Coached by Brian Smith and captained by Dean Pay they competed in the National Rugby League's 1998 Premiership season.

Parramatta had a highly successful finals series, beating the North Sydney Bears in a Qualifying Final and then backing up to defeat eventual premiers the Brisbane Broncos 15–10 at ANZ Stadium in Brisbane.

Due to the win, Parramatta gained a week off before clashing with arch-rivals Canterbury in the Grand Final Qualifier.

However, Canterbury managed a late resurgence scoring three tries in eight minutes to tie the game up at 18–18 with Daryl Halligan kicking two side line conversions which took the game into extra-time.

The extra-time period is remembered for the performance of Parramatta player Paul Carige who made three crucial errors.