2002 NRL Season — Final Regular-Season Ladder
15 clubs, each playing a 24-game regular season (26-round draw, 2 byes each), including the Northern Eagles (a single merged Manly/North Sydney entity for 2000-2002, before the clubs demerged for 2003).
Sourcing caveat: Canterbury-Bankstown had the best on-field record in the competition (20 wins, +272 differential) but were stripped of 37 competition points mid-season (from 41 accumulated up to Round 23) as a penalty for a major salary-cap breach, plus a then-record $500,000 fine — their win-loss record and PF/PA stand as played, but the 37-point deduction dropped them from minor-premiership contention to the wooden spoon. This means the competition-points column does NOT sum to the usual "clean" total for a 15-team, 24-game season with 2-point byes (it's 37 points short), which is the expected, documented effect of this penalty, not a data error.
Ladder
| 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 |
Full Grand Final page (Clive Churchill Medal, match context, sources) →
Sources
Sources
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