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 | |
|---|---|
| Teams | 8 |
| Premiers | Adelaide Football Club (2nd premiership) |
| Minor premiers | North Melbourne Football Club (10th minor premiership) |
| Matches played | 9 |
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
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | D | PF | PA | PP | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Melbourne | 22 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 2486 | 2117 | 117.4 | 64 | Finals series |
| 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) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for.
(P) Premiers.
Week One
Qualifying Finals
| 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
Week Three
Preliminary Finals
| 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
| 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) |