1998 Queensland Cup

Last updated

1998 Queensland Cup
DurationMarch 14 – September 19, 1998
Teams16
Premiers Norths Devils colours.svg Norths Devils (1st title)
Minor premiers Norths Devils colours.svg Norths Devils (1st title)
Matches played185
Points scored9,184
Top points scorer(s) Norths Devils colours.svg John Wilshere (276)
Player of the year Hunter colours.svg Shane Perry
Top try-scorer(s) Redcliffe colours.svg George Wilson (27)
  1997
1999  

The 1998 Queensland Cup season was the 3rd season of Queensland's top-level statewide rugby league competition.

Contents

The competition was contested by sixteen teams over a 27-week long season (including finals), with the Norths Devils defeating the Wests Panthers 35–16 in the Grand Final at Suncorp Stadium. Logan halfback Shane Perry was named the competition's Player of the Year.

Teams

The competition returned to a 16-team format in 1998 with the Bundaberg Grizzlies returning to the competition after a year's absence and the admission of the Townsville Stingers and Gold Coast Vikings. The Port Moresby Vipers withdrew after two seasons in the competition after they were unable to continue to pay their travel and accommodation costs. Also in 1998, the Pine Rivers Brothers played as the Brisbane Brothers, while the Logan City Scorpions became the Logan Scorpions.

In 1998, a number of NRL clubs partnered with Queensland Cup sides, sending players not selected in first grade to play in the competition. The Brisbane Broncos were affiliated with Brisbane Brothers, the Gold Coast Chargers with the Gold Coast Vikings, the Melbourne Storm with the Norths Devils, the North Queensland Cowboys with the Townsville Stingers and the Adelaide Rams with the Wests Panthers.

ColoursClubHome ground(s)
Brothers Colours.svg
Brisbane Brothers Crosby Park
Bundaberg Colours.svg
Bundaberg Grizzlies Salter Oval
Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg
Burleigh Bears Pizzey Park
Cairns Cyclones Colours.svg
Cairns Cyclones Barlow Park
Central Comets colours.svg
Central Capras Browne Park
Balmain colours.svg
Easts Tigers Langlands Park
Gold Coast Vikings Colours.svg
Gold Coast Vikings Carrara Stadium
Ipswich Colours.svg
Ipswich Jets North Ipswich Reserve
Hunter colours.svg
Logan Scorpions Meakin Park
Norths Devils colours.svg
Norths Devils Bishop Park
Redcliffe colours.svg
Redcliffe Dolphins Dolphin Oval
Western Suburbs colours.svg
Souths Magpies Davies Park
Toowoomba Clydesdales colours.svg
Toowoomba Clydesdales Athletic Oval
Canterbury colours.svg
Townsville Stingers Malanda Stadium
Wests Panthers Colours.svg
Wests Panthers Purtell Park
Wynnum-Manly Colours.svg
Wynnum Seagulls Kougari Oval

Results

In 1998, the Queensland Cup became a full 22-round competition, unlike the previous two seasons which had 17 and 18 regular season rounds.

Ladder

1998 Queensland Cup
PosTeamPldWDLPFPAPDPts
1 Norths Devils colours.svg Norths Devils (P)221615872394+47833
2 Brothers Colours.svg Brisbane Brothers 221606731364+36732
3 Wests Panthers Colours.svg Wests Panthers 221606748408+34032
4 Redcliffe colours.svg Redcliffe Dolphins 221606647314+33332
5 Gold Coast Vikings Colours.svg Gold Coast Vikings 221507673423+25030
6 Wynnum-Manly Colours.svg Wynnum Seagulls 221507531382+14930
7 Canterbury colours.svg Townsville Stingers 221336686435+25129
8 Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg Burleigh Bears 221408604442+16228
9 Balmain colours.svg Easts Tigers 221219522497+2525
10 Cairns Cyclones Colours.svg Cairns Cyclones 228212500642-14218
11 Central Comets colours.svg Central Capras 228014497701-20416
12 Hunter colours.svg Logan Scorpions 226115488694-20613
13 Ipswich Colours.svg Ipswich Jets 226016350606-25612
14 Western Suburbs colours.svg Souths Magpies 226016381763-38212
15 Toowoomba Clydesdales colours.svg Toowoomba Clydesdales 225017310755-44510
16 Bundaberg Colours.svg Bundaberg Grizzlies 2200222861006-7200

