South Wales Rugby League premiership But their plight was rescued by a masterstroke from their chief executive Keith Barnes. William Keith Barnes (born 1934 in Port Talbot, Wales) is a Welsh-born Australian immigrant former Rugby league player and coach The Great Britain side was touring Australia that season and in strict secrecy Barnes negotiated to have the English captain and centre Ellery Hanley - then an undoubted world-class player - to join the Tigers. Ellery Hanley MBE (born 27 March 1961 in Leeds) is an English former Rugby league player and is now the head coach Barnes got to the NSWRL to register Hanley at 4. 55pm on June 30th, just five minutes inside the deadline for signing players for that season.
Balmain then staged a gripping charge for the final five, winning nine of their last eleven games including five in a row to leave them in equal fifth spot with the Penrith Panthers at season's end. The Penrith Panthers is an Australian professional Rugby league football team They then won four sudden death finals to make it to the Grand Final. A Grand Final is a predominantly Australian sporting term used to describe a final that decides a league champion
Teams
 Balmain Tigers |  Brisbane Broncos |  Canberra Raiders |  Canterbury Bulldogs |
 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks |  Eastern Suburbs Roosters |  Gold Coast-Tweed Giants |  Illawarra Steelers |
 Manly Sea Eagles |  Newcastle Knights |  North Sydney Bears |  Parramatta Eels |
 Penrith Panthers |  South Sydney Rabbitohs |  St. George Dragons |  Western Suburbs Magpies |
Advertising
1988 saw the NSWRL move their advertising account from John Singleton Advertising to Hertz Walpole Advertising. John Singleton AM (born 9 November 1941 is an Australian Entrepreneur. There was initially however no shift in the prior campaign direction.
For the second year in succession a visual and vocal performance by Australian rock journeyman John Swan (Swanee) was used. Swanee recorded a purpose-written jingle entitled "The Greatest Game of All" and a rock clip style advertisement was shot on a stage setting with smoke, lights and fireworks. The performance footage was interpersed with game action.
Five years later Swan's younger brother Jimmy Barnes would also feature in an NSWRL season advertisement performing alongside Tina Turner. Jimmy Barnes is a popular Australian rock singer He was born James Dixon Swan on April 28, 1956 in Glasgow, Scotland Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an eight time Grammy Award -winning American
Ladder
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cronulla | 22 | 16 | 2 | 4 | 507 | 330 | +177 | 34 |
| 2 | Canterbury | 22 | 16 | 0 | 6 | 412 | 268 | +144 | 32 |
| 3 | Canberra | 22 | 15 | 0 | 7 | 596 | 346 | +250 | 30 |
| 4 |  Manly-Warringah | 22 | 15 | 0 | 7 | 538 | 347 | +191 | 30 |
| 5 |  Penrith | 22 | 15 | 0 | 7 | 394 | 258 | +136 | 30 |
| 6 |  Balmain | 22 | 15 | 0 | 7 | 402 | 341 | +61 | 30 |
| 7 |  Brisbane | 22 | 14 | 0 | 8 | 474 | 368 | +106 | 28 |
| 8 |  South Sydney | 22 | 12 | 2 | 8 | 425 | 383 | +42 | 24 |
| 9 |  North Sydney | 22 | 9 | 2 | 11 | 366 | 424 | -58 | 20 |
| 10 |  St. George | 22 | 9 | 0 | 13 | 352 | 493 | -141 | 18 |
| 11 |  Parramatta | 22 | 8 | 0 | 14 | 359 | 412 | -53 | 16 |
| 12 |  Eastern Suburbs | 22 | 6 | 3 | 13 | 387 | 443 | -56 | 15 |
| 13 |  Illawarra | 22 | 6 | 1 | 15 | 353 | 510 | -157 | 13 |
| 14 |  Newcastle | 22 | 5 | 1 | 16 | 270 | 460 | -190 | 11 |
| 15 |  Gold Coast-Tweed | 22 | 4 | 2 | 16 | 238 | 484 | -246 | 10 |
| 16 |  Western Suburbs | 22 | 4 | 1 | 17 | 287 | 493 | -206 | 9 |
- South Sydney were stripped of 2 competition points due to an illegal replacement in one game. The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are an Australian professional Rugby league team based in Cronulla New South Wales in the Sutherland Shire, south of Sydney The Bulldogs Rugby League Football Club (formerly Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and "The Berries") are an Australian professional Rugby league The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional Rugby league football team based in the city of Canberra Australian Capital Territory. The Manly - Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional Rugby league club based on the Northern Beaches of Sydney The