The 2002 NRL season was the 95th season of professional rugby league football in Australia and the fifth to be run by the National Rugby League. The season was affected by the competition-leading Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs' salary cap breach finding, which saw them relegated to the bottom of the NRL ladder. As a result, the New Zealand Warriors won their first minor premiership and made it to the grand final for the first time, playing against foundation club the Sydney Roosters who won the match and collected their first premiership in 27 years.
The legendary Broncos and Maroons halfback, Allan Langer, returned from England to play his final season of professional football with the Brisbane club. In doing so he became the NRL's oldest player for the 2002 season at 36 years and 60 days.[1]
Following the club's departure from the NRL after the 1999 season, there was a continuing push from both fans and the wider rugby league community to reinstate the South Sydney Rabbitohs into the NRL competition. After two unsuccessful years of lobbying, South Sydney finally received a court ruling in their favour in 2001. On 15 March 2002, the South Sydney club opened the NRL season with a home match against long-time rivals, the Sydney Roosters, losing badly, 40-6.
It turned out to be a tough year for South Sydney, winning only five matches from 24 played.
In 2002, as in 2001, the NRL's advertising was handled by Saatchi & Saatchi Sydney. As in the previous season, there was no big budget season launch advertising campaign. The NRL focussed on stretching its marketing spending throughout the season with newspaper ads promoting individual rounds and clubs, and with simple TV ads to promote key games.
The Bulldogs won 17 games in a row and had an unbeaten run of 18 games, the most in the club's history. However they were deducted 37 premiership points for a gross salary cap breaches, the most points deducted in premiership history. That left the club with just four competition points attained from the two byes earlier in the season. Four more competition points followed since the salary cap scandal, all from wins in the last two rounds of the season.
The New Zealand Warriors won the club's first Minor Premiership in its 8-year history and also made it to their first Grand Final. The Warriors were not in first place almost during the entire season, only taking top spot on the ladder at the conclusion of Round 26.
John Hopoate ran 3,976 metres with the ball in 2002, more than any other player in the competition.[2]
At the end of the season NRL referees' coach Peter Louis resigned from his position.[3]
In mid-2002, the Canterbury club were found guilty of serious and systemic breaches of the salary cap. NRL Chief Executive David Gallop described the violation as "exceptional in both its size and its deliberate and ongoing nature". The club received a $500,000 fine, and was stripped of 37 of its 41 competition points accumulated up to Round 23.[4] The latter action was particularly harmful, as the club were poised to take the Minor Premiership and had won 17 consecutive matches (the second highest in Australian club rugby league history at the time). The deduction of the 37 competition points meant that the Canterbury side would win the wooden spoon, as the South Sydney Rabbitohs had already accumulated 12 competition points by the end of Round 24.
The deduction of Canterbury's points also enabled the Canberra Raiders to make the finals with a points differential of -170, the poorest such record of any finalist in the competition's history, and the Raiders only won one game outside of Canberra for the entire season. It also enabled the New Zealand Warriors to secure their first minor premiership in the club's history.
To decide the grand finalists from the top eight finishing teams, the NRL adopts the McIntyre final eight system.
Coincidentally, the finalists for 2002 were almost the same as the previous season, with the exception of the Bulldogs being replaced by Canberra. Had the Bulldogs not been deducted competition points, they would have become the minor premiers and completed the replication, with Canberra moving down to 9th.
^Toohey, Barry (2 February 2011). "Still some bite in old Mad Dog". The Daily Telegraph. Australia: News Limited. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
^Proszenko, Adrian (6 May 2012). "Gallen set to smash record". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
^Steve Mascord and Brad Walter (6 September 2002). "Search for new refs chief to replace Louis". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
^Tunnah, Helen (2002-08-24). "Rugby League: 37 nails in Bulldogs' kennel". The New Zealand Herald. APN Holdings NZ Limited. Retrieved 2009-10-06.
^NZPA (2002-10-05). "Sorry guys, the cheque's not in the mail". nzherald.co.nz. APN Holdings NZ Limited. Retrieved 2009-12-04.
^"National Rugby League Grand Final, Live on Fox Sports World This Sunday". Business Wire. Los Angeles: Gale Group. 2003-10-03. Retrieved 2009-10-05.[dead link]
^Middleton, David. Rugby League 2003. Sydney: Harper Sports. pp. 182–183. ISBN0732277531.
^"2002 NRL Grand Final". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
Further readingedit
Middleton, David (2002). National Rugby League 2002. HarperSports. ISBN978-0-7322-7466-5.
