2002 VFL season
121st season of the Victorian Football League
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The 2002 VFL season was the 121st season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), a second-tier Australian rules football competition played in the states of Victoria and Tasmania.[2] The season featured 16 clubs and ran from 5 April to 22 September, comprising a 20-match home-and-away season followed by a four-week finals series featuring the top eight clubs.[3][4]
Date5 April – 22 September 2002[1]
Teams16
PremiersGeelong reserves
1st premiership
1st premiership
Runners-upPort Melbourne
18th runners-up result
18th runners-up result
| 2002 VFL season | |
|---|---|
| Date | 5 April – 22 September 2002[1] |
| Teams | 16 |
| Premiers | Geelong reserves 1st premiership |
| Runners-up | Port Melbourne 18th runners-up result |
| Minor premiers | Geelong reserves 1st minor premiership |
Geelong reserves won the premiership for the first time, defeating Port Melbourne by 22 points in the 2002 VFL Grand Final.
Clubs
Venues and affiliations
| Club | Home venue(s) | Capacity | AFL affiliation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bendigo | Queen Elizabeth Oval | 10,000 | N/a |
| Box Hill | Box Hill City Oval | 10,000 | Hawthorn |
| Carlton | Optus Oval | 35,000[5] | Carlton |
| Coburg | Coburg City Oval | 15,000 | Richmond |
| Essendon | Melbourne Cricket Ground | 97,000[6] | Essendon |
| Windy Hill | 10,000 | ||
| Frankston | Frankston Park | 5,000 | N/a |
| Geelong | Skilled Stadium | 28,000[7] | Geelong |
| Murray Kangaroos | Coburg City Oval | 12,000 | Kangaroos |
| Lavington Sports Ground | 20,000 | ||
| North Ballarat | Northern Oval | 11,000 | N/a |
| Northern Bullants | Preston City Oval | 5,000 | N/a |
| Port Melbourne | TEAC Oval | 6,000 | Sydney |
| Sandringham | Trevor Barker Beach Oval | 6,000 | Melbourne |
| Springvale | Moorabbin Oval | 8,000 | St Kilda |
| Shepley Oval | 4,000 | ||
| Tasmania | Bellerive Oval | 16,000 | N/a |
| York Park | 15,000 | ||
| Werribee | Chirnside Park | 8,000 | Western Bulldogs |
| Williamstown | Williamstown Cricket Ground | 6,000 | Collingwood |
Home-and-away season
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Round 5
Round 6
Round 7
Round 8
Round 9
Round 10
Round 11
Ladder
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | D | PF | PA | PP | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Geelong reserves (P) | 20 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 2171 | 1377 | 157.7 | 68 | Finals series |
| 2 | Werribee | 20 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 2233 | 1450 | 154.0 | 64 | |
| 3 | Coburg | 20 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 2019 | 1466 | 137.7 | 64 | |
| 4 | Port Melbourne | 20 | 14 | 6 | 0 | 2097 | 1780 | 117.8 | 56 | |
| 5 | Box Hill | 20 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 2235 | 1758 | 127.1 | 50 | |
| 6 | Williamstown | 20 | 11 | 9 | 0 | 1997 | 1821 | 109.7 | 44 | |
| 7 | Murray Kangaroos | 20 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 2018 | 1949 | 103.5 | 42 | |
| 8 | Sandringham | 20 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 1831 | 1768 | 103.6 | 40 | |
| 9 | Carlton reserves | 20 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 1785 | 1807 | 98.8 | 40 | |
| 10 | Essendon reserves | 20 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 2091 | 2144 | 97.5 | 40 | |
| 11 | Springvale | 20 | 9 | 11 | 0 | 1654 | 1748 | 94.6 | 36 | |
| 12 | Tasmania | 20 | 8 | 11 | 1 | 1730 | 1942 | 89.1 | 34 | |
| 13 | Northern Bullants | 20 | 6 | 14 | 0 | 1824 | 2121 | 86.0 | 24 | |
| 14 | North Ballarat | 20 | 5 | 15 | 0 | 1485 | 2024 | 73.4 | 20 | |
| 15 | Frankston | 20 | 4 | 16 | 0 | 1530 | 2258 | 67.8 | 16 | |
| 16 | Bendigo | 20 | 0 | 19 | 1 | 1266 | 2553 | 49.6 | 2 |
Source: [citation needed]
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for.
