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NEL - Season's Greetings 2002 nel.edu | Wessex League CC 2002 Pics pewseyvalerunningclub.com | Incline Club [2002 Season Newsletter Index] inclineclub.com |
The 2002 National Rugby League season was the 95th season of professional rugby league football in Australia and the fifth to be run by the NRL. 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.
[edit] Season Summary[edit] Pre-seasonIn 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. [edit] The return of South SydneyFollowing 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. It turned out to be a tough year for the Rabbitohs, winning only 5 matches from 24 played. [edit] Teams[edit] The salary cap breachIn 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 all 37 competition points.[1] 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 stripping 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. It also enabled the New Zealand Warriors to secure their very first minor premiership in the club's history. [edit] AdvertisingIn 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. [edit] Records set in 2002
[edit] Ladder
[edit] Finals seriesCoincidentally, the finalists for 2002 were almost the same as the previous season, with the exception of Bulldogs being replaced by Canberra. Had the Bulldogs not been stripped of competition points, they would have become the minor premiers and completed the replication, with Canberra moving down to 9th. [edit] Grand FinalFirst Half In the 23rd minute, Sydney opened the scoring with a try to Shannon Hegarty with Craig Fitzgibbon converting taking Sydney to a 6-0 lead. Not long after, Ivan Cleary got New Zealand on the board with a penalty goal making the score 6-2, which remained that scoreline until halftime. Second Half In the 46th minute, New Zealand took the lead for the first time through a Stacey Jones try and a Ivan Cleary conversion taking the scoreline to 8-6. Approching the 60th minute, Sydney regained the lead with Craig Wing scoring the try and Craig Fitgibbon convering another to make the score 12-8 after a spectacular 40/20 kick from Sydney captain Brad Fittler. In the last 15 minutes Craig Fitzgibbon, Chris Flannery and Bryan Fletcher scored tries for Sydney with Craig Fizgibbon scoring all three to take Sydney to a 30-8 win. Sydney Roosters 30 (Tries: Hegarty, Wing, Fitzgibbon, Flannery, Fletcher; Goals: Fitzgibbon 5/5) New Zealand Warriors 8 (Tries: Jones ; Goals: Cleary 2/2) When They Scored 23rd Minute: Sydney 6-0 (Hegarty try; Fitzgibbon goal) [edit] References
[edit] Further reading
[edit] External links
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