1998 NRL Grand Final

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.

Ryan had been found guilty and suspended for three matches by the NRL Judiciary for a high tackle in the Broncos' semi final victory against Melbourne.

[8] The Broncos kicked off and in only the third minute of the match, a tackle on Willie Talau twenty metres out from Canterbury's line saw the ball come loose.

[10] A few minutes later the Broncos were denied a try in the same corner when Renouf caught a stray Kevin Walters pass to dive over, with video re-plays showing that the ball only appeared to travel forward because it was struck by a Canterbury defender.

Canterbury prop Troy Stone had to leave the field at this point with a broken arm, but would return ten minutes later with a guard on it to play the rest of the match.

Canterbury struck back a few minutes later when Steve Price stepped through an opening twenty-five metres out and gave the ball to Willie Talau to dive over on the right side, regaining the lead.

Eight minutes later Brisbane were in the centre of the field when Allan Langer threw a short pass inside to Steve Renouf who raced through into open space.

He was tackled on the twenty-metre line but as the Canterbury defence scrambled to get back, the Broncos kept it moving, the ball going out to Wendell Sailor who dived over in the right corner.

Shortly after that, Brisbane seemed to have the game wrapped up when Gorden Tallis at dummy-half feigned passing and from close range forced his way over the try line under the posts.

[16] The Broncos' next try came in the sixty-ninth minute after getting a penalty down close to Canterbury's line near the left corner, taking the tap and passing it quickly through the hands out to the right side where Phillip Lee, the only Brisbane player to be playing in his first Grand Final, ran through a gap to crash over.

Carroll ran forty metres before passing back in for Darren Smith, bound for Canterbury the following season, to run the remaining thirty-five to the try-line.

The Sydney Football Stadium, which hosted the match