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2002 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks season

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2002 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks season
NRL Rank5th
2002 recordWins: 16; draws: 0; losses: 11
Points scoredFor: 723 (132 tries, 97 goals, 1 field goal); against: 669 (115 tries, 104 goals, 1 field goal)
Team information
CoachChris Anderson
Captain
StadiumToyota Park
Avg. attendance13,409
Top scorers
TriesDavid Peachey (17)
GoalsBrett Kimmorley (97)
PointsBrett Kimmorley (251)
← 2001 2003 →

The 2002 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks season was the 36th in the club's history. They competed in the National Rugby League's 2002 Premiership.

Season summary

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In the off-season the Sharks signed former Melbourne Storm premiership-winning coach Chris Anderson, who also brought along with him the halfback involved in that premiership, Brett Kimmorley.

After a poor start to the season by the Sharks' standards, the Sharks set about with a record-equalling 11-game winning streak which did not crossover with the Bulldogs' famous 17-match run. The highlight of Cronulla's season was a huge 64–14 win over an injury-hit Newcastle Knights at home in round 22, exacting revenge after a 52–6 loss at Newcastle in round six (one of Cronulla's worst ever defeats). Eventually the Sharks finished 5th at the end of the premiership season and were drawn an away final against the Sydney Roosters at Aussie Stadium. Despite scoring five tries apiece, it was the goalkicking that proved the difference as the Roosters emerged victors 30-20 (Brett Kimmorley missed all five of his conversion attempts). The Sharks advanced further due to favourable results, which ultimately saw them pitted against rivals St. George Illawarra in the second round of the finals. The Sharks were seeking revenge after the Dragons denied them a place in the 1999 decider (which would have had them pitted against Anderson and Kimmorley's Melbourne Storm) and indeed the Sharks won 40–24. For the second year in succession, and the third in four years, the Sharks reached the penultimate weekend of the season, only to lose against the minor premiers New Zealand, ending another season in agony.

Ladder

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Pos Team Pld W D L B PF PA PD Pts
1 New Zealand Warriors 24 17 0 7 2 688 454 +234 38
2 Newcastle Knights 24 17 0 7 2 724 498 +226 38
3 Brisbane Broncos 24 16 1 7 2 672 425 +247 37
4 Sydney Roosters (P) 24 15 1 8 2 621 405 +216 35
5 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 24 15 0 9 2 653 597 +56 34
6 Parramatta Eels 24 10 2 12 2 531 440 +91 26
7 St George Illawarra Dragons 24 9 3 12 2 632 546 +86 25
8 Canberra Raiders 24 10 1 13 2 471 641 -170 25
9 Northern Eagles 24 10 0 14 2 503 740 -237 24
10 Melbourne Storm 24 9 1 14 2 556 586 -30 23
11 North Queensland Cowboys 24 8 0 16 2 496 803 -307 20
12 Penrith Panthers 24 7 0 17 2 546 654 -108 18
13 Wests Tigers 24 7 0 17 2 498 642 -144 18
14 South Sydney Rabbitohs 24 5 0 19 2 385 817 -432 14
15 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 24 20 1 3 2 707 435 +272 81

1 The Bulldogs were deducted 37 premiership points due to gross salary cap breaches.

References

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