1998 AFL finals series

The Australian Football League's 1998 finals series began on Friday, 4 September 1998 and culminated with the 102nd AFL Grand Final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday, 26 September 1998. Eight of the league's sixteen teams qualified for the finals based on the home-and-away season, and the finals were played under the McIntyre final eight system.

1998 AFL premiership season
Teams8
PremiersAdelaide Football Club
2nd premiership
Minor premiersNorth Melbourne Football Club
10th minor premiership
Matches played9

The series concluded with the grand final, which saw the Adelaide Crows (5th placed after the home-and-away season, 13–9) win its second consecutive premiership, defeating minor premiers North Melbourne (16–6) by 35 points. Adelaide was the lowest placed team after the home-and-away season to win the premiership since 1900.

Final Ladder

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(P) Premiers
Qualified for finals
# Team P W L D PF PA % Pts
1 North Melbourne 22 16 6 0 2486 2117 117.4 64
2 Western Bulldogs 22 15 7 0 2353 2019 116.5 60
3 Sydney 22 14 8 0 2283 2143 106.5 56
4 Melbourne 22 14 8 0 2009 1956 102.7 56
5 Adelaide (P) 22 13 9 0 2172 1763 123.2 52
6 St Kilda 22 13 9 0 2148 2104 102.1 52
7 West Coast 22 12 10 0 1940 1773 109.4 48
8 Essendon 22 12 10 0 2250 2071 108.6 48
9 Richmond 22 12 10 0 2018 1926 104.8 48
10 Port Adelaide 22 9 12 1 1928 2017 95.6 38
11 Carlton 22 9 13 0 2018 2109 95.7 36
12 Geelong 22 9 13 0 1777 1963 90.5 36
13 Hawthorn 22 8 14 0 1992 2083 95.6 32
14 Collingwood 22 7 15 0 1968 2167 90.8 28
15 Fremantle 22 7 15 0 1739 2277 76.4 28
16 Brisbane Lions 22 5 16 1 1860 2453 75.8 22

Rules for classification: 1. premiership points; 2. percentage; 3. points for
Average score: 93.6
Source: AFL Tables

Week One

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Qualifying Finals

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Home team Score Away team Score Venue Attendance Date
North Melbourne 11.16 (82) Essendon 8.12 (60) MCG 71,154 Friday, 4 September
Melbourne 17.13 (115) Adelaide 9.13 (67) MCG 60,817 Saturday, 5 September
Sydney 12.17 (89) St Kilda 13.9 (87) SCG 36,076 Saturday, 5 September
Western Bulldogs 18.13 (121) West Coast 7.9 (51) MCG 43,025 Sunday, 6 September

Week Two

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Semi finals

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Home team Score Away team Score Venue Attendance Date
Melbourne 15.17 (107) St Kilda 7.14 (56) MCG 88,456 Saturday, 12 September
Sydney 10.7 (67) Adelaide 14.10 (94) SCG 37,498 Saturday, 12 September

Week Three

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Preliminary Finals

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Home team Score Away team Score Venue Attendance Date
North Melbourne 17.12 (114) Melbourne 12.12 (84) MCG 73,719 Friday, 18 September
Western Bulldogs 13.15 (93) Adelaide 24.17 (161) MCG 67,557 Saturday, 19 September

North Melbourne won its eleventh consecutive match. Adelaide defeated the Western Bulldogs in a preliminary final for the second consecutive year.

Grand final

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Team 1 2 3 Final
Adelaide 3.2 4.3 9.11 15.15 (105)
North Melbourne 4.4 6.15 8.15 8.22 (70)
Date Saturday, 26 September 1998, 2:30pm AEST
Coin Toss Winner North Melbourne, chose Punt Road end.
Goals (Adel) 5: Jarman
3: Smart
2. Vardy
1. James, Pittman, Johnson, Thiessen, Ricciuto
Goals (North) 1: Blakey, Pike, Abraham, Carey, Roberts, Bell, Allison, Simpson
Best
Norm Smith Medal Andrew McLeod Adelaide
Injuries
Reports None
Venue Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, VIC
Attendance 94,431
Umpires Andrew Coates, Hayden Kennedy, Darren Goldspink
Metropolitan Free To Air TV audience 2,524,000 (Nationally)

References

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