| Year: | 1988 |
| League: | NSWRL |
| League Rank: | 1st |
| Cup: | Challenge Cup |
| League Wins: | 16 |
| League Draws: | 2 |
| League Losses: | 6 |
| Points For: | 517 (81 tries, 95 goals, 3 field goals) |
| Points Against: | 365 (61 tries, 59 goals, 3 field goals) |
| Ceo Title: | CEO |
| Coach: | Allan Fitzgibbon |
| Captain: | David Hatch |
| Stadium: | Caltex Field |
| Avg Attendance: | 9,789 |
| Top Tries: | Andrew Ettingshausen (17) |
| Top Goals: | Alan Wilson (69) |
| Top Points: | Alan Wilson (167) |
| Prev Season: | 1987 |
| Next Season: | 1989 |
The 1988 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks season was the 22nd in the club's history. They competed in the NSWRL's 1988 Winfield Cup premiership and finished the regular season as minor premiers. They then came within one match of the grand final but were knocked out by the Balmain Tigers. The Sharks also competed in the 1988 Panasonic Cup.
Three Sharks players, Andrew Ettinghausen, Gavin Miller and Mark McGaw were selected to make their international debuts for Australia in 1988.
| width=175 | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cronulla-Sutherland | 22 | 16 | 2 | 4 | 507 | 330 | +177 | 34 | |
| 2 | Canterbury-Bankstown | 22 | 16 | 0 | 6 | 412 | 268 | +144 | 32 | |
| 3 | Canberra | 22 | 15 | 0 | 7 | 596 | 346 | +250 | 30 | |
| 4 | Manly-Warringah | 22 | 15 | 0 | 7 | 538 | 347 | +191 | 30 | |
| 5 | Penrith | 22 | 15 | 0 | 7 | 394 | 258 | +136 | 30 | |
| 6 | Balmain | 22 | 15 | 0 | 7 | 402 | 341 | +61 | 30 | |
| 7 | Brisbane | 22 | 14 | 0 | 8 | 474 | 368 | +106 | 28 | |
| 8 | South Sydney | 22 | 12 | 2 | 8 | 425 | 383 | +42 | 24 | |
| 9 | North Sydney | 22 | 9 | 2 | 11 | 366 | 424 | -58 | 20 | |
| 10 | St. George | 22 | 9 | 0 | 13 | 352 | 493 | -141 | 18 | |
| 11 | Parramatta | 22 | 8 | 0 | 14 | 359 | 412 | -53 | 16 | |
| 12 | Eastern Suburbs | 22 | 6 | 3 | 13 | 387 | 443 | -56 | 15 | |
| 13 | Illawarra | 22 | 6 | 1 | 15 | 353 | 510 | -157 | 13 | |
| 14 | Newcastle | 22 | 5 | 1 | 16 | 270 | 460 | -190 | 11 | |
| 15 | Gold Coast-Tweed | 22 | 4 | 2 | 16 | 238 | 484 | -246 | 10 | |
| 16 | Western Suburbs | 22 | 4 | 1 | 17 | 287 | 493 | -206 | 9 |