Though the format in which games of the 1984 BRL season were played did not change from the previous year, competition points were given to the eight Brisbane teams based on wins in the Woolies Pre-Season Competition and the 3 games each club played against another Brisbane side in the Winfield State League, excluding finals in both of these competitions. These matches effectively formed Rounds 1-7 of the 1984 Winfield Cup, with media at the time referring to the May-September Brisbane competition as Rounds 8-21 once again.
Teams played each other a total of three times over the 21 first-grade rounds, twice during the regular competition and once during either the pre-season or state league. It resulted in a top four of Wynnum-Manly, Southern Suburbs, Fortitude Valley and Redcliffe.
The 1984 Winfield State League was the third season of the Queensland Rugby League's statewide competition. A total of 14 teams competed in the season, 8 of which were BRL Premiership clubs. The remaining six were regional teams from across the state, hence the State League name. The finals were straight final four series held at QRL headquarters at Lang Park, with Wynnum-Manly and Souths winning their respective semi finals. In the final, the Seagulls defeated Magpies 21-10 to win the first of four straight Winfield State League titles.