Finals series

HomeScoreAwayMatch Information
DateVenue
Week 1 Semi-finals
Gold Coast Vikings Colours.svg Gold Coast Vikings 30 – 10 Wynnum-Manly Colours.svg Wynnum Seagulls 22 August 1998 Carrara Stadium
Wests Panthers Colours.svg Wests Panthers 10 – 20 Redcliffe colours.svg Redcliffe Dolphins 22 August 1998 Purtell Park
Norths Devils colours.svg Norths Devils 28 – 10 Brothers Colours.svg Brisbane Brothers 23 August 1998 Kougari Oval
Week 2 Semi-finals
Wests Panthers Colours.svg Wests Panthers 18 – 16 Gold Coast Vikings Colours.svg Gold Coast Vikings 29 August 1998 Pizzey Park
Brothers Colours.svg Brisbane Brothers 24 – 28 Redcliffe colours.svg Redcliffe Dolphins 29 August 1998 Purtell Park
Week 3 Semi-finals
Norths Devils colours.svg Norths Devils 16 – 12 Redcliffe colours.svg Redcliffe Dolphins 5 September 1998 Dolphin Oval
Brothers Colours.svg Brisbane Brothers 16 – 18 Wests Panthers Colours.svg Wests Panthers 6 September 1998Crosby Park
Preliminary Final
Redcliffe colours.svg Redcliffe Dolphins 14 – 27 Wests Panthers Colours.svg Wests Panthers 12 September 1998 Dolphin Oval
Grand Final
Norths Devils colours.svg Norths Devils 35 – 18 Wests Panthers Colours.svg Wests Panthers 19 September 1998 Suncorp Stadium

Grand Final

Sunday, 19 September
Norths Devils Norths Devils colours.svg 35 – 16 Wests Panthers Colours.svg Wests Panthers
Tries:
Matt Geyer 3
Anthony Bonus 1
Kevin Carmichael 1
Craig O'Dwyer 1
Goals:
John Wilshire 4
Kevin Carmichael 1
Field Goals:
Andrew Hamilton 1
1st: 6 - 16
2nd: 29 - 0
Report
Tries:
2 Jacob Twist
1 Mark Maguire
Goals:
2 Tony Devlin
Suncorp Stadium
Attendance: 4,283
Referee: Tony Maksoud
Norths DevilsPositionWests Panthers
Paul Hubbard FB Tony Devlin
Matthew Dux WG Mark Maguire
Steven Bell CE Shaun Valentine
Matt Geyer CE Craig Smith
John Wilshire WG Scott Williamson
Craig O'Dwyer FE Craig Bowen (c)
Kevin Carmichael (c) HB Jason Twist
Anthony Bonus PR David Asplin
Dale Williams HK Jason Campbell
Wade Fenton PR Robert Campbell
Andrew Hamilton SR Cameron Roper
Daniel Frame SR Alan Wieland
Mark Protheroe LK Joel Twohill
Ricky PaulBenchDavid Fuller
Matt Rua BenchPeter Liddell
Ryan GundryBench Sam Faalafi
Tristan Brady-Smith BenchDavid Liddell
Mark Murray CoachWayne Treleaven

Norths, who finished the season as minor premiers, qualified for their first Grand Final after defeating Brothers and Redcliffe in the finals series. Wests, who finished third, had a tougher road to their first Grand Final appearance, losing in Week 1 to Redcliffe. From there, the Panthers won three straight elimination games to qualify for the decider. When the two sides met in the regular season, Norths defeated the Panthers 42–22 in Round 5 at Purtell Park. [1]

First half

Wests halfback Jason Twist scored the first points of the game after four minutes with a try close the posts. 15 minutes later, Wests added four more points when winger Mark Maguire crossed in the corner. The Panthers added to their tally soon after when Twist crossed for his second, backing up Shaun Valentine who made a break down the field. Trailing 16-0, Norths finally got on the board when centre Matt Geyer scored the first of his three tries.

Second half

The second half was all Norths, as they ran in 29 unanswered points to secure their maiden premiership. Devils' prop Anthony Bonus crashed over right next to the posts to cut the lead to four, before Geyer scored his second to level the scores. John Wilshire's sideline conversion put Norths in front by two, their first lead of the game coming in the 60th minute. Captain Kevin Carmichael was the next to score for Norths, with second-rower Andrew Hamilton kicking a field goal 10 minutes later to extend Norths' lead to seven. Norths finished with two late tries to Craig O'Dwyer and Geyer to cap a remarkable 19-point win. The 16-0 deficit they overcame is (as of 2019), the biggest comeback in a Queensland Cup Grand Final. [2] [3]

Geyer and Matt Rua would go onto play in the Melbourne Storm's NRL Grand Final win over the St George Illawarra Dragons a year later, while Steven Bell would win an NRL premiership with the Manly Sea Eagles in 2008. [4] [5]

Player statistics

End-of-season awards

See also

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References

  1. "Queensland Rugby League". queensland.rleague.com. Archived from the original on 18 March 2013. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  2. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine : "1998 QLD Cup Grand Final Norths 35 v Wests 16". YouTube .
  3. "20 Years on - Remembering the 1998 Grand Final". 7 March 2018.
  4. "Where are they now: 1999 NRL grand finalists". 26 September 2019.
  5. "Bell to hang up boots in Rocky". The Courier Mail. 9 October 2008.