1988 Final Table
| Pstn | Side | Matches | Won | Lost | Drawn | For | Against | Diff. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cronulla Sutherland | 22 | 16 | 4 | 2 | 507 | 330 | +177 | 34 |
| 2 | Canterbury Bankstown | 22 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 412 | 268 | +144 | 32 |
| 3 | Canberra | 22 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 596 | 346 | +250 | 30 |
| 4 | Manly Warringah | 22 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 538 | 347 | +191 | 30 |
| 5 | Penrith | 22 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 394 | 258 | +136 | 30 |
| 6 | Balmain | 22 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 402 | 341 | +61 | 30 |
| 7 | Brisbane | 22 | 14 | 8 | 0 | 474 | 368 | +106 | 28 |
| 8 | South Sydney | 22 | 12 | 8 | 2 | 425 | 383 | +42 | 24 |
| 9 | North Sydney | 22 | 9 | 11 | 2 | 366 | 424 | -58 | 20 |
| 10 | St George | 22 | 9 | 13 | 0 | 352 | 493 | -141 | 18 |
| 11 | Parramatta | 22 | 8 | 14 | 0 | 359 | 412 | -53 | 16 |
| 12 | Eastern Suburbs | 22 | 6 | 13 | 3 | 387 | 443 | -56 | 15 |
| 13 | Illawarra | 22 | 6 | 15 | 1 | 353 | 510 | -157 | 13 |
| 14 | Newcastle | 22 | 5 | 16 | 1 | 270 | 460 | -190 | 11 |
| 15 | Gold Coast Tweed | 22 | 4 | 16 | 2 | 238 | 484 | -246 | 10 |
| 16 | Western Suburbs | 22 | 4 | 17 | 1 | 287 | 493 | -206 | 9 |
Note: South Sydney deducted 2 competition points for fielding an unregistered player.