External linksedit
NRL official website
Blood, guts and Rooster glory - Sydney Morning Herald match report
2002 NRL Grand Final at sportsphotography.net 2005-09-10 at the Wayback Machine
October 26, 2023
2002, season, 95th, season, professional, rugby, league, football, australia, fifth, national, rugby, league, season, affected, competition, leading, canterbury, bankstown, bulldogs, salary, breach, finding, which, them, relegated, bottom, ladder, result, zeal. The 2002 NRL season was the 95th season of professional rugby league football in Australia and the fifth to be run by the National Rugby League The season was affected by the competition leading Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs salary cap breach finding which saw them relegated to the bottom of the NRL ladder As a result the New Zealand Warriors won their first minor premiership and made it to the grand final for the first time playing against foundation club the Sydney Roosters who won the match and collected their first premiership in 27 years 2002 National Rugby LeagueDuration15 March 6 October 2002Teams15PremiersSydney 12th title Minor premiersNew Zealand 1st title Matches played189Points scored9083Average attendance14 054Attendance2 656 198Top points scorer s Hazem El Masri 254 Player of the yearAndrew Johns Dally M Medal Top try scorer s Nigel Vagana 23 20012003 Contents 1 Pre season 1 1 The return of South Sydney 2 Teams 3 Regular season 3 1 Bulldogs salary cap breach 3 2 Ladder 3 3 Ladder progression 4 Finals series 4 1 Chart 5 Grand Final 6 Player statistics 7 2002 Transfers 7 1 Players 7 2 Coaches 8 References 9 Further reading 10 External linksPre season editIn February 2002 the National Rugby League s Director of Legal and Business Affairs David Gallop was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the NRL succeeding David Moffett The legendary Broncos and Maroons halfback Allan Langer returned from England to play his final season of professional football with the Brisbane club In doing so he became the NRL s oldest player for the 2002 season at 36 years and 60 days 1 The return of South Sydney edit See also South Sydney Rabbitohs history The troubled 1990s and exclusion Following the club s departure from the NRL after the 1999 season there was a continuing push from both fans and the wider rugby league community to reinstate the South Sydney Rabbitohs into the NRL competition After two unsuccessful years of lobbying South Sydney finally received a court ruling in their favour in 2001 On 15 March 2002 the South Sydney club opened the NRL season with a home match against long time rivals the Sydney Roosters losing badly 40 6 It turned out to be a tough year for South Sydney winning only five matches from 24 played Teams editThe number of teams contesting the Premiership increased for the 2002 season from 14 to 15 due to the re inclusion of the South Sydney Rabbitohs It was the first time the number of Premiership teams had increased since the 1995 ARL season when the introduction of the Auckland Warriors North Queensland Cowboys South Queensland Crushers and Western Reds saw the number of teams increase from 16 to 20 Brisbane Broncos nbsp 15th seasonGround Queensland Sport and Athletics CentreCoach Wayne BennettCaptain Gorden Tallis Bulldogs nbsp 68th seasonGround Sydney ShowgroundCoach Steve FolkesCaptain Steve Price Canberra Raiders nbsp 21st seasonGround Canberra StadiumCoach Matthew ElliottCaptain Simon Woolford Melbourne Storm nbsp 5th seasonGround Olympic Park StadiumCoach Mark MurrayCaptain Robbie Kearns New Zealand Warriors nbsp 8th