2002 NRL season

Rugby league competition
2002 National Rugby League
Duration15 March – 6 October 2002
Teams15
Premiers Sydney (12th title)
Minor premiers New Zealand (1st title)
Matches played189
Points scored9083
Average attendance14,054
Attendance2,656,198
Top points scorer(s) Hazem El Masri (254)
Player of the year Andrew Johns (Dally M Medal)
Top try-scorer(s) Nigel Vagana (23)
← 2001
2003 →

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.

Pre-season

In 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

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

The 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
15th season
Ground: Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre
Coach: Wayne Bennett
Captain: Gorden Tallis
Bulldogs
68th season
Ground: Sydney Showground
Coach: Steve Folkes
Captain: Steve Price
Canberra Raiders
21st season
Ground: Canberra Stadium
Coach: Matthew Elliott
Captain: Simon Woolford
Melbourne Storm
5th season
Ground Olympic Park Stadium
Coach: Mark Murray
Captain: Robbie Kearns
New Zealand Warriors
8th season
Ground: Mt Smart Stadium
Coach: Daniel Anderson
Captain: Stacey Jones & Monty Betham
Newcastle Knights
15th season
Ground: Newcastle International Sports Centre
Coach: Michael Hagan
Captain: Andrew Johns
North Queensland Cowboys
8th season
Ground: Willows Sports Complex
Coach: Murray HurstGraham Murray
Captain: Paul Bowman
Northern Eagles
3rd season
Ground: Brookvale Oval & Central Coast Stadium
Coach: Peter Sharp
Captain: Steve Menzies
Parramatta Eels
56th season
Ground: Parramatta Stadium
Coach: Brian Smith
Captain: Nathan Cayless
Penrith Panthers
36th season
Ground: Penrith Stadium
Coach: John Lang
Captain: Craig Gower
Sharks
38th season
Ground: Shark Park
Coach: Chris Anderson
Captain: David Peachey
South Sydney Rabbitohs
93rd season
Ground: Sydney Football Stadium
Coach: Craig Coleman
Captain: Adam Muir
St. George Illawarra Dragons
4th season
Ground: Kogarah Oval & WIN Stadium
Coach: Andrew Farrar
Captain: Trent Barrett
Sydney Roosters
95th season
Ground: Sydney Football Stadium
Coach: Ricky Stuart
Captain: Brad Fittler
Wests Tigers
3rd season
Ground: Campbelltown Stadium & Leichhardt Oval
Coach: Terry Lamb
Captain: Darren Senter

Regular season

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]

As of 2023, 2002 is the most recent season in which the Melbourne Storm did not qualify for the finals due to not winning enough games, though in 2010 they were sentenced to finish last due to salary cap breaches which prevented the club from earning any premiership points that season.[4]

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.[5] 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 GF
Brisbane Broncos NQL
+36
CBY
0
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
−4
Canberra Raiders MEL
−4
SOU
−8
WTI
+5
NEW
−46
BRI
−2
NTE
−24
PAR
−38
CRO
+26
SGI
0
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
−16
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs WTI
−6
BRI
0
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
+7
Cronulla-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
−6
Melbourne 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
SGI
0
SOU
+38
NTE
−14
WTI
+6
SYD
+38
X PEN
−20
BRI
−28
NQL
+10
PEN
+32
WTI
−10
CBY
−8
CAN
−9
Newcastle 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
−26
New 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
−22
North 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
+9
Northern 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
−40
Parramatta Eels PEN
+58
WTI
−6
X MEL
−2
SGI
0
SOU
+8
CAN
+38
NQL
+1
CRO
+30
MEL
+2
SYD
−14
X BRI
+4
NEW
−14
SYD
0
CBY
−14
NEW
−6
CRO
−1
NZL
−16
BRI
−20
NTE
−9
SOU
+54
CBY
−18
NTE
+13
WTI
+12
NQL
−9
BRI
−10
Penrith 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
+40
South 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
X
St. George Illawarra Dragons CRO
−6
PEN
+8
CBY
−19
X PAR
0
MEL
−8
SYD
−4
NTE
−4
CAN
0
WTI
+11
BRI
+8
NQL
−8
CRO
−21
MEL
0
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
−16
Sydney 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
PAR
0
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
+22
Wests 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
−16
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 GF

