2002 NRL season

2002 National Rugby League
Teams 15
Premiers Sydney (12th title)
Minor premiers New Zealand (1st title)
Matches played 189
Points scored 9083 (total)
48.058 (per match)
Attendance 2,656,198 (total)
14,054 (per match)
Top point scorer(s) Hazem El Masri (254)
Top try scorer(s) Nigel Vagana (23)

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 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 Rabbitohs 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 the Rabbitohs, winning only 5 matches from 24 played.

Teams

Brisbane Broncos
15th season
Ground: Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre
Coach: Wayne Bennett
Captain: Gorden Tallis
Bulldogs RLFC
68th season
Ground: Sydney Showground
Coach: Steve Folkes
Captain: Steve Price		 Canberra Raiders
21st season
Ground: Canberra Stadium
Coach: Matthew Elliott
Captain: Simon Woolford		 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
38th season
Ground: Shark Park
Coach: Chris Anderson
Captain: David Peachey
Melbourne Storm
5th season
Ground Olympic Park Stadium
Coach: Mark Murray
Captain: Robbie Kearns
Newcastle Knights
15th season
Ground: Newcastle International Sports Centre
Coach: Michael Hagan
Captain: Andrew Johns
New Zealand Warriors
8th season
Ground: Mt Smart Stadium
Coach: Daniel Anderson
Captain: Stacey Jones & Monty Betham		 North Queensland Cowboys
8th season
Ground: Willows Sports Complex
Coach: Murray Hurst → Graham 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		 South Sydney Rabbitohs
93rd season
Ground: Sydney Football Stadium
Coach: Craig Coleman
Captain: Adam Muir
Sydney Roosters
95th season
Ground: Sydney Football Stadium
Coach: Ricky Stuart
Captain: Brad Fittler
St. George Illawarra Dragons
4th season
Ground: Kogarah Oval & WIN Stadium
Coach: Andrew Farrar
Captain: Trent Barrett		 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]

Bulldogs salary cap breach

In mid-2002, the Bulldogs 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 Bulldogs 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 the Bulldogs' 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.

Ladder

The Warriors received A$100,000 prize money for finishing the regular season as minor premiers.[5]

Team Pld W D L B PF PA PD Pts
1 New Zealand Warriors 2417072688454+23438
2 Newcastle Knights 2417072724498+22638
3 Brisbane Broncos 2416172672425+24737
4 Sydney Roosters (P) 2415182621405+21635
5 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 2415092653597+5634
6 Parramatta Eels 24102122531440+9126
7 St George Illawarra Dragons 2493122632546+8625
8 Canberra Raiders 24101132471641-17025
9 Northern Eagles 24100142503740-23724
10 Melbourne Storm 2491142556586-3023
11 North Queensland Cowboys 2480162496803-30720
12 Penrith Panthers 2470172546654-10818
13 Wests Tigers 2470172498642-14418
14 South Sydney Rabbitohs 2450192385817-43214
15 Bulldogs 2420132707435+27281

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

Ladder progression

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 Roosters 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 Cronulla-Sutherland 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 Tigers 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 Finals Semi Finals Preliminary Finals Grand Final
                                     
1   New Zealand 36
8   Canberra 20
  1W   New Zealand 16  
2   Newcastle 22   4W   St. George Illawarra 24       Cronulla 10    
7   St. George Illawarra 26   2L   Cronulla 40           New Zealand 8
        Sydney 30
3   Brisbane 24         2W   Brisbane 12    
6   Parramatta 14   3W   Sydney 38       Sydney 16  
  1L   Newcastle 12  
4   Sydney 32
5   Cronulla 20

Grand final

Main article: 2002 NRL grand final

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. ↑ Tunnah, Helen (2002-08-24). "Rugby League: 37 nails in Bulldogs' kennel". The New Zealand Herald. APN Holdings NZ Limited. Retrieved 2009-10-06.
  5. ↑ NZPA (2002-10-05). "Sorry guys, the cheque's not in the mail". nzherald.co.nz (APN Holdings NZ Limited). Retrieved 2009-12-04.
  6. ↑ D'Souza, Miguel. "Grand Final History". wwos.ninemsn.com.au. AAP. Retrieved 8 September 2013.

Further reading

External links

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