| Event | 1997–98 National Soccer League | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Date | 16 May 1998 | ||||||
| Venue | Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne, Australia | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Fausto De Amicis (Joe Marston Medal) | ||||||
| Referee | Eugene Brazzale | ||||||
| Attendance | 16,000 | ||||||
The 1998 National Soccer League Grand Final was held on 16 May 1998 between South Melbourne and Carlton SC at Olympic Park Stadium. South Melbourne gained home advantage as they won the major semi-final against them two weeks earlier. John Anastasiadis scored in the ninth minute for South Melbourne as they went up 1–0 at the half time break. In the 78th minute, Marcus Stergiopoulos netted a goal for Carlton to equalise, however, an 87th minute winner from Con Boutsianis clinched the victory for South Melbourne, gifting them their third NSL championship.[1][2] Fausto De Amicis won the Joe Marston Medal.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Melbourne (C) | 26 | 13 | 9 | 4 | 56 | 41 | +15 | 48 | 1997-98 National Soccer League Champions |
| 2 | Carlton SC | 26 | 12 | 9 | 5 | 44 | 24 | +20 | 45 | 1998 National Soccer League Finals |
| 3 | Adelaide City | 26 | 13 | 4 | 9 | 45 | 30 | +15 | 43 | |
| 4 | Sydney United | 26 | 11 | 10 | 5 | 37 | 26 | +11 | 43 | |
| 5 | Marconi Stallions | 26 | 12 | 7 | 7 | 33 | 25 | +8 | 43 | |
| 6 | Wollongong Wolves | 26 | 13 | 3 | 10 | 51 | 33 | +18 | 42 | |
| 7 | Melbourne Knights | 26 | 11 | 6 | 9 | 37 | 35 | +2 | 39 | |
| 8 | Perth Glory | 26 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 35 | 40 | −5 | 36 | |
| 9 | UTS Olympic | 26 | 10 | 5 | 11 | 37 | 43 | −6 | 35 | |
| 10 | West Adelaide | 26 | 10 | 4 | 12 | 32 | 38 | −6 | 34 | |
| 11 | Gippsland Falcons | 26 | 8 | 7 | 11 | 28 | 36 | −8 | 31 | |
| 12 | Brisbane Strikers | 26 | 6 | 5 | 15 | 23 | 40 | −17 | 23 | |
| 13 | Newcastle Breakers | 26 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 30 | 50 | −20 | 21 | |
| 14 | Canberra Cosmos | 26 | 3 | 8 | 15 | 29 | 56 | −27 | 17 |
| Elimination Finals | Major/Minor Semifinals | Preliminary Final | Grand Final | |||||||||||||||||||
| 16 May 1998 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Carlton | 1 | 0 | 1 | South Melbourne | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | South Melbourne | 2 | 1 | 3 | 10 May 1998 | Carlton | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| 2 | Carlton | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Marconi Fairfield | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Marconi Fairfield | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Sydney United | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Marconi Fairfield | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Wollongong Wolves | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Wollongong Wolves | 3 | 2 | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Adelaide City | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| South Melbourne | 2 – 1 | Carlton SC |
|---|---|---|
Anastasiadis  9' Boutsianis 87' |
Reports[3] | Stergiopoulos 78' |
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Match rules
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