| 1988New South Wales Rugby League premiership | |
|---|---|
| Teams | 16 |
| Premiers |  Canterbury-Bankstown (6th title) |
| Minor premiers |  Cronulla-Sutherland (1st title) |
| Matches played | 183 |
| Points scored | 6,559 |
| Attendance | 1,966,658 |
| Top points scorer |  Gary Belcher (218) |
| Wooden spoon |  Western Suburbs Magpies (15th spoon) |
| Rothmans Medal | Barry Russell |
| Top try-scorer | John Ferguson (20) |
The1988 NSWRL season was the 81st season of professionalrugby league football in Australia, and saw the first expansion of theNew South Wales Rugby League Premiership outside the borders of New South Wales, and another expansion outside of Sydney, with the addition of three new teams: theBrisbane Broncos,Newcastle Knights andGold Coast-Tweed Giants. The largestNSWRL premiership yet, sixteen clubs competed during the 1988 season, with theJ J Giltinan Shield for minor premiers going toCronulla-Sutherland Sharks. The finals culminated in agrand final for theWinfield Cup between theCanterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs andBalmain Tigers.
This season NSWRL teams also competed for the1988 Panasonic Cup.
1988 was the year of theAustralian Bicentenary celebrations, and on 4 March, the season opened with the first game ofrugby league played at the newly builtSydney Football Stadium.[1] TheSt. George Dragons defeated theEastern Suburbs Roosters 24–14. Easts andSouth Sydney would use the SFS as their home venue from 1988. This saw the end of both theSydney Sports Ground (which closed due to the building of the SFS) andRedfern Oval as regular venues.
The brand newBrisbane Broncos club, featuringAustralian Kangaroos captainWally Lewis and starting their first ever season of football, played their first match against the previous season's premiers theManly-Warringah Sea Eagles and won 44–10.
Eventual grand finalists theBalmain Tigers had a dreadful start to the season with six wins and five losses by the end of the first full round. But their plight was rescued by a masterstroke from their chief executiveKeith Barnes. TheGreat Britain side wastouring Australia that season and in strict secrecy Barnes negotiated to have the English captain and centreEllery Hanley – judged the best player in the English competition the previous season and an undoubted world-class player – to join the Tigers. Barnes got to the NSWRL to register Hanley at 4:55 pm on 30 June, just five minutes inside the deadline for signing players for that season.
The 1988 season'sRothmans Medallist was Cronulla-Sutherland'sBarry Russell.[2] TheDally M Award went to Russell's teammateGavin Miller, andRugby League Week gave its player of the year award to Balmian's hooker,Ben Elias.
Twenty-two regular season rounds were played in total from March till August, with Cronulla-Sutherland winning their first everminor premiership since joining the competition in1967. Penrith and Balmain finished on equal points in fifth place and played each other for the place in the top five, alongside Cronulla, Canterbury, Canberra and Manly.
The grand finals;
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs vs
Balmain Tigers (Senior Grade)
Eastern Suburbs Roosters vs
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles (Reserve Grade)
Parramatta Eels vs Eastern Suburbs Roosters (Under 21s Grade)
St. George Dragons vs Balmain Tigers (Mid-week)The winners in all grades were:
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (Senior Grade) Manly Warringah Sea Eagles (Reserve Grade) Parramatta Eels (Under 21s Grade) St. George Dragons (Mid-week)The Tests;
Australia vs
Great Britain Australia vs
Rest of the WorldThe State of Origin;
Queensland vs
New South WalesThis season saw the premiership's first expansion since1982 with the addition of three newly created teams: theBrisbane Broncos, theGold Coast-Tweed Giants and theNewcastle Knights.[3] This brought the League another step closer to becoming a national competition as a total of sixteen teams, the largest number in the tournament's history, contested the premiership, including fiveSydney-based foundation teams, another six from Sydney, two from greaterNew South Wales, two fromQueensland, and one from theAustralian Capital Territory.
1988 saw the NSWRL move their advertising account fromJohn Singleton Advertising to Hertz Walpole Advertising. There was initially however no shift in the prior campaign direction. For the second year running a visual and vocal performance by Australian rock journeymanJohn "Swanee" Swan was used. Swanee recorded a purpose-written jingle entitled "The Greatest Game of All" and a rock-clip style ad was shot on a stage setting with smoke, lights and fireworks. The performance footage was interspersed with game action.
