View source for 1998 AFL Grand Final

{{Short description|Grand final of the 1998 Australian Football League season}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2017}}
{{Use Australian English|date=December 2017}}
{{Refimprove|date=January 2007}}
{{Infobox Australian rules football grand final
| competition   = AFL
| year          = 1998
| image         = 1998 AFL Grand Final Logo.png
| ground_image  = MCG99.jpg
| caption       = The [[Melbourne Cricket Ground]], where the 1998 AFL Grand Final took place.
| home          = [[File:Adelaide Football Club colours (1996-1998).svg|50px]]<br/>{{AFL Ade}}
| home_abbr     = NM
| home_image    = 
| away          =[[File:North Melbourne Football Club colours.svg|50px]]<br/>{{AFL NM}}
| away_abbr     = ADE
| away_image    = 
| away_qtr1     = 3.2 (20)
| away_qtr2     = 4.3 (27)
| away_qtr3     = 9.11 (65)
| away_qtr4     = 15.15 (105)
| home_qtr1     = 4.4 (28)
| home_qtr2     = 6.15 (51)
| home_qtr3     = 8.15 (63)
| home_qtr4     = 8.22 (70)
| home_score    = 15.15 (105)
| away_score    = 8.22 (70)
| date          = 26 September 1998
| stadium       = [[Melbourne Cricket Ground]]
| attendance    = 94,431 
| favourite     = North Melbourne
| umpire        = [[Andrew Coates]] (6), [[Hayden Kennedy]] (7), [[Darren Goldspink]] (32)
| coin_toss     = North Melbourne 
| kick_end      = Punt Road End
| prematch      = [[Muhammad Ali]], Mark Seymour, Rob Guest, Jane Scali and Michael Cormick 
| anthem        = [[Rob Guest]]
| halftime      =
| postmatch     =
| norm_smith    = [[Andrew McLeod]] ({{AFL Ade}})
| jock_mchale   = [[Malcolm Blight]]
| network       = [[Seven Network]]
| announcers    = [[Bruce McAvaney]] (host and commentator)<br/>[[Dennis Cometti]] (commentator)<br/>[[Sandy Roberts]] (commentator)<br/>[[Tim Watson]] (expert commentator)<br/>[[Leigh Matthews]] (expert commentator)<br/>[[Peter McKenna (Australian footballer)|Peter McKenna]] (“sharp shooter”)<br/>[[Robert DiPierdomenico]] (boundary rider)<br/>[[Neil Kerley]] (boundary rider)
| last          = 1997
| next          = 1999
}}
The '''1998 AFL Grand Final''' was an [[Australian rules football]] game contested between the  [[Adelaide Crows]] and the [[North Melbourne Kangaroos]], held at the [[Melbourne Cricket Ground]] in [[Melbourne]] on 26 September 1998. It was the 102nd annual [[AFL Grand Final|grand final]] of the [[Australian Football League]] (formerly the [[Victorian Football League]]), staged to determine the [[List of AFL premiers|premiers]] for the [[1998 AFL season]]. The match, attended by 94,431 spectators, was won by Adelaide by a margin of 35 points. This was the second consecutive premiership for the Crows.

==Background==
{{Main|1998 AFL season}}
{{further|1998 AFL finals series}}
This match saw the Kangaroos playing in their second grand final in three years, after their triumph in the [[1996 AFL Grand Final]]. The Crows were competing in their second consecutive grand final, and were seeking back-to-back premierships after winning the [[1997 AFL Grand Final]]. [[Craig Sholl]] for the Kangaroos was to play his 200th game.

At the conclusion of the [[home and away season]], North Melbourne had finished first on the AFL ladder with 16 wins and 6 losses, winning the [[McClelland Trophy]]. They had won their last nine matches. Adelaide had finished fifth with 13 wins and 9 losses.

Adelaide fell to a heavy loss in its qualifying final against [[Melbourne Football Club|Melbourne]] at the MCG by 48 points, but still progressed to play a semi-final against [[Sydney Swans|Sydney]] at the [[Sydney Cricket Ground|SCG]], which they won by 27 points. Adelaide then progressed to the preliminary final against the [[Western Bulldogs]] at the MCG, and won convincingly by 68 points.

North Melbourne won its qualifying final against [[Essendon Football Club|Essendon]] by 22 points at the MCG, sending them to a home preliminary final against Melbourne.  They won that match by 30 points to progress to the grand final. The finals wins extended North Melbourne's winning streak to eleven matches entering the grand final. The Kangaroos entered the game as heavy favourites.