seasonGround Mt Smart StadiumCoach Daniel AndersonCaptain Stacey Jones amp Monty BethamNewcastle Knights nbsp 15th seasonGround Newcastle International Sports CentreCoach Michael HaganCaptain Andrew Johns North Queensland Cowboys nbsp 8th seasonGround Willows Sports ComplexCoach Murray Hurst Graham MurrayCaptain Paul Bowman Northern Eagles nbsp 3rd seasonGround Brookvale Oval amp Central Coast StadiumCoach Peter SharpCaptain Steve Menzies Parramatta Eels nbsp 56th seasonGround Parramatta StadiumCoach Brian SmithCaptain Nathan Cayless Penrith Panthers nbsp 36th seasonGround Penrith StadiumCoach John LangCaptain Craig GowerSharks nbsp 38th seasonGround Shark ParkCoach Chris AndersonCaptain David Peachey South Sydney Rabbitohs nbsp 93rd seasonGround Sydney Football StadiumCoach Craig ColemanCaptain Adam Muir St George Illawarra Dragons nbsp 4th seasonGround Kogarah Oval amp WIN StadiumCoach Andrew FarrarCaptain Trent Barrett Sydney Roosters nbsp 95th seasonGround Sydney Football StadiumCoach Ricky StuartCaptain Brad Fittler Wests Tigers nbsp 3rd seasonGround Campbelltown Stadium amp Leichhardt OvalCoach Terry LambCaptain Darren SenterRegular season editIn 2002 as in 2001 the NRL s advertising was handled by Saatchi amp Saatchi Sydney As in the previous season there was no big budget season launch advertising campaign The NRL focussed on stretching its marketing spending throughout the season with newspaper ads promoting individual rounds and clubs and with simple TV ads to promote key games The Bulldogs won 17 games in a row and had an unbeaten run of 18 games the most in the club s history However they were deducted 37 premiership points for a gross salary cap breaches the most points deducted in premiership history That left the club with just four competition points attained from the two byes earlier in the season Four more competition points followed since the salary cap scandal all from wins in the last two rounds of the season The New Zealand Warriors won the club s first Minor Premiership in its 8 year history and also made it to their first Grand Final The Warriors were not in first place almost during the entire season only taking top spot on the ladder at the conclusion of Round 26 John Hopoate ran 3 976 metres with the ball in 2002 more than any other player in the competition 2 At the end of the season NRL referees coach Peter Louis resigned from his position 3 Bulldogs salary cap breach edit See also Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs salary cap breach In mid 2002 the Canterbury club were found guilty of serious and systemic breaches of the salary cap NRL Chief Executive David Gallop described the violation as exceptional in both its size and its deliberate and ongoing nature The club received a 500 000 fine and was stripped of 37 of its 41 competition points accumulated up to Round 23 4 The latter action was particularly harmful as the club were poised to take the Minor Premiership and had won 17 consecutive matches the second highest in Australian club rugby league history at the time The deduction of the 37 competition points meant that the Canterbury side would win the wooden spoon as the South Sydney Rabbitohs had already accumulated 12 competition points by the end of Round 24 The deduction of Canterbury s points also enabled the Canberra Raiders to make the finals with a points differential of 170 the poorest such record of any finalist in the competition s history and the Raiders only won one game outside of Canberra for the entire season It also enabled the New Zealand Warriors to secure their first minor premiership