The nineties saw finals appearances and near misses in 1991, and 1994–1998, In that time period Norths made the preliminary final 4 times but fell short on each occasion. In 1991, North Sydney finished the regular season in 3rd place and defeated arch rivals Manly in the first week of the finals. In the next match, North Sydney had the chance to make their first grand final in 48 years if they could defeat Penrith. After being behind on the scoreboard 12-0, Norths fought their way back into the match to level the scores at 14-14. Normally a reliable goal kicker, Daryl Halligan missed 4 shots at goal and only kicked 1 from 5 including a penalty miss in the dying minutes. Penrith won the match 16-14 despite the fact that Norths scored more tries in the game.