1998 AFL finals series
Introduction The Australian Football League's 1998 finals series began on Friday, 4 September 1998 and culminated with the 102nd AFL Grand Final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday, 26 September 1998.Eight of the league's sixteen teams qualified for the finals based on the home-and-away season, and the finals were played under the McIntyre final eight system.The series concluded with the grand final, which saw the Adelaide Crows (5th placed after the home-and-away season, 13–9) win its second consecutive premiership, defeating minor premiers North Melbourne (16–6) by 35 points. Adelaide was the lowest placed team after the home-and-away season to win the premiership since 1900.
Final Ladder
Week One ===Qualifying Finals=== '''Home team''' '''Score''' '''Away team''' '''Score''' '''Venue''' '''Attendance''' '''Date''' '''North Melbourne''' '''11.16 (82)''' Essendon 8.12 (60) MCG 71,154 Friday, 4 September '''Melbourne''' '''17.13 (115)''' Adelaide 9.13 (67) MCG 60,817 Saturday, 5 September '''Sydney''' '''12.17 (89)''' St Kilda 13.9 (87) SCG 36,076 Saturday, 5 September '''Western Bulldogs''' '''18.13 (121)''' West Coast 7.9 (51) MCG 43,025 Sunday, 6 September
Week Two ===Semi finals=== '''Home team''' '''Score''' '''Away team''' '''Score''' '''Venue''' '''Attendance''' '''Date''' '''Melbourne''' '''15.17 (107)''' St Kilda 7.14 (56) MCG 88,456 Saturday, 12 September Sydney 10.7 (67) '''Adelaide''' '''14.10 (94)''' SCG 37,498 Saturday, 12 September
Week Three ===Preliminary Finals=== '''Home team''' '''Score''' '''Away team''' '''Score''' '''Venue''' '''Attendance''' '''Date''' '''North Melbourne''' '''17.12 (114)''' Melbourne 12.12 (84) MCG 73,719 Friday, 18 September Western Bulldogs 13.15 (93) '''Adelaide''' '''24.17 (161)''' MCG 67,557 Saturday, 19 SeptemberNorth Melbourne won its eleventh consecutive match. Adelaide defeated the Western Bulldogs in a preliminary final for the second consecutive year.
Grand final  Team  1  2  3  Final    '''Adelaide'''  '''3.2'''  '''4.3''' '''9.11'''  '''15.15 (105)''' North Melbourne   4.4  6.15  8.15  8.22 (70) Date  Saturday, 26 September 1998, 2:30pm AEST Coin Toss Winner North Melbourne, chose Punt Road end. Goals (Adel) '''5:''' Jarman'''3:''' Smart'''2.''' Vardy'''1.''' James, Pittman, Johnson, Thiessen, Ricciuto Goals (North)'''1:''' Blakey, Pike, Abraham, Carey, Roberts, Bell, Allison, Simpson Best  Norm Smith Medal Andrew McLeod  Adelaide Injuries  Reports None Venue Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, VIC Attendance 94,431 Umpires Andrew Coates, Hayden Kennedy, Darren Goldspink Metropolitan Free To Air TV audience 2,524,000 (Nationally)
References
External links *  AFL official website