Five years later Swan's younger brotherJimmy Barnes would also feature in an NSWRL season advertisement performing alongsideTina Turner.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | F1 | F2 | F3 | F4 | GF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balmain Tigers | NOR +20 | PAR −20 | NEW −4 | WES +3 | MAN +2 | PEN −10 | BRI +8 | STG +8 | SOU −9 | CBY +11 | CRO −2 | EAS +10 | GCG +14 | CAN −24 | ILA +12 | NOR +10 | PAR +16 | NEW +2 | WES +6 | MAN −4 | PEN +2 | BRI +10 | PEN +20 | MAN +13 | CAN +8 | CRO +7 | CBY −12 |
| Brisbane Broncos | MAN +34 | PEN +2 | WES +34 | NOR +12 | PAR +6 | NEW +14 | BAL −8 | CRO −30 | EAS +4 | GCG −3 | CAN −20 | ILA +22 | STG +4 | SOU −12 | CBY −15 | MAN +18 | PEN +2 | WES +26 | NOR +18 | PAR −8 | NEW +16 | BAL −10 | |||||
| Canberra Raiders | ILA +20 | STG +24 | SOU +28 | CBY −5 | CRO +18 | EAS +36 | GCG +44 | PAR −28 | WES +14 | NOR −8 | BRI +20 | PEN −6 | MAN −6 | BAL +24 | NEW +18 | ILA +9 | STG +16 | SOU +33 | CBY −7 | CRO −22 | EAS +8 | GCG +20 | X | CBY −1 | BAL −8 | ||
| Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | GCG +11 | CRO +4 | EAS +4 | CAN +5 | ILA −6 | STG +14 | SOU +4 | PEN +6 | MAN −18 | BAL −11 | NEW +18 | PAR +28 | WES +25 | NOR −12 | BRI +15 | GCG +15 | CRO −8 | EAS +15 | CAN +7 | ILA +6 | STG +26 | SOU −4 | X | CAN +1 | CRO +18 | X | BAL +12 |
| Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | SOU −1 | CBY −4 | GCG +1 | EAS 0 | CAN −18 | ILA +18 | STG +16 | BRI +30 | PEN +22 | MAN −14 | BAL +2 | NEW 0 | PAR +5 | WES +36 | NOR +4 | SOU +2 | CBY +8 | GCG +20 | EAS +18 | CAN +22 | ILA +8 | STG +2 | X | X | CBY −18 | BAL −7 | |
| Eastern Suburbs Roosters | STG −10 | SOU −2 | CBY −4 | CRO 0 | GCG +18 | CAN −36 | ILA −4 | NOR 0 | BRI −4 | PEN +22 | MAN +4 | BAL −10 | NEW +16 | PAR −4 | WES 0 | STG +21 | SOU −25 | CBY −15 | CRO −18 | GCG +24 | CAN −8 | ILA −21 | |||||
| Gold Coast-Tweed Giants | CBY −11 | ILA 0 | CRO −1 | STG −8 | EAS −18 | SOU −12 | CAN −44 | WES −20 | NOR −4 | BRI +3 | PEN −35 | MAN −28 | BAL −14 | NEW +9 | PAR +3 | CBY −15 | ILA +15 | CRO −20 | STG −2 | EAS −24 | SOU 0 | CAN −20 | |||||
| Illawarra Steelers | CAN −20 | GCG 0 | STG +16 | SOU −13 | CBY +6 | CRO −18 | EAS +4 | NEW +8 | PAR −22 | WES +16 | NOR −29 | BRI −22 | PEN −34 | MAN −16 | BAL −12 | CAN −9 | GCG −15 | STG −2 | SOU −2 | CBY −6 | CRO −8 | EAS +21 | |||||
| Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | BRI −34 | NOR +26 | PAR +52 | NEW +32 | BAL −2 | WES +20 | PEN −22 | SOU −14 | CBY +18 | CRO +14 | EAS −4 | GCG +28 | CAN +6 | ILA +16 | STG +16 | BRI −18 | NOR +4 | PAR +30 | NEW +8 | BAL +4 | WES −3 | PEN +14 | X | BAL −13 | |||
| Newcastle Knights | PAR −24 | WES +4 | BAL +4 | MAN −32 | PEN −6 | BRI −14 | NOR −34 | ILA −8 | STG −12 | SOU +7 | CBY −18 | CRO 0 | EAS −16 | GCG −9 | CAN −18 | PAR +1 | WES −10 | BAL −2 | MAN −8 | PEN −11 | BRI −16 | NOR +32 | |||||
| North Sydney Bears | BAL −20 | MAN −26 | PEN −27 | BRI −12 | WES +7 | PAR +4 | NEW +34 | EAS 0 | GCG +4 | CAN +8 | ILA +29 | STG −8 | SOU 0 | CBY +12 | CRO −4 | BAL −10 | MAN −4 | PEN −5 | BRI −18 | WES +4 | PAR +6 | NEW −32 | |||||
| Parramatta Eels | NEW +24 | BAL +20 | MAN −52 | PEN −2 | BRI −6 | NOR −4 | WES −2 | CAN +28 | ILA +22 | STG −12 | SOU +8 | CBY −28 | CRO −5 | EAS +4 | GCG −3 | NEW −1 | BAL −16 | MAN −30 | PEN −4 | BRI +8 | NOR −6 | WES +4 | |||||