Penrith Panthers is an Australian professional Rugby league football team The Balmain Tigers (also known as the Sydney Tigers from 1995-96 were one of the founding rugby league football clubs of the New South Wales Rugby League premiership The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional Rugby league club based in the city of Brisbane Queensland. The South Sydney Rabbitohs, also known as Souths, The Bunnies, SSFC or The Rabbits, are an Australian professional Rugby league The North Sydney Bears are an Australian Rugby league football club based in Sydney who currently compete in the New South Wales Cup. The St George Dragons were a team in the National Rugby League competition in Australia The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional Rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta. The Sydney Roosters is a professional Rugby league club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, Australia. The Illawarra Steelers are an Australian Rugby league football club based in the city of Wollongong New South Wales. The Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional Rugby league football team based in Newcastle New South Wales. Gold Coast were a Rugby league team which played in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership from 1988 to 1994, the Australian Rugby The Western Suburbs Magpies are a Rugby league football club in Sydney Australia
Finals
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Crowd | |||||
| Playoff | ||||||||
 Penrith Panthers | 8-28 |  Balmain Tigers | 16 August 1988 | Parramatta Stadium | Mick Stone | 14,206 | ||
| Qualifying Finals | ||||||||
 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | 6-19 | Balmain Tigers | 20 August 1988 | Sydney Football Stadium | Mick Stone | 25,327 | ||
 Canterbury Bulldogs | 19-18 |  Canberra Raiders | 21 August 1988 | Sydney Football Stadium | Graham Annesley | 19,259 | ||
| Semi Finals | ||||||||
| Canberra Raiders | 6-14 | Balmain Tigers | 27 August 1988 | Sydney Football Stadium | Mick Stone | 28,879 | ||
 Cronulla Sharks | 8-26 | Canterbury Bulldogs | 28 August 1988 | Sydney Football Stadium | Graham Annesley | 31,684 | ||
| Preliminary Final | ||||||||
| Cronulla Sharks | 2-9 | Balmain Tigers | 4 September 1988 | Sydney Football Stadium | Mick Stone | 34,848 | ||
| Grand Final | ||||||||
| Canterbury Bulldogs | 24-12 | Balmain Tigers | 11 September 1988 | Sydney Football Stadium | Mick Stone | 40,000 | ||
Grand Final
| Canterbury Bulldogs | Position | Balmain Tigers |
|---|---|---|
| Jason Alchin | FB | Garry Jack |
| Glen Nissen | WG | Russell Gartner |
| Tony Currie | CE | Ellery Hanley |
| Andrew Farrar | CE | Michael Pobjie |
| Robin Thorne | WG | Ross Conlon |
| Terry Lamb | FE | Mick Neil |
| Michael Hagan | HB | Gary Freeman |
| Paul Dunn | PR | Bruce McGuire |
| Joe Thomas | HK | Benny Elias |
| Peter Tunks (c) | PR | Kerry Hemsley |
| David Gillespie | SR | Paul Sironen |
| Steve Folkes | SR | David Brooks |
| Paul Langmack | LK | Wayne Pearce (c) |
| Brandon Lee | Bench | Kevin Hardwick |
| Steve Mortimer | Bench | Steve Edmed |
| Darren McCarthy | Bench | Scot Gale |
| Mark Bugden | Bench | |
| Phil Gould | Coach | Warren Ryan |
Following Balmain's extraordinary late season run in winning thirteen of fifteen games, the stage was set for a Grand Final of great appeal. The Penrith Panthers is an Australian professional Rugby league football team The Balmain Tigers (also known as the Sydney Tigers from 1995-96 were one of the founding rugby league football clubs of the New South Wales Rugby League premiership Parramatta Stadium is a sports stadium situated in Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia. The Manly - Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional Rugby league club based on the Northern Beaches of Sydney The Balmain Tigers (also known as the Sydney Tigers from 1995-96 were one of the founding rugby league football clubs of the New South Wales Rugby League premiership The Sydney Football Stadium (colloquially known as SFS, and formerly known as Aussie Stadium between 2002 and mid-2007 is located in Moore Park, in The Bulldogs Rugby League Football Club (formerly Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and "The Berries") are an Australian professional Rugby league