Super League VII (styled Tetley's Super League VII due to sponsorship from Tetley's Brewery) was the year 2002's Super League championship season, the 108th season of top-level professional rugby league in Britain, and the seventh run by the Super League. Twelve clubs from across England competed during the season, culminating in the 2002 Super League Grand Final between St. Helens and Bradford Bulls, which St Helens won, claiming their third premiership in four seasons.
| Super League VII | |
|---|---|
| League | Super League |
| Duration | 28 Rounds |
| Teams | 12 |
| Highest attendance | 18,789 Wigan Warriors vs St. Helens (8 Sept) |
| Lowest attendance | 2,211 Salford City Reds vs London Broncos (19 May) |
| Broadcast partners | Sky Sports |
| 2002 Season | |
| Champions | St. Helens 4th Super League title 11th British title |
| League Leaders | St. Helens |
| Man of Steel |  Paul Sculthorpe |
| Top point-scorer(s) | Paul Deacon (301) |
| Top try-scorer(s) |  Dennis Moran (22) |
| Promotion and relegation | |
| Promoted from National League One | Huddersfield Giants |
| Relegated to National League One | Salford City Reds |
Lee Briers of Warrington Wolves scored a record-equalling 5 drop goals against Halifax Blue Sox in the Super League match on 25 May 2002.[1]
Operational rules
editSalary cap limits were adjusted in an attempt to make Super League more competitive:[2]
- The cap for money spent on players' salaries was set at £1.8 million per club from the 2002 season.[2] The previous limit had allowed the clubs to spend either £0.75 million per year or a higher amount as long as it was no more than 50% of the clubs "salary cap relevant income".[2]
- The cap change allowed some clubs in Super League to spend more money on players than they had previously but forced a reduction in spending at others. Wigan Warriors were given 12 months' dispensation to spend up to £2.3 million due to existing contract commitments.[3]
Table
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 | 23 | 0 | 5 | 927 | 522 | +405 | 46 | Semi-final | |
| 2 | 28 | 23 | 0 | 5 | 910 | 519 | +391 | 46 | ||
| 3 | 28 | 19 | 1 | 8 | 817 | 475 | +342 | 39 | Elimination play-offs | |
| 4 | 28 | 17 | 0 | 11 | 865 | 700 | +165 | 34 | ||
| 5 | 28 | 16 | 0 | 12 | 742 | 674 | +68 | 32 | ||
| 6 | 28 | 14 | 2 | 12 | 736 | 615 | +121 | 30 | ||
| 7 | 28 | 14 | 1 | 13 | 590 | 716 | −126 | 29 | ||
| 8 | 28 | 13 | 1 | 14 | 661 | 635 | +26 | 27 | ||
| 9 | 28 | 8 | 0 | 20 | 558 | 856 | −298 | 16 | ||
| 10 | 28 | 7 | 0 | 21 | 483 | 878 | −395 | 14 | ||
| 11 | 28 | 5 | 2 | 21 | 566 | 899 | −333 | 12 | ||
| 12 | 28 | 5 | 1 | 22 | 490 | 856 | −366 | 11 | Relegation to National League One |
Source: Rugby League Project
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Points difference; 3) Number of points scored;
(C) Champions; (L) League Leaders' Shield Winners; (R) Relegated
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Points difference; 3) Number of points scored;
(C) Champions; (L) League Leaders' Shield Winners; (R) Relegated
Play-offs
editGrand Final
editReferences
edit- ^ "RFL All Time Records". Archived from the original on 2009-04-03. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
- ^ a b c Michael Fisher (2001-01-12). "Salary cap to be squeezed to £1.8m". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2009-05-07.
- ^ John Whalley and Rob Wildman (2001-07-29). "RFL move to keep players". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2009-05-06.