Bold – Home game
X – Bye
Opponent for round listed above margin

Ladder

The Warriors received A$100,000 prize money for finishing the regular season as minor premiers.[6]

  • v
  • t
  • e
Pos Team Pld W D L B PF PA PD Pts
1 New Zealand Warriors 24 17 0 7 2 688 454 +234 38
2 Newcastle Knights 24 17 0 7 2 724 498 +226 38
3 Brisbane Broncos 24 16 1 7 2 672 425 +247 37
4 Sydney Roosters (P) 24 15 1 8 2 621 405 +216 35
5 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 24 15 0 9 2 653 597 +56 34
6 Parramatta Eels 24 10 2 12 2 531 440 +91 26
7 St George Illawarra Dragons 24 9 3 12 2 632 546 +86 25
8 Canberra Raiders 24 10 1 13 2 471 641 -170 25
9 Northern Eagles 24 10 0 14 2 503 740 -237 24
10 Melbourne Storm 24 9 1 14 2 556 586 -30 23
11 North Queensland Cowboys 24 8 0 16 2 496 803 -307 20
12 Penrith Panthers 24 7 0 17 2 546 654 -108 18
13 Wests Tigers 24 7 0 17 2 498 642 -144 18
14 South Sydney Rabbitohs 24 5 0 19 2 385 817 -432 14
15 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 24 20 1 3 2 707 435 +272 81

1 The Bulldogs were deducted 37 premiership points due to gross salary cap breaches.

Ladder progression

  • 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 26
1 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 38
2 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 38
3 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 37
4 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 35
5 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 34
6 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 26
7 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 25
8 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 25
9 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 24
10 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 23
11 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 20
12 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 18
13 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 18
14 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 14
15 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 8


Finals series

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.

Home Score Away Match Information
Date and Time Venue Referee Crowd
Qualifying Finals
Sydney Roosters 32 – 20 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 13 September 2002 Aussie Stadium Paul Simpkins 25,366
Brisbane Broncos 24 – 14 Parramatta Eels 14 September 2002 ANZ Stadium Sean Hampstead 19,115
Newcastle Knights 22 – 26 St George Illawarra Dragons 14 September 2002 Energy Australia Stadium Bill Harrigan 21,051
New Zealand Warriors 36 – 20 Canberra Raiders 15 September 2002 Ericsson Stadium Tim Mander 25,800
Semi-finals
St George Illawarra Dragons 24 – 40 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 21 September 2002 Aussie Stadium Bill Harrigan 31,783
Sydney Roosters 38 – 12 Newcastle Knights 22 September 2002 Aussie Stadium Sean Hampstead 23,816
Preliminary Finals
Brisbane Broncos 12 – 16 Sydney Roosters 28 September 2002 Aussie Stadium Bill Harrigan 28,251
New Zealand Warriors 16 – 10 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 29 September 2002 Telstra Stadium Tim Mander 45,782

Chart

Qualifying finalsSemifinalsPreliminary finalsFinal
1 New Zealand36
8 Canberra201W New Zealand16
4W St. George Illawarra24 Cronulla10
2 Newcastle222L Cronulla40
New Zealand8
7 St. George Illawarra26
Sydney30
3 Brisbane242W Brisbane12
6 Parramatta143W Sydney38 Sydney16
1L Newcastle12
4 Sydney32
5 Cronulla20

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.[7]

2002 NRL Grand Final
Sunday, 6 October
19:00 AEST (UTC+10)
New Zealand Warriors 8 – 30 Sydney Roosters
Tries: 1
Jones rugby ball 46'
Goals: 2
Cleary rugby goalposts icon pen 29', 47' (2/2)
1st: 2–6
2nd: 6–24
Report[8]
Tries: 5
Hegarty rugby ball 23'
Wing rugby ball 57'
Fitzgibbon rugby ball 65'
Flannery rugby ball 71'
Fletcher rugby ball 74'
Goals: 5
Fitzgibbon rugby goalposts icon 25', 59', 66', 71', 76' (5/5)
Telstra Stadium, Sydney
Attendance: 80,130[9]
Referee: Bill Harrigan
Touch judges: Steve Richards, Shayne Hayne
Clive Churchill Medal: Craig Fitzgibbon (Sydney)


Player statistics

The following statistics are as of the conclusion of Round 26.