(P) Premiers
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) percentage; 3) number of points for.
(P) Premiers
Finals series
| Qualifying and elimination finals | Semi-finals | Preliminary finals | Grand final | ||||||||||||||||
| 31 August, North Port Oval | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Geelong | 16.14 (110) | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Port Melbourne | 18.9 (117) | September 8, North Port Oval | ||||||||||||||||
| Geelong | 18.15 (123) | ||||||||||||||||||
| August 31, Box Hill City Oval | Sandringham | 4.9 (33) | September 14, North Port Oval | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Box Hill | 9.7 (61) | Port Melbourne | 13.10 (88) | |||||||||||||||
| 8 | Sandringham | 8.15 (63) | Coburg | 12.13 (85) | September 22, Optus Oval | ||||||||||||||
| Port Melbourne | 12.11 (83) | ||||||||||||||||||
| September 1, W.C.G. | September 15, North Port Oval | Geelong | 15.15 (105) | ||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Williamstown | 14.14 (98) | Werribee | 9.11 (65) | |||||||||||||||
| 7 | Murray Kangaroos | 18.18 (126) | September 7, North Port Oval | Geelong | 12.20 (92) | ||||||||||||||
| Coburg | 14.15 (99) | ||||||||||||||||||
| September 1, North Port Oval | Murray Kangaroos | 11.8 (74) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Werribee | 13.13 (91) | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Coburg | 14.6 (90) | |||||||||||||||||
Grand Final
| 2002 VFL Grand Final | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday 22 September
(2:10 pm) |
Port Melbourne | def. by | Geelong | Optus Oval (crowd: 11,500) | [8][9] |
| 2.3 (15) 7.5 (47) 12.8 (80) 12.11 (83) |
Q1 Q2 Q3 Final |
3.2 (20) 7.6 (48) 9.12 (66) 15.15 (105) |
Norm Goss Memorial Medal: James Rahilly (Geelong) Television broadcast: ABC | ||
| Stevens 2, Gill 2, Ablett, Buchanan, Evans, O'Keefe, Phibbs, Rix, Robertson, Schneider | Goals | Mensch 3, S. Johnson 2, Ablett, Chapman, Chatfield, Gardiner, Hunt, McCarthy, McGrath, O'Brien, Slade, White | |||
| Brockman, Obst, Rose, R O'Loughlin, McMahon, O'Keefe | Best | Rahilly, Slade, Mensch, Bartel, Chapman, McGrath | |||
Awards
- The Jim 'Frosty' Miller Medal was won for the fourth consecutive year by Nick Sautner (Frankston), who kicked 93 goals.[10]
- The J. J. Liston Trophy was won by Sam Mitchell (Box Hill). In the most dominant Liston Trophy performance in history, Mitchell polled 31 votes in only eleven games, including ten best-on-ground performances. Dean Talbot (Coburg) was second with 19 votes, and Mark Bradley (Bendigo) was third with 18 votes.[11]
- The Fothergill–Round Medal was won by Michael Firrito (Box Hill).[12]
- Williamstown won the reserves premiership. Williamstown 11.15 (81) defeated Werribee 10.14 (74) in the Grand Final, held as a curtain-raiser to the Seniors Grand Final on 22 September.[8]
Notable events
- In Round 13, Port Melbourne 11.5 (71) trailed Box Hill 18.14 (122) by 51 points at three-quarter time, before kicking nine goals to no score in the final quarter to win the game by nine points, 20.11 (131) d. 18.14 (122).[13][14]
- The round 17 match between Coburg and Sandringham had its start time moved from 2pm to 1:10pm to allow for an ABC television broadcast.[15]