yes agreed; this time (1997-1998) represented the height of the Langer-Walters-Bennett triumvirate, they were inarguable the best club rugby league side on Earth for those 2 years, nearly unbeatable against any opposition...
however, they barely got above 20K fans through the gate for games and that included a few semi final games at home too. Brisbane fans voted with their feet those years, showing you cannot take their loyalty for granted regardless of what team you put out there.
Thankfully, nowadays we have great healthy crowds coming to see the team and i think its worth putting that into perspective; most clubs would kill to draw such crowds.
We just need to sort out some positions and players futures with us and the future is looking so bright..!