The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional Rugby league football team based in the city of Canberra Australian Capital Territory. The Sydney Football Stadium (colloquially known as SFS, and formerly known as Aussie Stadium between 2002 and mid-2007 is located in Moore Park, in The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional Rugby league football team based in the city of Canberra Australian Capital Territory. The Balmain Tigers (also known as the Sydney Tigers from 1995-96 were one of the founding rugby league football clubs of the New South Wales Rugby League premiership The Sydney Football Stadium (colloquially known as SFS, and formerly known as Aussie Stadium between 2002 and mid-2007 is located in Moore Park, in The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are an Australian professional Rugby league team based in Cronulla New South Wales in the Sutherland Shire, south of Sydney The Bulldogs Rugby League Football Club (formerly Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and "The Berries") are an Australian professional Rugby league The Sydney Football Stadium (colloquially known as SFS, and formerly known as Aussie Stadium between 2002 and mid-2007 is located in Moore Park, in The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are an Australian professional Rugby league team based in Cronulla New South Wales in the Sutherland Shire, south of Sydney The Balmain Tigers (also known as the Sydney Tigers from 1995-96 were one of the founding rugby league football clubs of the New South Wales Rugby League premiership The Sydney Football Stadium (colloquially known as SFS, and formerly known as Aussie Stadium between 2002 and mid-2007 is located in Moore Park, in The Bulldogs Rugby League Football Club (formerly Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and "The Berries") are an Australian professional Rugby league The Balmain Tigers (also known as the Sydney Tigers from 1995-96 were one of the founding rugby league football clubs of the New South Wales Rugby League premiership The Sydney Football Stadium (colloquially known as SFS, and formerly known as Aussie Stadium between 2002 and mid-2007 is located in Moore Park, in A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench Garry Jack (born 14 March 1961 in Wollongong New South Wales) is an Australian former Rugby league footballer and coach A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench Tony Currie (born 25 December, 1962) is an Australian former Rugby league footballer of the 1980's A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench Ellery Hanley MBE (born 27 March 1961 in Leeds) is an English former Rugby league player and is now the head coach Andrew Farrar is an Australian former Rugby league player and coach A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench Ross Conlon (born in Murwillumbah New South Wales) is an Australian former Rugby league footballer Terence "Terry" John Lamb OAM, (born 15 September 1961) is an Australian former Rugby league player of the 1980s and A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench Michael Hagan (born 16 August 1964) is a former premiership-winning Rugby league player and Queensland State of Origin representative A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench Gary Freeman is a New Zealand former Rugby league player He played in New Zealand for the Northcote Tigers, then in Australia for the Balmain Paul Dunn is an Australian former Rugby league footballer He played 100 games for Canterbury Bulldogs and at his peak represented Australia. A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench Bruce McGuire (born in Sydney New South Wales) is an Australian former Rugby league footballer He played in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench Benjamin Elias ( لبني الياس in Arabic) (born November 15, 1963, Tripoli, Lebanon) is a former Rugby league Peter Tunks (born August 30, 1958 in Sydney New South Wales) is an Australian former Rugby league player for the South Sydney A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench David "Cement" Gillespie (born in Sydney New South Wales) is an Australian former professional Rugby league footballer A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench Paul Sironen (born 23 May, 1965 in North