==Match summary==
{| class="wikitable" | align="right"
|-
!width="90pt"|
!width="55pt"| 1st
!width="55pt"| 2nd
!width="55pt"| 3rd
!width="60pt"| Final
|-
| '''Adelaide'''
|align="center"| 3.2 (20)
|align="center"| 4.3 (27)
|align="center"| 9.11 (65)
|align="center"| 15.15 (105)
|-
| '''North Melbourne'''
|align="center"| 4.4 (28)
|align="center"| 6.15 (51)
|align="center"| 8.15 (63)
|align="center"| 8.22 (70)
|}
North Melbourne attacked constantly during the first half, however returned a wasteful 6.15 (51) for the first half to Adelaide's 4.3 (27). They led by just four goals despite having 21 scoring shots to just seven in the first half.

Adelaide then dominated the second half. A wasteful 5.8 to North Melbourne's 2.0 in the third quarter saw the Adelaide leading by two points at three-quarter time. Then, Adelaide scored 6.4 in the final quarter, holding North Melbourne (0.7) goalless, to open a comfortable lead, and ultimately win the match by 35 points.

Adelaide became the first team since Hawthorn in 1988-1989 to win back-to-back premierships. In the end, both teams had 30 scoring shots, but the Crows converted at 50% and the Kangaroos at just 26%.

[[Darren Jarman]] was sensational with 5 goals and [[Andrew McLeod]] was awarded the [[Norm Smith Medal]] for being judged the best player afield, for the second straight year. He became only the second player (after [[Gary Ayres]] of Hawthorn) to win the medal twice, and the first player to win it in successive years.

Adelaide is one of just three clubs in modern times to have won the premiership after finishing lower than fourth on the premiership ladder after the home-and-away season (Melbourne won the premiership after finishing sixth after the fourteen-game home-and-away season in 1900, qualifying for the semi-finals after a strong performance in the three-week sectional round robin that followed the home-and-away season; the Western Bulldogs won the premiership after finishing seventh in the home-and-away season in 2016; the Brisbane Lions won the premiership after finishing fifth in the home-and-away season in 2024).

==Pre-match entertainment==
The 1998 Grand Final pre-match entertainment was particularly notable for the appearance of former [[List of heavyweight boxing champions|World Heavyweight Boxing champion]] [[Muhammad Ali]], as he did a lap of honour of the ground. [[Rob Guest]] performed ''[[This Is The Moment]]'' as the champion made his way around the ground.  Guest later sang [[Advance Australia Fair|the national anthem]].

Donna Fisk and Michael Cristian performed "[[Rock 'N Footy (Rock The G)]]".

The song performed at every grand final, [[Waltzing Matilda]], was performed by [[Jane Scali]] and [[Michael Cormick]].

==Teams==
{| width=92% |
|-
|{{Australian rules football kit
 | pattern_b  = _adelaidecrows16h 
 | pattern_sh =  _redsides
 | pattern_so = _hoops_red_gold
 | body       = 000066 
 | shorts     = ffffff
 | socks      =  000066
 | title      = Adelaide
}}
|{{Australian rules football kit
 | pattern_b  = _3stripesonwhite 
 | pattern_sh = _whitesides 
 | pattern_so = 
 | body       =000099
 | shorts     =000099  
 | socks      =000099  
 | title      = North Melbourne  
}}
|}
{|
|valign="top"|
{{Aussie rules team | title = {{AFL Ade}}
| backpocket1 = 28 [[Kane Johnson]]
| fullback = 34 [[Ben Hart (Australian footballer)|Ben Hart]]
| backpocket2 = 26 [[Mark Bickley]] (Capt)
| halfbackflank1 = 7 [[Nigel Smart]]
| centrehalfback = 44 [[Peter Caven]]
| halfbackflank2 = 13 [[Shane Ellen]]
| wing1 = 30 [[Peter Vardy (footballer)|Peter Vardy]]
| centre = 36 [[Simon Goodwin]]
| wing2 = 29 [[James Thiessen]]
| halfforwardflank1 = 23 [[Andrew McLeod]]
| centrehalfforward = 10 [[Matthew Robran]]
| halfforwardflank2 = 11 [[Brett James (footballer)|Brett James]]
| forwardpocket1 = 32 [[Mark Ricciuto]]
| fullforward = 15 [[David Pittman]]
| forwardpocket2 = 9 [[Tyson Edwards (footballer)|Tyson Edwards]]
| ruck = 52 [[Shaun Rehn]]
| ruckrover = 3 [[Darren Jarman]]
| rover = 5 [[Kym Koster]]
| interchange1 = 14 [[Matthew Connell]]
| interchange2 = 19 [[Mark Stevens (footballer)|Mark Stevens]]
| interchange3 = 31 [[Ben Marsh]]
| interchange4 = 33 [[Andrew Eccles]]
| interchange5 = 
| interchange6 = 
| coach = [[Malcolm Blight]]
}}
|valign="top"|
{{Aussie rules team | title = {{AFL NM}} 
| backpocket1 = 11 [[Glenn Archer]]
| fullback = 4 [[Mick Martyn (Australian footballer)|Mick Martyn]]
| backpocket2 = 37 [[Adam Simpson]]
| halfbackflank1 = 28 [[Byron Pickett]]
| centrehalfback = 5 [[Jason McCartney (footballer)|Jason McCartney]]
| halfbackflank2 = 8 [[Robert Scott (Australian footballer)|Robert Scott]]
| wing1 = 34 [[David King (footballer, born 1972)|David King]]
| centre = 10 [[Anthony Stevens]]
| wing2 = 15 [[Winston Abraham]]
| halfforwardflank1 = 22 [[Mark Roberts (Australian footballer)|Mark Roberts]]
| centrehalfforward = 18 [[Wayne Carey]] (Capt)
| halfforwardflank2 = 13 [[Martin Pike (Australian rules footballer)|Martin Pike]]
| forwardpocket1 = 29 [[Brent Harvey]]
| fullforward = 24 [[Craig Sholl]]
| forwardpocket2 = 6 [[Shannon Grant]]
| ruck = 31 [[Corey McKernan]]
| ruckrover = 12 [[John Blakey]]
| rover = 26 [[Peter F. Bell|Peter Bell]]
| interchange1 = 33 [[Brett Allison]]
| interchange2 = 16 [[Matthew Capuano]]
| interchange3 = 17 [[Glenn Freeborn]]
| interchange4 = 3 [[Anthony Rock]]
| interchange5 = 
| interchange6 = 
| coach = [[Denis Pagan]]
}}
|}

