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.
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 40-6.
It turned out to be a tough year for the club, winning only five matches from 24 played, though would be spared the wooden spoon by the Bulldogs' salary cap scandal (see below).
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 seasonGround: Queensland Sport and Athletics CentreCoach: Wayne BennettCaptain: Gorden TallisBulldogs 68th seasonGround: Sydney ShowgroundCoach: Steve FolkesCaptain: Steve PriceCanberra Raiders 21st seasonGround: Canberra StadiumCoach: Matthew ElliottCaptain: Simon WoolfordMelbourne Storm 5th seasonGround Olympic Park StadiumCoach: Mark MurrayCaptain: Robbie KearnsNew Zealand Warriors 8th seasonGround: Mt Smart StadiumCoach: Daniel AndersonCaptain: Stacey Jones & Monty BethamNewcastle Knights 15th seasonGround: Newcastle International Sports CentreCoach: Michael HaganCaptain: Andrew JohnsNorth Queensland Cowboys 8th seasonGround: Willows Sports ComplexCoach: Murray Hurst → Graham MurrayCaptain: Paul BowmanNorthern Eagles 3rd seasonGround: Brookvale Oval & Central Coast StadiumCoach: Peter SharpCaptain: Steve MenziesParramatta Eels 56th seasonGround: Parramatta StadiumCoach: Brian SmithCaptain: Nathan Cayless Penrith Panthers 36th seasonGround: Penrith StadiumCoach: John LangCaptain: Craig GowerSharks 38th seasonGround: Shark ParkCoach: Chris AndersonCaptain: David PeacheySouth Sydney Rabbitohs 93rd seasonGround: Sydney Football StadiumCoach: Craig ColemanCaptain: Adam MuirSt. George Illawarra Dragons 4th seasonGround: Kogarah Oval & WIN StadiumCoach: Andrew FarrarCaptain: Trent BarrettSydney Roosters 95th seasonGround: Sydney Football StadiumCoach: Ricky StuartCaptain: Brad FittlerWests Tigers 3rd seasonGround: Campbelltown Stadium & Leichhardt OvalCoach: Terry LambCaptain: 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.
At the end of the season NRL referees' coach Peter Louis resigned from his position.
Until 2026, 2002 was 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).
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. 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 BroncosNQL+36CBY0SYD+14CRO+2CAN+2PEN+4NEW+6SOU+26NTE+38XSGI−8WTI+14PAR−4NQL+44XNZL−10SGI+12PEN+18WTI+32PAR+20MEL+28SYD−10NZL−14NEW−30CAN+34CBY−7PAR+10XSYD−4 Canberra RaidersMEL−4SOU−8WTI+5NEW−46BRI−2NTE−24PAR−38CRO+26SGI0SOU−6NQL+12NTE+12XCRO−10CBY−40PEN+12SYD−30NEW+6NQL−16NZL+8XWTI+20SYD−26CBY+4BRI−34MEL+9NZL−16 Canterbury-Bankstown BulldogsWTI−6BRI0SGI+19SOU+26MEL+16NZL+8CRO+20XPEN+3CRO+26NTE+18SOU+10PEN+14XCAN+40PAR+14NTE+20SGI+2SYD+12NEW+1NQL+8NZL−8PAR+18CAN−4MEL+8BRI+7 Cronulla-Sutherland SharksSGI+6MEL+6PEN+8BRI−2WTI+6NEW−44CBY−20CAN−26PAR−30CBY−26PEN−2NZL−22SGI+21CAN+10NQL+30XNZL+12PAR+1NTE+22SOU+16SYD+14NEW+50WTI+16NQL+22XSYD−12SYD−12SGI+16NZL−6 Melbourne StormCAN+4CRO−6NQL+28PAR+2CBY−16SGI+8NZL−10NEW−8SYD−28PAR−2NZL−16XNEW−21SGI0SOU+38NTE−14WTI+6SYD+38XPEN−20BRI−28NQL+10PEN+32WTI−10CBY−8CAN−9 Newcastle KnightsNTE+26NQL+32NZL+18CAN+46SYD+16CRO+44BRI−6MEL+8XNZL−22SOU+26XMEL+21PAR+14WTI−16SOU+18PAR+6CAN−6PEN+16CBY−1SGI+8CRO−50NTE+14BRI+30PEN+2SGI−18SGI−4SYD−26 