Super League VII(styledTetley's Super League VIIdue to sponsorship fromTetley's Brewery) was the year 2002'sSuper Leaguechampionship season, the 108th season of top-level professionalrugby leaguein Britain, and the seventh run by the Super League. Twelve clubs from acrossEnglandcompeted during the season, culminating in the2002 Super League Grand FinalbetweenSt. HelensandBradford 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 WarriorsvsSt. Helens(8 Sept) |
| Lowest attendance | 2,211 Salford City RedsvsLondon Broncos(19 May) |
| Broadcast partners | Sky Sports |
| 2002 Season | |
| Champions | St. Helens 4thSuper Leaguetitle 11thBritish 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 BriersofWarrington Wolvesscored a record-equalling 5 drop goals against Halifax Blue Sox in the Super League match on 25 May 2002.[1]
Operational rules
editSalary caplimits 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 Warriorswere 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 |  St Helens(L, C)
|
28 | 23 | 0 | 5 | 927 | 522 | +405 | 46 | Semi-final |
| 2 |  Bradford Bulls
|
28 | 23 | 0 | 5 | 910 | 519 | +391 | 46 | |
| 3 |  Wigan Warriors
|
28 | 19 | 1 | 8 | 817 | 475 | +342 | 39 | Elimination play-offs |
| 4 |  Leeds Rhinos
|
28 | 17 | 0 | 11 | 865 | 700 | +165 | 34 | |
| 5 |  Hull F.C.
|
28 | 16 | 0 | 12 | 742 | 674 | +68 | 32 | |
| 6 |  Castleford Tigers
|
28 | 14 | 2 | 12 | 736 | 615 | +121 | 30 | |
| 7 |  Widnes Vikings
|
28 | 14 | 1 | 13 | 590 | 716 | −126 | 29 | |
| 8 |  London Broncos
|
28 | 13 | 1 | 14 | 661 | 635 | +26 | 27 | |
| 9 |  Halifax Blue Sox
|
28 | 8 | 0 | 20 | 558 | 856 | −298 | 16 | |
| 10 |  Warrington Wolves
|
28 | 7 | 0 | 21 | 483 | 878 | −395 | 14 | |
| 11 |  Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
|
28 | 5 | 2 | 21 | 566 | 899 | −333 | 12 | |
| 12 |  Salford City Reds(R)
|
28 | 5 | 1 | 22 | 490 | 856 | −366 | 11 | Relegation toNational League One |
Source:Rugby League Project
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Points difference; 3) Number of points scored;
(C)Champions;(L)League Leaders' ShieldWinners;(R)Relegated
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Points difference; 3) Number of points scored;
(C)Champions;(L)League Leaders' ShieldWinners;(R)Relegated
Play-offs
editGrand Final
editReferences
edit- ^"RFL All Time Records".Archived fromthe originalon 2009-04-03.Retrieved2009-08-07.
- ^abcMichael Fisher (2001-01-12)."Salary cap to be squeezed to £1.8m".The Telegraph.Retrieved2009-05-07.
- ^John Whalley and Rob Wildman (2001-07-29)."RFL move to keep players".The Telegraph.Retrieved2009-05-06.