in the club s history Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 F1 F2 F3 GFBrisbane Broncos NQL 36 CBY0 SYD 14 CRO 2 CAN 2 PEN 4 NEW 6 SOU 26 NTE 38 X SGI 8 WTI 14 PAR 4 NQL 44 X NZL 10 SGI 12 PEN 18 WTI 32 PAR 20 MEL 28 SYD 10 NZL 14 NEW 30 CAN 34 CBY 7 PAR 10 X SYD 4Canberra Raiders MEL 4 SOU 8 WTI 5 NEW 46 BRI 2 NTE 24 PAR 38 CRO 26 SGI0 SOU 6 NQL 12 NTE 12 X CRO 10 CBY 40 PEN 12 SYD 30 NEW 6 NQL 16 NZL 8 X WTI 20 SYD 26 CBY 4 BRI 34 MEL 9 NZL 16Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs WTI 6 BRI0 SGI 19 SOU 26 MEL 16 NZL 8 CRO 20 X PEN 3 CRO 26 NTE 18 SOU 10 PEN 14 X CAN 40 PAR 14 NTE 20 SGI 2 SYD 12 NEW 1 NQL 8 NZL 8 PAR 18 CAN 4 MEL 8 BRI 7Cronulla Sutherland Sharks SGI 6 MEL 6 PEN 8 BRI 2 WTI 6 NEW 44 CBY 20 CAN 26 PAR 30 CBY 26 PEN 2 NZL 22 SGI 21 CAN 10 NQL 30 X NZL 12 PAR 1 NTE 22 SOU 16 SYD 14 NEW 50 WTI 16 NQL 22 X SYD 12 SYD 12 SGI 16 NZL 6Melbourne Storm CAN 4 CRO 6 NQL 28 PAR 2 CBY 16 SGI 8 NZL 10 NEW 8 SYD 28 PAR 2 NZL 16 X NEW 21 SGI0 SOU 38 NTE 14 WTI 6 SYD 38 X PEN 20 BRI 28 NQL 10 PEN 32 WTI 10 CBY 8 CAN 9Newcastle Knights NTE 26 NQL 32 NZL 18 CAN 46 SYD 16 CRO 44 BRI 6 MEL 8 X NZL 22 SOU 26 X MEL 21 PAR 14 WTI 16 SOU 18 PAR 6 CAN 6 PEN 16 CBY 1 SGI 8 CRO 50 NTE 14 BRI 30 PEN 2 SGI 18 SGI 4 SYD 26New Zealand Warriors X SYD 7 NEW 18 NQL 30 NTE 58 CBY 8 MEL 10 WTI 22 SOU 7 NEW 22 MEL 16 CRO 22 NQL 28 SOU 36 SGI 10 BRI 10 CRO 12 X PAR 16 CAN 8 PEN 14 CBY 8 BRI 14 SYD 44 NTE 2 WTI 16 CAN 16 X CRO 6 SYD 22North Queensland Cowboys BRI 36 NEW 32 MEL 28 NZL 30 SOU 12 SYD 46 PEN 10 PAR 1 WTI 24 PEN 30 CAN 12 SGI 8 NZL 28 BRI 44 CRO 30 SGI 27 X NTE 16 CAN 16 NTE 12 CBY 8 MEL 10 X CRO 22 SOU 2 PAR 9Northern Eagles NEW 26 X SOU 24 SYD 6 NZL 58 CAN 24 WTI 18 SGI 4 BRI 38 X CBY 18 CAN 12 WTI 24 SYD 27 PEN 4 MEL 14 CBY 20 NQL 16 CRO 22 NQL 12 PAR 9 SGI 2 NEW 14 PAR 13 NZL 2 PEN 40Parramatta Eels PEN 58 WTI 6 X MEL 2 SGI0 SOU 8 CAN 38 NQL 1 CRO 30 MEL 2 SYD 14 X BRI 4 NEW 14 SYD0 CBY 14 NEW 6 CRO 1 NZL 16 BRI 20 NTE 9 SOU 54 CBY 18 NTE 13 WTI 12 NQL 9 BRI 10Penrith Panthers PAR 58 SGI 8 CRO 8 WTI 16 X BRI 4 NQL 10 SYD 4 CBY 3 NQL 30 CRO 2 SYD 10 CBY 14 WTI 4 NTE 4 CAN 12 SOU 7 BRI 18 NEW 16 MEL 20 NZL 14 X MEL 32 SOU 16 NEW 2 NTE 40South Sydney Rabbitohs SYD 34 CAN 8 NTE 24 CBY 26 NQL 12 PAR 8 X BRI 26 NZL 7 CAN 6 NEW 26 CBY 10 SYD 36 NZL 36 MEL 38 NEW 18 PEN 7 WTI 14 SGI 38 CRO 16 WTI 46 PAR 54 SGI 42 PEN 16 NQL 2 XSt George Illawarra Dragons CRO 6 PEN 8 CBY 19 X PAR0 MEL 8 SYD 4 NTE 4 CAN0 WTI 11 BRI 8 NQL 8 CRO 21 MEL0 NZL 10 NQL 27 BRI 12 CBY 2 SOU 38 WTI 34 NEW 8 NTE 2 SOU 42 X SYD 16 NEW 18 NEW 4 CRO 16Sydney Roosters SOU 34 NZL 7 BRI 14 NTE 6 NEW 16 NQL 46 SGI 4 PEN 4 MEL 28 X PAR 14 PEN 10 SOU 36 NTE 27 PAR0 WTI 2 CAN 30 MEL 38 CBY 12 X CRO 14 BRI 10 CAN 26 NZL 44 SGI 16 CRO 12 CRO 12 NEW 26 BRI 4 NZL 22Wests Tigers CBY 6 PAR 6 CAN 5 PEN 16 CRO 6 X NTE 18 NZL 22 NQL 24 SGI 11 X BRI 14 NTE 24 PEN 4 NEW 16 SYD 2 MEL 6 SOU 14 BRI 32 SGI 34 SOU 46 CAN 20 CRO 16 MEL 10 PAR 12 NZL 16Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 F1 F2 F3 GFBold Home game X Bye Opponent for round listed above margin Ladder edit The Warriors received A 100 000 prize money for finishing the regular season as minor premiers 5 2002 NRL seasonvtePos Team Pld W D L B PF PA PD Pts1 nbsp New Zealand Warriors 24 17 0 7 2 688 454 234 382 nbsp Newcastle Knights 24 17 0 7 2 724 498 226 383 nbsp Brisbane Broncos 24 16 1 7 2 672 425 247 374 nbsp Sydney Roosters P 24 15 1 8 2 621 405 216 355 nbsp Cronulla Sutherland Sharks 24 15 0 9 2 653 597 56 346 nbsp Parramatta Eels 24 10 2 12 2 531 440 91 267 nbsp St George Illawarra Dragons 24 9 