NSWRL 1988 Premiers
Season 1988 marked the first year the Grand Final would be played at the brand-new Sydney Football Stadium, but it also announced the coaching calibre of former player Phil Gould.
In his first year at the helm, Gould spearheaded the Bulldogs to the Club's sixth title at just 29 years of age, making his first tough decision after a Round 2 loss to Illawarra by handing forward Peter Tunks the captaincy.
The move had a swift effect, with the side stringing together three wins in a row.
In his final season, legendary halfback Steve Mortimer was impacted by illness and injury, with his role transforming into a 'super-sub', where he more often than not proved to be a match-winner in the back end of matches.
1988 Grand Final Highlights: Bulldogs vs Tigers
Finishing the season on 32 points and in second position, the Bulldogs were thriving as Gould took out the Dally M Coach of the Year award.
The side took down previous year's Grand Finalists 19-18, before disposing of Cronulla 26-8 in the Major Semi Final.
Unlike recent, close-knit Grand Finals, the 1988 edition against the fairytale Balmain side, who had clawed their way to the decider after winning a play-off for fifth place.
The great irony was that Balmain's head coach was Warren Ryan.
Before the players ran out, Gould gave one last piece of advice for his players:
Let's be patient, let's outlast their discipline.
In the highest-scoring Grand Final of the 1980s, Canterbury sailed home 24-12 to claim the Club's fourth title in nine years.
After leading 8-6 at the break, the Bulldogs found a chink in the armour of their opponents in the 50th minute, with big David Gillespie touching down, before Terry Lamb iced the match with fifteen remaining.
It was a triumph in particular for Lamb's halfback Michael Hagan, who had recovered in time for the last three matches after a car accident in the off-season.
Front rower Paul Dunn claimed the Clive Churchill Medal as man of the match, while Mortimer called time on his illustrious career, claiming his fourth Premiership - all as a Bulldog.
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 24 (David Gillespie, Michael Hagan, Terry Lamb, Glen Nissen tries; Terry Lamb 4 goals) def Balmain Tigers 12 (Ben Elias, Bruce McGuire tries; Ross Conlon 2 goals)
1988 Grand Final Clive Churchill Medallist: Paul Dunn
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 1988 Premiers
| Fullback | 1 | Jason Alchin |
| Wing | 2 | Glen Nissen |
| Centre | 3 | Andrew Farrar |
| Centre | 4 | Tony Currie |
| Wing | 5 | Robin Thorne |
| Five-Eighth | 6 | Terry Lamb |
| Halfback | 7 | Michael Hagan |
| Lock | 8 | Paul Langmack |
| Second Row | 9 | Steve Folkes |
| Second Row | 10 | David Gillespie |
| Prop | 11 | Paul Dunn |
| Hooker | 12 | Joe Thomas |
| Prop | 13 | Peter Tunks (c) |
| Interchange | 15 | Brandon Lee |
| Interchange | 18 | Steve Mortimer |
| Interchange | 23 | Darren McCarthy |
| Interchange | 14 | Mark Bugden |
| Coach | Phil Gould |
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 1988 Season Statistics
| Round | Opponent | Score | Venue | Ladder Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Panasonic Cup Game I | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 5-8 (L) | Parramatta Stadium | - |
| 1 | Gold Coast Tweed-Head Giants | 21-10 (W) | Seagulls Stadium | 7th |
| 2 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 22-18 (W) | Belmore Oval | 1st |
| 3 | Eastern Suburbs Roosters | 14-10 (W) | Sydney Football Stadium | 3rd |
| 4 | Canberra Raiders | 22-17 (W) | Belmore Oval | 2nd |
| 5 | Illawarra Steelers | 2-8 (L) | Wollongong Showground | 5th |
| 6 | St George Dragons | 22-8 (W) | Belmore Oval | 4th |
| 7 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 16-12 (W) | Sydney Football Stadium | 4th |
| 8 | Penrith Panthers | 18-12 (W) | Belmore Oval | 1st |
| 9 | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | 0-18 (L) | Belmore Oval | 4th |
| 10 | Balmain Tigers | 8-19 (L) | Leichhardt Oval | 5th |
| 11 | Newcastle Knights | 26-8 (W) | Belmore Oval | 3rd |
| 12 | Parramatta Eels | 38-10 (W) | Parramatta Stadium | 1st |
| 13 | Western Suburbs Magpies | 25-0 (W) | Orana Park | 1st |
| 14 | North Sydney Bears | 18-30 (L) | Belmore Oval | 3rd |
| 15 | Brisbane Broncos | 25-10 (W) | Lang Park, Brisbane | 3rd |
| 16 | Gold Coast Tweed-Head Giants | 15-0 (W) | Belmore Oval | 3rd |
| 17 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 10-18 (L) | Caltex Field | 2nd |
| 18 | Eastern Suburbs Roosters | 29-14 (W) | Belmore Oval | 4th |
| 19 | Canberra Raiders | 23-16 (W) | Seiffert Oval, Queanbeyan | 2nd |
| 20 | Illawarra Steelers | 18-12 (W) | Belmore Oval | 2nd |
| 21 | St George Dragons | 26-0 (W) | Belmore Oval | 1st |
| 22 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 14-18 (L) | Belmore Oval | 2nd |
| Major Preliminary Semi Final | Canberra Raiders | 19-18 (W) | Sydney Football Stadium | - |
| Major Semi Final | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 26-8 (W) | Sydney Football Stadium | - |
| Grand Final | Balmain Tigers | 24-12 (W) | Sydney Football Stadium | Premiers |
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs respect and honour the Darug and Eora nations, who are the Traditional Custodians of the land and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and future. We acknowledge the stories, traditions and living cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on the lands we meet, gather and play on.