Sydney New South Wales, Australia) is an Australian former professional Rugby league Steve Folkes (born 30 January 1960) is a former Australian rugby league test footballer and former coach of the Bulldogs in the National A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench David Brooks (born 24 May 1962 is an Australian former professional Rugby league footballer Paul Langmack is an Australian former Rugby league coach and representative and premiership-winning player A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench Wayne John Pearce OAM (born 29 March 1960 in Balmain New South Wales) is an Australian former Rugby league footballer and coach Steve Mortimer OAM, (born July 15, 1956) nicknamed Turvey after Turvey Park in Wagga Wagga New South Wales, where he hailed For the drummer Phil Gould see Phil Gould (musician. Phillip Ronald Gould (born 1958 in Sydney, New South Wales) is Warren Ryan is an Australian former Rugby league player (he played centre and a highly regarded former coach who enjoyed considerable success in the 1980s 1980s mastercoach Warren Ryan of Balmain was up against the club he had coached for four years to three grand finals and two premierships, as well as being matched against the the man who had replaced him at Canterbury - Phil Gould. It was master against pupil. At just 30 years of age, Gould was vying not only to become the youngest coach to win a grand final but the first since Balmain's Leo Nosworthy in 1969 to steer a team to premiership victory in his first season coaching the top-grade. 1969 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the sixty-second season of professional Rugby league football in Australia
The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs faced the Balmain Tigers on 11 September, 1988 in the first Grand Final played at the Sydney Football Stadium and the last game for Steve Mortimer. The Bulldogs Rugby League Football Club (formerly Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and "The Berries") are an Australian professional Rugby league The match was played early so that Channel Ten could broadcast the 1988 Seoul Olympics. TV10 could refer to TV10 (Netherlands See Channel 10 (Greece Network Ten in Australia The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an International Multi-sport event staged in 1988 in Balmain grabbed an early 6-4 lead when Benny Elias put up a bomb and was first to the ball ahead of Bulldog Jason Alchin.
A highly controversial tackle by Terry Lamb put Balmain's British import Ellery Hanley out of the game. Terence "Terry" John Lamb OAM, (born 15 September 1961) is an Australian former Rugby league player of the 1980s and Hanley staggered off, heavily concussed, with the score at 6-4. Under the rules of the time, Hanley was allowed 10 minutes to recover in the head bin. If he could not return he would need be replaced. He returned just before half-time and stood, out-of-sorts, on the wing. The Bulldogs then ran in a 70-metre try from broken play and went to the break with a lead of 12-8.
Hanley didn't return after half-time and the Bulldogs started to dominate. A great Canterbury team try to Michael Hagan sealed the match. Bruce McGuire scored Balmain's second try late in the match although the outcome was already clear. The match ended on a sentimental note when Gould called the Bulldog's representative star, former captain and 271 game veteran, Steve Mortimer to the sideline. He was less than fully fit and had his arm heavily padded to protect the wrist he had broken early in the season. However Mortimer had been named as a fresh reserve as tribute to his previous club contributions and the match ended with him moving to dummy half and taking the ball up for the last time.
Canterbury-Bankstown 24 (Tries: Nissen, Hagan, Gillespie, Lamb; Goals: Lamb 4 )
Balmain 12 (Tries: Elias, McGuire; Goals: Conlon 2 )
Clive Churchill Medal: Paul Dunn
References
- Rugby League Tables - Season 1988 The World of Rugby League. The Clive Churchill Medal has been presented to the man-of-the-match of the Australian first grade Rugby league Grand Final ever since 1986. Paul Dunn is an Australian former Rugby league footballer He played 100 games for Canterbury Bulldogs and at his peak represented Australia.
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