3 12 2 632 546 86 258 nbsp Canberra Raiders 24 10 1 13 2 471 641 170 259 nbsp Northern Eagles 24 10 0 14 2 503 740 237 2410 nbsp Melbourne Storm 24 9 1 14 2 556 586 30 2311 nbsp North Queensland Cowboys 24 8 0 16 2 496 803 307 2012 nbsp Penrith Panthers 24 7 0 17 2 546 654 108 1813 nbsp Wests Tigers 24 7 0 17 2 498 642 144 1814 nbsp South Sydney Rabbitohs 24 5 0 19 2 385 817 432 1415 nbsp Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs 24 20 1 3 2 707 435 272 811 The Bulldogs were deducted 37 premiership points due to gross salary cap breaches Ladder progression edit Numbers highlighted in green indicate that the team finished the round inside the top 8 Numbers highlighted in blue indicates the team finished first on the ladder in that round Numbers highlighted in red indicates the team finished in last place on the ladder in that round Underlined numbers indicate that the team had a bye during that round Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 261 nbsp New Zealand 2 4 4 6 8 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 24 26 26 28 30 30 32 34 36 36 36 382 nbsp Newcastle 2 4 6 8 10 12 12 14 16 16 18 20 22 24 24 26 28 28 30 30 32 32 34 36 38 383 nbsp Brisbane 2 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 19 21 21 23 25 25 27 29 31 33 35 35 35 35 37 374 nbsp Sydney 2 2 2 2 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 14 16 18 19 21 23 23 23 25 25 27 29 31 33 355 nbsp Sharks 2 4 6 6 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 346 nbsp Parramatta 2 2 4 4 5 7 9 11 13 15 15 17 19 19 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 22 22 24 26 267 nbsp St George Illawarra 0 2 2 4 5 5 5 5 6 8 10 10 10 11 13 15 15 15 17 19 19 19 21 23 23 258 nbsp Canberra 0 0 2 2 2 2 2 4 5 5 7 9 11 11 11 13 13 15 15 17 19 21 21 23 23 259 nbsp Northern Eagles 0 2 2 4 4 6 6 8 8 10 10 10 12 12 14 16 16 18 18 18 20 22 22 22 24 2410 nbsp Melbourne 2 2 4 6 6 8 8 8 8 8 8 10 10 11 13 13 15 17 19 19 19 21 23 23 23 2311 nbsp North Queensland 0 0 0 0 2 2 4 4 6 6 6 8 8 8 8 8 10 10 12 14 14 14 16 16 18 2012 nbsp Penrith 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 2 2 4 6 8 8 10 10 10 10 10 10 12 12 14 14 16 16 1813 nbsp Wests 2 4 4 6 6 8 10 10 10 10 12 12 12 12 14 14 14 14 14 14 16 16 16 18 18 1814 nbsp South Sydney 0 2 4 4 4 4 6 6 6 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 10 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 1415 nbsp Bulldogs 0 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 39 41 4 6 8Finals series editTo decide the grand finalists from the top eight finishing teams the NRL adopts the McIntyre final eight system Coincidentally the finalists for 2002 were almost the same as the previous season with the exception of the Bulldogs being replaced by Canberra Had the Bulldogs not been deducted competition points they would have become the minor premiers and completed the replication with Canberra moving down to 9th Home Score Away Match InformationDate and Time Venue Referee CrowdQualifying Finals nbsp Sydney Roosters 32 20 nbsp Cronulla Sutherland Sharks 13 September 2002 Aussie Stadium Paul Simpkins 25 366 nbsp Brisbane Broncos 24 14 nbsp Parramatta Eels 14 September 2002 ANZ Stadium Sean Hampstead 19 115 nbsp Newcastle Knights 22 26 nbsp St George Illawarra Dragons 14 September 2002 Energy Australia Stadium Bill Harrigan 21 051 nbsp New Zealand Warriors 36 20 nbsp Canberra Raiders 15 September 2002 Ericsson Stadium Tim Mander 25 800Semi finals nbsp St George Illawarra Dragons 24 40 nbsp Cronulla Sutherland Sharks 21 September 2002 Aussie Stadium Bill Harrigan 31 783 nbsp Sydney