| Penrith Panthers | WES +20 | BRI −2 | NOR +27 | PAR +2 | NEW +6 | BAL +10 | MAN +22 | CBY −6 | CRO −22 | EAS −22 | GCG +35 | CAN +6 | ILA +34 | STG +4 | SOU +8 | WES +12 | BRI −2 | NOR +5 | PAR +4 | NEW +11 | BAL −2 | MAN −14 | BAL −20 | ||||
| South Sydney Rabbitohs | CRO +1 | EAS +2 | CAN −28 | ILA +13 | STG +32 | GCG +12 | CBY −4 | MAN +14 | BAL +9 | NEW −7 | PAR −8 | WES +8 | NOR 0 | BRI +12 | PEN −8 | CRO −2 | EAS +25 | CAN −33 | ILA +2 | STG −2 | GCG 0 | CBY +4 | |||||
| St. George Dragons | EAS +10 | CAN −24 | ILA −16 | GCG +8 | SOU −32 | CBY −14 | CRO −16 | BAL −8 | NEW +12 | PAR +12 | WES +2 | NOR +8 | BRI −4 | PEN −4 | MAN −16 | EAS −21 | CAN −16 | ILA +2 | GCG +2 | SOU +2 | CBY −26 | CRO −2 | |||||
| Western Suburbs Magpies | PEN −20 | NEW −4 | BRI −34 | BAL −3 | NOR −7 | MAN −20 | PAR +2 | GCG +20 | CAN −14 | ILA −16 | STG −2 | SOU −8 | CBY −25 | CRO −36 | EAS 0 | PEN −12 | NEW +10 | BRI −26 | BAL −6 | NOR −4 | MAN +3 | PAR −4 | |||||
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | F1 | F2 | F3 | F4 | GF |
Bold – Home game
X – Bye
Opponent for round listed above margin
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cronulla | 22 | 16 | 2 | 4 | 507 | 330 | +177 | 34 |
| 2 | Canterbury (P) | 22 | 16 | 0 | 6 | 412 | 268 | +144 | 32 |
| 3 | Canberra | 22 | 15 | 0 | 7 | 596 | 346 | +250 | 30 |
| 4 | Manly | 22 | 15 | 0 | 7 | 538 | 347 | +191 | 30 |
| 5 |  Penrith | 22 | 15 | 0 | 7 | 394 | 258 | +136 | 30 |
| 6 | Balmain | 22 | 15 | 0 | 7 | 402 | 341 | +61 | 30 |
| 7 |  Brisbane | 22 | 14 | 0 | 8 | 474 | 368 | +106 | 28 |
| 8 |  South Sydney | 22 | 12 | 2 | 8 | 425 | 383 | +42 | 24 |
| 9 |  North Sydney | 22 | 9 | 2 | 11 | 366 | 424 | −58 | 20 |
| 10 | St. George | 22 | 9 | 0 | 13 | 352 | 493 | −141 | 18 |
| 11 | Parramatta | 22 | 8 | 0 | 14 | 359 | 412 | −53 | 16 |
| 12 | Eastern Suburbs | 22 | 6 | 3 | 13 | 387 | 443 | −56 | 15 |
| 13 |  Illawarra | 22 | 6 | 1 | 15 | 353 | 510 | −157 | 13 |
| 14 |  Newcastle | 22 | 5 | 1 | 16 | 270 | 460 | −190 | 11 |
| 15 |  Gold Coast-Tweed | 22 | 4 | 2 | 16 | 238 | 484 | −246 | 10 |
| 16 | Western Suburbs | 22 | 4 | 1 | 17 | 287 | 493 | −206 | 9 |
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 32 | 34 |
| 2 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 32 | 32 |
| 3 | Canberra Raiders | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 28 | 30 |
| 4 | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 30 |
| 5 | Penrith Panthers | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 30 | 30 |
| 6 | Balmain Tigers | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 28 | 30 |
| 7 | Brisbane Broncos | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 28 | 28 |
| 8 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 24 |
| 9 | North Sydney Bears | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 20 |
| 10 | St. George Dragons | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 18 |
| 11 | Parramatta Eels | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 16 |
| 12 | Eastern Suburbs Roosters | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 15 |
| 13 | Illawarra Steelers | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 13 |
| 14 | Newcastle Knights | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 11 |
| 15 | Gold Coast-Tweed Giants | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 |
