1998 AFL season
102nd season of the Australian Football League (AFL)
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The 1998 AFL season was the 102nd season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season featured sixteen clubs, ran from 27 March until 26 September, and comprised a 22-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top eight clubs.
Teams16
PremiersAdelaide
2nd premiership
2nd premiership
Minor premiersNorth Melbourne
4th minor premiership
4th minor premiership
Pre-season cupNorth Melbourne
2nd pre-season cup win
2nd pre-season cup win
| 1998 AFL premiership season | |
|---|---|
| Teams | 16 |
| Premiers | Adelaide 2nd premiership |
| Minor premiers | North Melbourne 4th minor premiership |
| Pre-season cup | North Melbourne 2nd pre-season cup win |
| Brownlow Medallist | Robert Harvey (St Kilda) |
| Leading goalkicker | Tony Lockett (Sydney) |
| Attendance | |
| Matches played | 185 |
| Total attendance | 6,691,897 (36,172 per match) |
| Highest | 94,431 (Grand Final, Adelaide vs. North Melbourne) |
The premiership was won by the Adelaide Football Club for the second time and second time consecutively, after it defeated North Melbourne by 35 points in the 1998 AFL Grand Final.
AFL draft
See 1998 AFL draft.
Ansett Australia Cup
North Melbourne defeated St Kilda 14.13 (97) to 12.11 (83) in the final.
Home-and-away season
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Round 5
Round 6
Round 7
Round 8
Round 9
Round 10
Round 11
Round 12
Round 13
Round 14
Round 15
Round 16
Round 17
Round 18
Round 19
Round 20
Round 21
Round 22
Ladder
| (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
Progression by round
Numbers highlighted in green indicate that the team finished the round inside the top 8.
Numbers highlighted in blue indicates the team finished first on the ladder in that round.
Numbers highlighted in red indicates the team finished in last place on the ladder in that round.
Finals series
Qualifying finals
Semi finals
Preliminary finals
Grand final
Attendance
| Team | Hosted | Average | Highest | Lowest | Total | Last season | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essendon | 11 | 54,894 | 83,773 | 26,241 | 603,830 | 52,848 | + 2046 |
| Collingwood | 11 | 49,399 | 81,542 | 23,188 | 543,391 | 48,708 | + 691 |
| Richmond | 11 | 44,307 | 70,200 | 25,723 | 487,377 | 34,515 | + 9792 |
| Adelaide | 11 | 41,245 | 46,850 | 38,430 | 453,696 | 40,173 | + 1072 |
| Melbourne | 11 | 40,085 | 76,387 | 16,518 | 440,931 | 27,714 | + 12,371 |
| St Kilda | 11 | 36,231 | 71,488 | 20,063 | 398,543 | 35,232 | + 999 |
| North Melbourne | 11 | 35,791 | 68,050 | 11,321 | 393,703 | 32,520 | + 3271 |
| West Coast Eagles | 11 | 34,199 | 37,920 | 27,059 | 376,194 | 32,582 | + 1617 |
| Carlton | 11 | 32,634 | 69,963 | 16,058 | 358,971 | 33,634 | - 1000 |
| Hawthorn | 11 | 32,173 | 41,780 | 18,698 | 353,902 | 32,380 | - 207 |
| Port Adelaide | 11 | 31,799 | 41,476 | 28,167 | 349,794 | 35,829 | - 4030 |
| Sydney | 11 | 31,549 | 36,505 | 25,951 | 347,034 | 35,818 | - 4269 |
| Geelong | 11 | 28,371 | 61,089 | 19,449 | 312,078 | 28,324 | + 47 |
| Western Bulldogs | 11 | 23,832 | 36,428 | 16,131 | 262,153 | 19,335 | + 4497 |
| Fremantle | 11 | 23,104 | 34,710 | 17,452 | 254,143 | 21,982 | + 1122 |
| Brisbane Lions | 11 | 16,675 | 19,509 | 14,738 | 183,424 | 19,550 | - 2875 |
| Totals | 176 | 34,768 | 83,773 | 11,321 | 6,119,164 | 33,197 | + 1571 |
| Venue | Hosted | Average | Highest | Lowest | Total | Last season | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MCG | 55 | 47,585 | 83,773 | 16,518 | 2617,182 | 43,488 | + 4097 |
| Football Park | 22 | 36,522 | 46,850 | 28,167 | 803,490 | 38,001 | - 1479 |
| Waverley Park | 26 | 34,549 | 71,488 | 18,698 | 898,269 | 33,806 | + 743 |
| SCG | 11 | 31,549 | 36,505 | 25,951 | 347,034 | 35,818 | - 4269 |
| Subiaco Oval | 16 | 29,800 | 37,920 | 17,452 | 476,798 | 28,371 | + 1429 |
| WACA | 6 | 25,590 | 28,193 | 22,037 | 153,539 | 23,578 | + 2012 |
| Kardinia Park | 9 | 23,307 | 26,879 | 19,449 | 209,767 | 21,269 | + 2038 |
| Victoria Park | 2 | 23,241 | 23,293 | 23,188 | 46,481 | 24,473 | - 1233 |
| Optus Oval | 17 | 21,874 | 27,659 | 16,058 | 371,859 | 20,781 | + 1093 |
| Gabba | 11 | 16,675 | 19,509 | 14,738 | 183,424 | 19,550 | - 2875 |
| Manuka Oval | 1 | 11,321 | 11,321 | 11,321 | 11,321 | N/A | N/A |
| Totals | 176 | 34,768 | 83,773 | 11,321 | 6,119,164 | 33,197 | - 1571 |
Awards
- The Brownlow Medal was awarded to Robert Harvey of St Kilda
- The Leigh Matthews Trophy was awarded to Wayne Carey of North Melbourne
- The Coleman Medal was awarded to Tony Lockett of Sydney
- The Norm Smith Medal was awarded to Andrew McLeod of Adelaide
- The AFL Rising Star award was awarded to Byron Pickett of North Melbourne
- The Wooden Spoon was "awarded" to Brisbane Lions
Notes
- Adelaide became the first club since the introduction of the final five in 1972 to win the premiership from outside the top four, despite losing their first final heavily against Melbourne.
- Sydney's 101-point loss to St Kilda in round 10 was, until round 21, 2024, the last time that the club had lost a premiership match by 100 points or more.[1] The Swans enjoyed a 26-year run without a triple-figure margin loss in the intervention.[2]