Roosters 38 12 nbsp Newcastle Knights 22 September 2002 Aussie Stadium Sean Hampstead 23 816Preliminary Finals nbsp Brisbane Broncos 12 16 nbsp Sydney Roosters 28 September 2002 Aussie Stadium Bill Harrigan 28 251 nbsp New Zealand Warriors 16 10 nbsp Cronulla Sutherland Sharks 29 September 2002 Telstra Stadium Tim Mander 45 782Chart edit Qualifying finalsSemifinalsPreliminary finalsFinal1 nbsp New Zealand368 nbsp Canberra201W nbsp New Zealand164W nbsp St George Illawarra24 nbsp Cronulla102 nbsp Newcastle222L nbsp Cronulla40 nbsp New Zealand87 nbsp St George Illawarra26 nbsp Sydney303 nbsp Brisbane242W nbsp Brisbane126 nbsp Parramatta143W nbsp Sydney38 nbsp Sydney161L nbsp Newcastle124 nbsp Sydney325 nbsp Cronulla20Grand Final editMain article 2002 NRL Grand Final The 2002 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership deciding game of the 2002 NRL season It took place on Sunday 6 October 2002 at Sydney s Telstra Stadium 80 130 people saw the Sydney Roosters beat the New Zealand Warriors 30 8 The Clive Churchill Medalist was Craig Fitzgibbon of the Sydney Roosters The match was also broadcast live in the United States by Fox Sports World 6 2002 NRL Grand Final Sunday 6 October19 00 AEST UTC 10 New Zealand Warriors nbsp 8 30 nbsp Sydney RoostersTries 1Jones nbsp 46 Goals 2Cleary nbsp pen 29 47 2 2 1st 2 62nd 6 24Report 7 Tries 5Hegarty nbsp 23 Wing nbsp 57 Fitzgibbon nbsp 65 Flannery nbsp 71 Fletcher nbsp 74 Goals 5Fitzgibbon nbsp 25 59 66 71 76 5 5 Telstra Stadium SydneyAttendance 80 130 8 Referee Bill HarriganTouch judges Steve Richards Shayne HayneClive Churchill Medal Craig Fitzgibbon Sydney Player statistics editThe following statistics are as of the conclusion of Round 26 Top 5 point scorers Points Player Tries Goals Field Goals254 nbsp Hazem El Masri 12 103 0246 nbsp Andrew Johns 10 102 2233 nbsp Brett Kimmorley 13 90 1222 nbsp Ivan Cleary 8 95 0174 nbsp Michael De Vere 6 75 0Top 5 try scorers Tries Player23 nbsp Nigel Vagana19 nbsp Timana Tahu19 nbsp Rhys Wesser17 nbsp Clinton Toopi17 nbsp Lee Hookey17 nbsp Aaron Moule17 nbsp Luke Lewis Top 5 goal scorers Goals Player103 nbsp Hazem El Masri102 nbsp Andrew Johns95 nbsp Ivan Cleary90 nbsp Brett Kimmorley75 nbsp Michael De Vere2002 Transfers editPlayers edit Player 2001 Club 2002 ClubDarren Burns nbsp Brisbane Broncos nbsp Super League Warrington WolvesMark Corvo nbsp Brisbane Broncos nbsp Super League Salford City RedsLuke Priddis nbsp Brisbane Broncos nbsp Penrith PanthersWendell Sailor nbsp Brisbane Broncos Queensland Reds Super 12 Kevin Walters nbsp Brisbane Broncos RetirementAnthony Colella nbsp Canberra Raiders nbsp South Sydney RabbitohsAndrew McFadden nbsp Canberra Raiders nbsp Parramatta EelsLesley Vainikolo nbsp Canberra Raiders nbsp Super League Bradford BullsLuke Williamson nbsp Canberra Raiders nbsp Northern EaglesDarren Britt nbsp Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs nbsp Super League St HelensSteven Hughes nbsp Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs RetirementAdam Peek nbsp Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs nbsp South Sydney RabbitohsCraig Polla Mounter nbsp Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs RetirementRod Silva nbsp Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs RetirementBarry Ward nbsp Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs nbsp Super League St HelensMatt Daylight nbsp Cronulla Sutherland Sharks RetirementShannon Donato nbsp Cronulla Sutherland Sharks nbsp Penrith PanthersAdam Dykes nbsp Cronulla Sutherland Sharks nbsp Parramatta EelsJason Ferris nbsp Cronulla Sutherland