New Zealand WarriorsXSYD+7NEW−18NQL+30NTE+58CBY−8MEL+10WTI+22SOU+7NEW+22MEL+16CRO+22NQL+28SOU+36SGI−10BRI+10CRO−12XPAR+16CAN−8PEN+14CBY+8BRI+14SYD−44NTE−2WTI+16CAN+16XCRO+6SYD−22 North Queensland CowboysBRI−36NEW−32MEL−28NZL−30SOU+12SYD−46PEN+10PAR−1WTI+24PEN−30CAN−12SGI+8NZL−28BRI−44CRO−30SGI−27XNTE−16CAN+16NTE+12CBY−8MEL−10XCRO−22SOU+2PAR+9 Northern EaglesNEW−26XSOU−24SYD+6NZL−58CAN+24WTI−18SGI+4BRI−38XCBY−18CAN−12WTI+24SYD−27PEN+4MEL+14CBY−20NQL+16CRO−22NQL−12PAR+9SGI+2NEW−14PAR−13NZL+2PEN−40 Parramatta EelsPEN+58WTI−6XMEL−2SGI0SOU+8CAN+38NQL+1CRO+30MEL+2SYD−14XBRI+4NEW−14SYD0CBY−14NEW−6CRO−1NZL−16BRI−20NTE−9SOU+54CBY−18NTE+13WTI+12NQL−9BRI−10 Penrith PanthersPAR−58SGI−8CRO−8WTI−16XBRI−4NQL−10SYD−4CBY−3NQL+30CRO+2SYD+10CBY−14WTI+4NTE−4CAN−12SOU−7BRI−18NEW−16MEL+20NZL−14XMEL−32SOU+16NEW−2NTE+40 South Sydney RabbitohsSYD−34CAN+8NTE+24CBY−26NQL−12PAR−8XBRI−26NZL−7CAN+6NEW−26CBY−10SYD−36NZL−36MEL−38NEW−18PEN+7WTI+14SGI−38CRO−16WTI−46PAR−54SGI−42PEN−16NQL−2X St. George Illawarra DragonsCRO−6PEN+8CBY−19XPAR0MEL−8SYD−4NTE−4CAN0WTI+11BRI+8NQL−8CRO−21MEL0NZL+10NQL+27BRI−12CBY−2SOU+38WTI+34NEW−8NTE−2SOU+42XSYD−16NEW+18NEW+4CRO−16 Sydney RoostersSOU+34NZL−7BRI−14NTE−6NEW−16NQL+46SGI+4PEN+4MEL+28XPAR+14PEN−10SOU+36NTE+27PAR0WTI+2CAN+30MEL−38CBY−12XCRO−14BRI+10CAN+26NZL+44SGI+16CRO+12CRO+12NEW+26BRI+4NZL+22 Wests TigersCBY+6PAR+6CAN−5PEN+16CRO−6XNTE+18NZL−22NQL−24SGI−11XBRI−14NTE−24PEN−4NEW+16SYD−2MEL−6SOU−14BRI−32SGI−34SOU+46CAN−20CRO−16MEL+10PAR−12NZL−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.
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.
HomeScoreAwayMatch InformationDate and TimeVenueRefereeCrowd Qualifying Finals Sydney Roosters32 – 20 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks13 September 2002Aussie StadiumPaul Simpkins25,366 Brisbane Broncos24 – 14 Parramatta Eels14 September 2002ANZ StadiumSean Hampstead19,115 Newcastle Knights22 – 26 St George Illawarra Dragons14 September 2002Energy Australia StadiumBill Harrigan21,051 New Zealand Warriors36 – 20 Canberra Raiders15 September 2002Ericsson StadiumTim Mander25,800 Semi-finals St George Illawarra Dragons24 – 40 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks21 September 2002Aussie StadiumBill Harrigan31,783 Sydney Roosters38 – 12 Newcastle Knights22 September 2002Aussie StadiumSean Hampstead23,816 Preliminary Finals Brisbane Broncos12 – 16 Sydney Roosters28 September 2002Aussie StadiumBill Harrigan28,251 New Zealand Warriors16 – 10 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks29 September 2002Telstra StadiumTim Mander45,782
Chart
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.
Player statistics The following statistics are as of the conclusion of Round 26.
Top 5 point scorers PointsPlayerTriesGoalsField Goals254 Hazem El Masri121030246 Andrew Johns101022233 Brett Kimmorley13901222 Ivan Cleary8950174 Michael De Vere6750 Top 5 try scorers TriesPlayer23 Nigel Vagana19 Timana Tahu19 Rhys Wesser17 Clinton Toopi17 Lee Hookey17 Aaron Moule17 Luke Lewis
Top 5 goal scorers GoalsPlayer103 Hazem El Masri102 Andrew Johns95 Ivan Cleary90 Brett Kimmorley75 Michael De Vere
2002 Transfers
Players