Top 5 point scorers

Points Player Tries Goals Field Goals
254 Hazem El Masri 12 103 0
246 Andrew Johns 10 102 2
233 Brett Kimmorley 13 90 1
222 Ivan Cleary 8 95 0
174 Michael De Vere 6 75 0

Top 5 try scorers

Tries Player
23 Nigel Vagana
19 Timana Tahu
19 Rhys Wesser
17 Clinton Toopi
17 Lee Hookey
17 Aaron Moule
17 Luke Lewis

Top 5 goal scorers

Goals Player
103 Hazem El Masri
102 Andrew Johns
95 Ivan Cleary
90 Brett Kimmorley
75 Michael De Vere

2002 Transfers

Players

Player 2001 Club 2002 Club
Darren Burns Brisbane Broncos Super League: Warrington Wolves
Mark Corvo Brisbane Broncos Super League: Salford City Reds
Luke Priddis Brisbane Broncos Penrith Panthers
Wendell Sailor Brisbane Broncos Queensland Reds (Super 12)
Kevin Walters Brisbane Broncos Retirement
Anthony Colella Canberra Raiders South Sydney Rabbitohs
Andrew McFadden Canberra Raiders Parramatta Eels
Lesley Vainikolo Canberra Raiders Super League: Bradford Bulls
Luke Williamson Canberra Raiders Northern Eagles
Darren Britt Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Super League: St. Helens
Steven Hughes Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Retirement
Adam Peek Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs South Sydney Rabbitohs
Craig Polla-Mounter Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Retirement
Rod Silva Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Retirement
Barry Ward Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Super League: St. Helens
Matt Daylight Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Retirement
Shannon Donato Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Penrith Panthers
Adam Dykes Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Parramatta Eels
Jason Ferris Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Northern Eagles
Martin Lang Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Penrith Panthers
Nathan Long Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Northern Eagles
Paul McNicholas Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks South Sydney Rabbitohs
Russell Richardson Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks South Sydney Rabbitohs
Mat Rogers Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks New South Wales Waratahs (Super 12)
Sean Ryan Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Super League: Hull F.C.
Luke Stuart Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks South Sydney Rabbitohs
Russell Bawden Melbourne Storm Super League: London Broncos
Tasesa Lavea Melbourne Storm Northern Eagles
Ben Roarty Melbourne Storm Penrith Panthers
Brad Watts Melbourne Storm South Sydney Rabbitohs
Darren Albert Newcastle Knights Super League: St. Helens
Troy Fletcher Newcastle Knights Retirement
Glenn Grief Newcastle Knights South Sydney Rabbitohs
Paul Marquet Newcastle Knights Super League: Warrington Wolves
Richie Blackmore New Zealand Warriors Retirement
Jason Death New Zealand Warriors South Sydney Rabbitohs
Geoff Bell North Queensland Cowboys Penrith Panthers
Brett Hetherington North Queensland Cowboys Retirement
Danny Moore North Queensland Cowboys Retirement
Julian O'Neill North Queensland Cowboys Super League: Wigan Warriors
Lee Oudenryn North Queensland Cowboys Retirement
Mark Shipway North Queensland Cowboys Northern Eagles
Damien Smith North Queensland Cowboys Retirement
Kyle Warren North Queensland Cowboys Super League: Castleford Tigers
Greg Ebrill Northern Eagles Super League: Salford City Reds
Wayne Evans Northern Eagles Super League: London Broncos
Brett Kimmorley Northern Eagles Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
Andrew King Northern Eagles South Sydney Rabbitohs
William Leyshon Northern Eagles Melbourne Storm
Karl Lovell Northern Eagles Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
Adam Muir Northern Eagles South Sydney Rabbitohs
Mark O'Meley Northern Eagles Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
Paul Stringer Northern Eagles South Sydney Rabbitohs
Geoff Toovey Northern Eagles Retirement
Steve Trindall Northern Eagles Wests Tigers
Ben Walker Northern Eagles Super League: Leeds Rhinos
PJ Marsh Parramatta Eels New Zealand Warriors
Jason Taylor Parramatta Eels Retirement
David Westley Parramatta Eels Northern Eagles
Matt Adamson Penrith Panthers Super League: Leeds Rhinos
Robbie Beckett Penrith Panthers Super League: Halifax Blue Sox
Steve Carter Penrith Panthers Super League: Widnes Vikings
Craig Greenhill Penrith Panthers Super League: Hull F.C.
Andrew Hinson Penrith Panthers South Sydney Rabbitohs
Peter Jorgensen Penrith Panthers Northampton Saints (English rugby union)
Duncan MacGillivray Penrith Panthers South Sydney Rabbitohs
Frank Puletua Penrith Panthers South Sydney Rabbitohs
Matthew Rieck Penrith Panthers Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
Matthew Rodwell Penrith Panthers Super League: Warrington Wolves
David Woods Penrith Panthers Super League: Halifax Blue Sox
Jamie Ainscough St. George Illawarra Dragons Super League: Wigan Warriors
Wayne Bartrim St. George Illawarra Dragons Super League: Castleford Tigers
Jamie Fitzgerald St. George Illawarra Dragons South Sydney Rabbitohs
Wade Forrester St. George Illawarra Dragons Northern Eagles
Andrew Hart St. George Illawarra Dragons South Sydney Rabbitohs
Paul McGregor St. George Illawarra Dragons Retirement
Craig Smith St. George Illawarra Dragons Super League: Wigan Warriors
Darren Treacy St. George Illawarra Dragons Super League: Salford City Reds
Colin Ward St. George Illawarra Dragons Penrith Panthers
Quentin Pongia Sydney Roosters Villeneuve Leopards (Elite One Championship)
Ian Rubin Sydney Roosters Retirement
Matt Sing Sydney Roosters North Queensland Cowboys
John Carlaw Wests Tigers New Zealand Warriors
Owen Craigie Wests Tigers South Sydney Rabbitohs
Craig Field Wests Tigers Pia Donkeys (French Rugby League Championship)
Lee Murphy Wests Tigers Retirement
John Simon Wests Tigers Retirement
Tyran Smith Wests Tigers Canberra Raiders
Shane Walker Wests Tigers Melbourne Storm
Shane Rigon Super League: Bradford Bulls South Sydney Rabbitohs
Ben Kusto Super League: Huddersfield Giants Parramatta Eels
Luke Felsch Super League: Hull F.C. St. George Illawarra Dragons
Tony Grimaldi Super League: Hull F.C. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
Robert Mears Super League: Leeds Rhinos Wests Tigers
Brett Mullins Super League: Leeds Rhinos Sydney Roosters
Glen Air Super League: London Broncos Wests Tigers
Shane Millard Super League: London Broncos St. George Illawarra Dragons
Justin Brooker Super League: Wakefield Trinity Wildcats South Sydney Rabbitohs
Andrew Gee Super League: Warrington Wolves Brisbane Broncos
David Kidwell Super League: Warrington Wolves Sydney Roosters
Allan Langer Super League: Warrington Wolves Brisbane Broncos
Danny Nutley Super League: Warrington Wolves Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
Ian Sibbit Super League: Warrington Wolves Melbourne Storm
Matthew Johns Super League: Wigan Warriors Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
Ken McGuinness Toowoomba Clydesdales (Queensland Cup) North Queensland Cowboys
Chris Caruana N/A South Sydney Rabbitohs
Joe Galuvao N/A Penrith Panthers