Sharks nbsp Northern EaglesMartin Lang nbsp Cronulla Sutherland Sharks nbsp Penrith PanthersNathan Long nbsp Cronulla Sutherland Sharks nbsp Northern EaglesPaul McNicholas nbsp Cronulla Sutherland Sharks nbsp South Sydney RabbitohsRussell Richardson nbsp Cronulla Sutherland Sharks nbsp South Sydney RabbitohsMat Rogers nbsp Cronulla Sutherland Sharks New South Wales Waratahs Super 12 Sean Ryan nbsp Cronulla Sutherland Sharks nbsp Super League Hull F C Luke Stuart nbsp Cronulla Sutherland Sharks nbsp South Sydney RabbitohsRussell Bawden nbsp Melbourne Storm nbsp Super League London BroncosTasesa Lavea nbsp Melbourne Storm nbsp Northern EaglesBen Roarty nbsp Melbourne Storm nbsp Penrith PanthersBrad Watts nbsp Melbourne Storm nbsp South Sydney RabbitohsDarren Albert nbsp Newcastle Knights nbsp Super League St HelensTroy Fletcher nbsp Newcastle Knights RetirementGlenn Grief nbsp Newcastle Knights nbsp South Sydney RabbitohsPaul Marquet nbsp Newcastle Knights nbsp Super League Warrington WolvesRichie Blackmore nbsp New Zealand Warriors RetirementJason Death nbsp New Zealand Warriors nbsp South Sydney RabbitohsGeoff Bell nbsp North Queensland Cowboys nbsp Penrith PanthersBrett Hetherington nbsp North Queensland Cowboys RetirementDanny Moore nbsp North Queensland Cowboys RetirementJulian O Neill nbsp North Queensland Cowboys nbsp Super League Wigan WarriorsLee Oudenryn nbsp North Queensland Cowboys RetirementMark Shipway nbsp North Queensland Cowboys nbsp Northern EaglesDamien Smith nbsp North Queensland Cowboys RetirementKyle Warren nbsp North Queensland Cowboys nbsp Super League Castleford TigersGreg Ebrill nbsp Northern Eagles nbsp Super League Salford City RedsWayne Evans nbsp Northern Eagles nbsp Super League London BroncosBrett Kimmorley nbsp Northern Eagles nbsp Cronulla Sutherland SharksAndrew King nbsp Northern Eagles nbsp South Sydney RabbitohsWilliam Leyshon nbsp Northern Eagles nbsp Melbourne StormKarl Lovell nbsp Northern Eagles nbsp Cronulla Sutherland SharksAdam Muir nbsp Northern Eagles nbsp South Sydney RabbitohsMark O Meley nbsp Northern Eagles nbsp Canterbury Bankstown BulldogsPaul Stringer nbsp Northern Eagles nbsp South Sydney RabbitohsGeoff Toovey nbsp Northern Eagles RetirementSteve Trindall nbsp Northern Eagles nbsp Wests TigersBen Walker nbsp Northern Eagles nbsp Super League Leeds RhinosPJ Marsh nbsp Parramatta Eels nbsp New Zealand WarriorsJason Taylor nbsp Parramatta Eels RetirementDavid Westley nbsp Parramatta Eels nbsp Northern EaglesMatt Adamson nbsp Penrith Panthers nbsp Super League Leeds RhinosRobbie Beckett nbsp Penrith Panthers nbsp Super League Halifax Blue SoxSteve Carter nbsp Penrith Panthers nbsp Super League Widnes VikingsCraig Greenhill nbsp Penrith Panthers nbsp Super League Hull F C Andrew Hinson nbsp Penrith Panthers nbsp South Sydney RabbitohsPeter Jorgensen nbsp Penrith Panthers Northampton Saints English rugby union Duncan MacGillivray nbsp Penrith Panthers nbsp South Sydney RabbitohsFrank Puletua nbsp Penrith Panthers nbsp South Sydney RabbitohsMatthew Rieck nbsp Penrith Panthers nbsp Cronulla Sutherland SharksMatthew Rodwell nbsp Penrith Panthers nbsp Super League Warrington WolvesDavid Woods nbsp Penrith Panthers nbsp Super League Halifax Blue SoxJamie Ainscough nbsp St George Illawarra Dragons nbsp Super League Wigan WarriorsWayne Bartrim nbsp St George Illawarra Dragons nbsp Super League Castleford TigersJamie Fitzgerald nbsp St George Illawarra Dragons nbsp South Sydney RabbitohsWade Forrester nbsp St George Illawarra Dragons nbsp Northern EaglesAndrew Hart nbsp St George Illawarra Dragons nbsp