2002 NRL Grand Final
Sunday, 6 October 2002 · Telstra Stadium, Sydney, New South Wales
2002 NRL Grand Final result: Sydney Roosters def. New Zealand Warriors, 30-8, at Telstra Stadium, Sydney, New South Wales on Sunday, 6 October 2002.
Result
| Team | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Sydney Roosters | 30 |
| Runner-up | New Zealand Warriors | 8 |
Attendance: 80,130
NRL 2002 — full season ladder & finals series
| Pos | Club | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | Diff | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Zealand Warriors | 24 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 688 | 454 | +234 | 38 |
| 2 | Newcastle Knights | 24 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 724 | 498 | +226 | 38 |
| 3 | Brisbane Broncos | 24 | 16 | 1 | 7 | 672 | 425 | +247 | 37 |
| 4 | Sydney Roosters | 24 | 15 | 1 | 8 | 621 | 405 | +216 | 35 |
| 5 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 24 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 653 | 597 | +56 | 34 |
| 6 | Parramatta Eels | 24 | 10 | 2 | 12 | 531 | 440 | +91 | 26 |
| 7 | St George Illawarra Dragons | 24 | 9 | 3 | 12 | 632 | 546 | +86 | 25 |
| 8 | Canberra Raiders | 24 | 10 | 1 | 13 | 471 | 641 | -170 | 25 |
| 9 | Northern Eagles | 24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 503 | 740 | -237 | 24 |
| 10 | Melbourne Storm | 24 | 9 | 1 | 14 | 556 | 586 | -30 | 23 |
| 11 | North Queensland Cowboys | 24 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 496 | 803 | -307 | 20 |
| 12 | Penrith Panthers | 24 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 546 | 654 | -108 | 18 |
| 13 | Wests Tigers | 24 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 498 | 642 | -144 | 18 |
| 14 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 24 | 5 | 0 | 19 | 385 | 817 | -432 | 14 |
| 15 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 24 | 20 | 1 | 3 | 707 | 435 | +272 | 8 |
Qualified for the finals series — top 8 (McIntyre final eight system) that season.
Finals series
Qualifying Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Sep 2002 | Sydney Roosters 32–20 Cronulla-Sutherland | Sydney Football Stadium, Moore Park, Sydney, NSW | 25,366 |
| 14 Sep 2002 | Brisbane Broncos 24–14 Parramatta Eels | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, QLD | 19,115 |
| 14 Sep 2002 | Newcastle Knights 22–26 St George Illawarra | EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle, NSW | 21,051 |
| 15 Sep 2002 | New Zealand Warriors 36–20 Canberra Raiders | Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland (NZ) | 25,800 |
Semi-Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Sep 2002 | Cronulla-Sutherland 40–24 St George Illawarra | Sydney Football Stadium, Moore Park, Sydney, NSW | 31,783 |
| 22 Sep 2002 | Sydney Roosters 38–12 Newcastle Knights | Sydney Football Stadium, Moore Park, Sydney, NSW | 23,816 |
Preliminary Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Sep 2002 | Sydney Roosters 16–12 Brisbane Broncos | Sydney Football Stadium, Moore Park, Sydney, NSW | 28,251 |
| 29 Sep 2002 | New Zealand Warriors 16–10 Cronulla-Sutherland | Telstra Stadium, Sydney Olympic Park, NSW | 45,702 |
Grand Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Oct 2002 | Sydney Roosters 30–8 New Zealand Warriors | Telstra Stadium, Sydney Olympic Park, NSW | 80,130 |
Match officials
| Referee | Bill Harrigan |
Scorers
| Sydney Roosters | Tries: Shannon Hegarty 23'; Craig Wing 57'; Craig Fitzgibbon 65'; Chris Flannery 71'; Bryan Fletcher 74' Goals: Craig Fitzgibbon (5/5) |
| New Zealand Warriors | Tries: Stacey Jones 46' Goals: Ivan Cleary (2/2) |
Teams
| Sydney Roosters | New Zealand Warriors | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luke Phillips | Fullback | Ivan Cleary | 1 |
| 2 | Brett Mullins | Wing | Justin Murphy | 2 |
| 3 | Shannon Hegarty | Centre | Clinton Toopi | 3 |
| 4 | Justin Hodges | Centre | John Carlaw | 4 |
| 5 | Anthony Minichiello | Wing | Francis Meli | 5 |
| 6 | Brad Fittler (c) | Five-eighth | Motu Tony | 6 |
| 7 | Craig Wing | Halfback | Stacey Jones (c) | 7 |
| 8 | Jason Cayless | Prop | Jerry Seuseu | 8 |
| 9 | Simon Bonetti | Hooker | PJ Marsh | 9 |
| 10 | Peter Cusack | Prop | Mark Tookey | 10 |
| 11 | Bryan Fletcher | Second-row | Ali Lauiti'iti | 11 |
| 12 | Craig Fitzgibbon | Second-row | Awen Guttenbeil | 12 |
| 13 | Luke Ricketson | Lock | Kevin Campion | 13 |
| Substitutes | ||||
| 14 | Adrian Morley | Lance Hohaia | 14 | |
| 15 | Andrew Lomu | Richard Villasanti | 15 | |
| 16 | Chris Flannery | Wairangi Koopu | 16 | |
| 17 | Michael Crocker | Logan Swann | 17 | |
| Ricky Stuart | Coach | Daniel Anderson | ||
Clive Churchill Medal
Craig Fitzgibbon (Sydney Roosters).
Match context
The 2002 Grand Final was played at what had by then been renamed Telstra Stadium (the former Stadium Australia, under new naming-rights sponsorship), and marked the season South Sydney finally returned to the competition after their controversial two-year exclusion, restoring the fixture list to full historical integrity even though the Rabbitohs themselves did not contend for the title. The Grand Final field instead pitted the Sydney Roosters against the New Zealand Warriors, who had claimed the minor premiership after ladder-leaders Canterbury-Bankstown were controversially stripped of competition points and effectively relegated mid-season for breaching the salary cap. The Roosters, coached by Ricky Stuart and captained by Brad Fittler, edged ahead through a 23rd-minute try to Shannon Hegarty, converted by Craig Fitzgibbon, for a 6-0 lead, before Warriors fullback Ivan Cleary landed a penalty goal to make it 6-2 at the break. New Zealand hit the front early in the second half when livewire halfback Stacey Jones scored, with Cleary's conversion putting the Warriors ahead 8-6, the only time all match either side led by more than a converted try. The Roosters responded immediately: a pinpoint 40-20 kick from Fittler shifted field position decisively in Sydney's favour, and Craig Wing capitalised soon after, with Fitzgibbon's conversion restoring the lead at 12-8. From there the Roosters took total control, with Fitzgibbon, Chris Flannery and Bryan Fletcher all crossing in a devastating final quarter, and three further Fitzgibbon conversions blew the margin out to a commanding 30-8 final scoreline. Fitzgibbon, who finished with two tries and five goals, was a comfortable Clive Churchill Medal winner. The triumph ended a long premiership drought for the famous Roosters club, their first title since 1975, and earned them a berth in the World Club Challenge against English champions St. Helens. For the Warriors, appearing in their first Grand Final, the loss was a bitter disappointment after a season in which they had topped the ladder for the first time in club history.
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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