| 16 | Western Suburbs Magpies | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 9 |
Balmain had staged a gripping charge for the final five, winning nine of their last eleven games including five in a row to leave them in equal fifth spot with thePenrith Panthers at the regular season's end. They then won four sudden death finals to make it to theGrand final.
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Crowd | |||||
| Playoff | ||||||||
| Penrith Panthers | 8–28 | Balmain Tigers | 16 August 1988 | Parramatta Stadium | Mick Stone | 14,206 | ||
| Qualifying Finals | ||||||||
| Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | 6–19 | Balmain Tigers | 20 August 1988 | Sydney Football Stadium | Mick Stone | 25,327 | ||
| Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 19–18 | Canberra Raiders | 21 August 1988 | Sydney Football Stadium | Graham Annesley | 19,259 | ||
| Semi-finals | ||||||||
| Canberra Raiders | 6–14 | Balmain Tigers | 27 August 1988 | Sydney Football Stadium | Mick Stone | 28,879 | ||
| Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 8–26 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 28 August 1988 | Sydney Football Stadium | Graham Annesley | 31,684 | ||
| Preliminary final | ||||||||
| Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 2–9 | Balmain Tigers | 4 September 1988 | Sydney Football Stadium | Mick Stone | 34,848 | ||
| Grand final | ||||||||
| Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 24–12 | Balmain Tigers | 11 September 1988 | Sydney Football Stadium | Mick Stone | 40,000 | ||
| Qualifying final | Major semi-final | Preliminary final | Grand final | |||||||||||||||
| 16 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Minor semi-final | ||||||||||||||||||
| Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | Position | Balmain Tigers |
|---|---|---|
| FB | ||
| 2.Glen Nissen | WG | 2.Russell Gartner |
| 3.Tony Currie | CE | 3.Ellery Hanley |
| 4.Andrew Farrar | CE | 4.Michael Pobjie |
| 5.Robin Thorne | WG | 5.Ross Conlon |
| 6.Terry Lamb | FE | 6.Mick Neil |
| 7.Michael Hagan | HB | 7.Gary Freeman |
| 13.Paul Dunn | PR | 13.Bruce McGuire |
| 12.Joe Thomas | HK | 12.Benny Elias |
| 11.Peter Tunks (c) | PR | 11.Kerry Hemsley |
| 10.David Gillespie | SR | 10.Paul Sironen |
| 9.Steve Folkes | SR | 9.David Brooks |
| 8.Paul Langmack | LK | 8.Wayne Pearce (c) |
| 14.Mark Bugden | Bench | 14.Scott Gale |
| 15.Brandon Lee | Bench | 18.Kevin Hardwick |
| 18.Steve Mortimer | Bench | 19.Steve Edmed |
| 23.Darren McCarthy | Bench | |
| Phil Gould | Coach | Warren Ryan |
This was the first grand final not to be played at theSydney Cricket Ground. Following Balmain's extraordinary late season run in winning thirteen of fifteen games, the stage was set for a grand final of great appeal. 1980s master coach Warren Ryan of Balmain was up against the club he had coached for four years to three grand finals and two premierships, as well as being matched against the man who had replaced him at Canterbury – Phil Gould. It was master against pupil. At just 30 years of age, Gould was vying not only to become the youngest coach to win a grand final but the first since Balmain'sLeo Nosworthy in1969 to steer a team to premiership victory in his first season coaching the top-grade.
TheCanterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs faced the Balmain Tigers on 11 September 1988 in the first grand final played at the Sydney Football Stadium and the last game for Steve Mortimer. The match was played early so thatChannel Ten could broadcast the1988 Seoul Olympics. The Australian national anthem was performed byGlenn Shorrock.
After five minutes Peter Tunks was sent to the sin bin for ten minutes for treading on Ben Elias. The first points of the match were scored shortly after from Terry Lamb's successful penalty kick. Another penalty kick from Lamb put the Bulldogs in front 4 nil. However Balmain grabbed the first try an Elias put up abomb and was first to the ball ahead of Bulldog Jason Alchin. Conlon's conversion from in front gave the Tigers the lead for first time at 6–4.[4]
A highlycontroversial tackle by Terry Lamb put Balmain's in form British import Ellery Hanley out of the game before the 30-minute mark had been reached.[5] Hanley staggered off, heavily concussed, with the score at 6–4. Under the rules of the time, Hanley was allowed 10 minutes to recover in the head bin. If he could not return he would need to be replaced. He returned just before half-time and stood, out-of-sorts, on the wing. The Bulldogs then ran in a 70-metre try from broken play and went to the break with a lead of 10–8.
Hanley did not return after half-time and the Bulldogs started to dominate. A great Canterbury team try to Michael Hagan sealed the match. Bruce McGuire scored Balmain's second try late in the match although the outcome was already clear. The match ended on a sentimental note when Gould called the Bulldogs' representative star, former captain and 271-game veteran, Steve Mortimer to the sideline. He was less than fully fit and had his arm heavily padded to protect the wrist he had broken early in the season. However Mortimer had been named as a fresh reserve as tribute to his previous club contributions and the match ended with him moving to dummy half and taking the ball up for the last time.
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 24
Tries: Nissen, Hagan, Gillespie, Lamb
Goals: Lamb 4
Balmain Tigers 12
Tries: Elias, McGuire
Goals: Conlon 2
Clive Churchill Medal:Paul Dunn (Canterbury)[6]
The following statistics are as of the conclusion of Round 22.
Top 5 point scorers
Top 5 try scorers
| Top 5 goal scorers
|
| Coach | 1987 Club | 1988 Club |
|---|---|---|
| Wayne Bennett | Canberra Raiders | Brisbane Broncos |
| Warren Ryan | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | Balmain Tigers |
| Tim Sheens | Penrith Panthers | Canberra Raiders |
The 1988 Great Britain Lions tour of Australasia was a tour by theGreat Britain national rugby league team, nicknamed the 'Lions', of Papua New Guinea, Australia and New Zealand which took place between May and July of 1988. The tour undertaken by the Great Britain team included atest match againstPapua New Guinea, a three-test series againstAustralia forThe Ashes, and a single test againstNew Zealand, all interspersed with matches against local club and representative teams.
The British team was coached by two-time premiership winner withManly-Warringah,Mal Reilly, who had toured as a player in1970. The team captain wasEllery Hanley who was making his second Lions tour as a player.
Taking place following the conclusion of England's1987–88 Rugby Football League season and during Australia's1988 Winfield Cup premiership season, the tour led to friction between the Great Britain team's management and theAustralian Rugby League over match scheduling and promotion. The Lions finished the tour with ten wins and six losses. Unfortunately for the Lions, three of their losses came in the Test matches, two against Australia and one against New Zealand. One of their losses was a 30–0 thumping by reigning Premiers Manly-Warringah only 4 days before the 1st Ashes test.