Coaches

Coach 2001 Club 2002 Club
John Lang Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Penrith Panthers

References

  1. ^ Toohey, Barry (2 February 2011). "Still some bite in old Mad Dog". The Daily Telegraph. Australia: News Limited. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
  2. ^ Proszenko, Adrian (6 May 2012). "Gallen set to smash record". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ Crawley, Paul (1 March 2015). "Predicted NRL top eight: Melbourne Storm and Manly Sea Eagles miss out". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  5. ^ Tunnah, Helen (2002-08-24). "Rugby League: 37 nails in Bulldogs' kennel". The New Zealand Herald. APN Holdings NZ Limited. Retrieved 2009-10-06.
  6. ^ NZPA (2002-10-05). "Sorry guys, the cheque's not in the mail". nzherald.co.nz. APN Holdings NZ Limited. Retrieved 2009-12-04.
  7. ^ "National Rugby League Grand Final, Live on Fox Sports World This Sunday". Business Wire. Los Angeles. 2003-10-03. ProQuest 446309241.
  8. ^ Middleton, David. Rugby League 2003. Sydney: Harper Sports. pp. 182–183. ISBN 0732277531.
  9. ^ "2002 NRL Grand Final". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 8 March 2023.

Further reading

  • Middleton, David (2002). National Rugby League 2002. HarperSports. ISBN 978-0-7322-7466-5.

External links

  • NRL 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
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