South Sydney RabbitohsPaul McGregor nbsp St George Illawarra Dragons RetirementCraig Smith nbsp St George Illawarra Dragons nbsp Super League Wigan WarriorsDarren Treacy nbsp St George Illawarra Dragons nbsp Super League Salford City RedsColin Ward nbsp St George Illawarra Dragons nbsp Penrith PanthersQuentin Pongia nbsp Sydney Roosters Villeneuve Leopards Elite One Championship Ian Rubin nbsp Sydney Roosters RetirementMatt Sing nbsp Sydney Roosters nbsp North Queensland CowboysJohn Carlaw nbsp Wests Tigers nbsp New Zealand WarriorsOwen Craigie nbsp Wests Tigers nbsp South Sydney RabbitohsCraig Field nbsp Wests Tigers Pia Donkeys French Rugby League Championship Lee Murphy nbsp Wests Tigers RetirementJohn Simon nbsp Wests Tigers RetirementTyran Smith nbsp Wests Tigers nbsp Canberra RaidersShane Walker nbsp Wests Tigers nbsp Melbourne StormShane Rigon nbsp Super League Bradford Bulls nbsp South Sydney RabbitohsBen Kusto nbsp Super League Huddersfield Giants nbsp Parramatta EelsLuke Felsch nbsp Super League Hull F C nbsp St George Illawarra DragonsTony Grimaldi nbsp Super League Hull F C nbsp Canterbury Bankstown BulldogsRobert Mears nbsp Super League Leeds Rhinos nbsp Wests TigersBrett Mullins nbsp Super League Leeds Rhinos nbsp Sydney RoostersGlen Air nbsp Super League London Broncos nbsp Wests TigersShane Millard nbsp Super League London Broncos nbsp St George Illawarra DragonsJustin Brooker nbsp Super League Wakefield Trinity Wildcats nbsp South Sydney RabbitohsAndrew Gee nbsp Super League Warrington Wolves nbsp Brisbane BroncosDavid Kidwell nbsp Super League Warrington Wolves nbsp Sydney RoostersAllan Langer nbsp Super League Warrington Wolves nbsp Brisbane BroncosDanny Nutley nbsp Super League Warrington Wolves nbsp Cronulla Sutherland SharksIan Sibbit nbsp Super League Warrington Wolves nbsp Melbourne StormMatthew Johns nbsp Super League Wigan Warriors nbsp Cronulla Sutherland SharksKen McGuinness Toowoomba Clydesdales Queensland Cup nbsp North Queensland CowboysChris Caruana N A nbsp South Sydney RabbitohsJoe Galuvao N A nbsp Penrith PanthersCoaches edit Coach 2001 Club 2002 ClubJohn Lang nbsp Cronulla Sutherland Sharks nbsp Penrith PanthersReferences edit Toohey Barry 2 February 2011 Still some bite in old Mad Dog The Daily Telegraph Australia News Limited Retrieved 2 February 2011 Proszenko Adrian 6 May 2012 Gallen set to smash record The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 7 May 2012 Steve Mascord and Brad Walter 6 September 2002 Search for new refs chief to replace Louis The Sydney Morning Herald Fairfax Media Retrieved 30 August 2014 Tunnah Helen 2002 08 24 Rugby League 37 nails in Bulldogs kennel The New Zealand Herald APN Holdings NZ Limited Retrieved 2009 10 06 NZPA 2002 10 05 Sorry guys the cheque s not in the mail nzherald co nz APN Holdings NZ Limited Retrieved 2009 12 04 National Rugby League Grand Final Live on Fox Sports World This Sunday Business Wire Los Angeles Gale Group 2003 10 03 Retrieved 2009 10 05 dead link Middleton David Rugby League 2003 Sydney Harper Sports pp 182 183 ISBN 0732277531 2002 NRL Grand Final Rugby League Project Retrieved 8 March 2023 Further reading editMiddleton David 2002 National Rugby League 2002 HarperSports ISBN 978 0 7322 7466 5 External links editNRL official website RLeague com 2002 NRL Draw and Results Blood guts and Rooster glory Sydney Morning Herald match report 2002 NRL Grand Final at sportsphotography net Archived 2005 09 10 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 2002 NRL season amp oldid 1153958043, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,