==Match details==

{{AFLGameDetailed
|title        = 1998 AFL Grand Final
|date         = Saturday, 26 September 2:30pm
|home team    = {{AFL Ade}}
|home Q1      = 3.2 (20)
|home Q2      = 4.3 (27)
|home Q3      = 9.11 (65)
|home final   = 15.15 (105)
|home ET      = 
|home goals   = [[Darren Jarman|Jarman]] 5, [[Nigel Smart|Smart]] 3, [[Peter Vardy (footballer)|Vardy]] 2, [[Brett James (footballer)|James]], [[David Pittman|Pittman]], [[Kane Johnson|Johnson]], [[James Thiessen|Thiessen]], [[Mark Ricciuto|Ricciuto]]
|home best    = 
|home injuries= 
|home reports = 
|winner       = H
|away team    = {{AFL NM}}
|away Q1      = 4.4 (28)
|away Q2      = 6.15 (51)
|away Q3      = 8.15 (63)
|away final   = 8.22 (70)
|away ET      = 
|away goals   = [[John Blakey|Blakey]], [[Martin Pike (Australian rules footballer)|Pike]], [[Winston Abraham|Abraham]], [[Wayne Carey|Carey]], [[Mark Roberts (Australian footballer)|Roberts]], [[Peter F. Bell|Bell]], [[Brett Allison|Allison]], [[Adam Simpson|Simpson]]
|away best    = 
|away injuries= 
|away reports = 
|venue        = [[Melbourne Cricket Ground|MCG]]
|crowd        = 94,431
|report       = 
|umpires      = [[Andrew Coates|Coates]] (6), [[Hayden Kennedy|Kennedy]] (7), [[Darren Goldspink|Goldspink]] (32)
|BOG award    = [[Norm Smith Medal]]
|BOG winner   = [[Andrew McLeod]]
|broadcast    = [[Seven Network]]
|anthem       = [[Rob Guest]]
|notes        =<!-- Start on a new line to get bullet points to display properly -->
* North Melbourne won the coin toss and kicked to the Punt Road end in the first quarter
}}

== See also ==
*[[1998 AFL season]]
*[[1998 AFL finals series]]
*''[[It's the Crows Again]]'' song by Steve Dundon.

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{1998 Adelaide premiership players}}
{{Adelaide Football Club}}
{{North Melbourne Football Club}}
{{1998 AFL season}}
{{Australian Football League}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:1998 Afl Grand Final}}
[[Category:VFL/AFL Grand Finals]]
[[Category:Adelaide Football Club]]
[[Category:North Melbourne Football Club]]
[[Category:1998 Australian Football League season]]
[[Category:1998 in Australian rules football|Afl Grand Final, 1998]]