Looking back at August 11, 1997
The Illawarra Steelers' finals hopes were up in the air after losing to Newcastle at WIN Stadium.
The 22-12 defeat was the sixth home loss of the season - and there was also a draw that year.
A win over the Knights would have cemented the Steelers a spot in the top seven in the divided ARL/Super League year.
Now, the Illawarra side faced two away matches in the last three rounds to ensure they would be there at the pointy end of the season.
"It doesn't matter where we play, we can win," coach Andrew Farrar said.
But he also said the Steelers had a chance to win the match but squandered scoring opportunities.
Ultimately, the Steelers would win two of the three remaining matches - against Wests and Gold Coast - to lock down sixth spot.
While they had beaten Gold Coast 28-6 in the last round, the side wasn't so lucky when the two teams met again in the first week of the finals.
The perennially ordinary Gold Coast side won 25-14, knocking the Steelers out of the finals.
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Glen Humphries
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
