2002 Super League Grand Final
The 2002 Super League Grand Final was the Fifth official Grand Final and conclusive and championship-deciding game of Super League VII. Held on Saturday 19 October 2002 at Old Trafford, Manchester, the game was played between St. Helens and Bradford Bulls. Refereed by Russell Smith, the match was seen by a crowd of 61,138 and was won by St Helens 19 - 18.
| 2002 Super League Grand Final | |||||||||||||
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| Date | 19 October 2002 | ||||||||||||
| Stadium | Old Trafford | ||||||||||||
| Location |  Manchester | ||||||||||||
| Harry Sunderland Trophy | Paul Deacon, ( Bradford Bulls) | ||||||||||||
| Referee | Russell Smith | ||||||||||||
| Attendance | 61,138 | ||||||||||||
| Broadcast partners | |||||||||||||
| Broadcasters | |||||||||||||
| Commentators | |||||||||||||
Background
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  St Helens |
28 | 23 | 0 | 5 | 927 | 522 | +405 | 46 |
| 2 | Bradford Bulls |
28 | 23 | 0 | 5 | 910 | 519 | +319 | 46 |
St Helens
St Helens, by finishing top of the table automatically qualified for the play-off semi-final where they were drawn at home to Bradford. A surprising loss saw Saints have to go the long route to the grand final by playing bitter rivals Wigan Warriors in the elimination semi-final; a match they won 24–8 to set up another game against Bradford.
| Round | Opposition | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Semi Final | Bradford Bulls (H) |
26-28 |
| Elimination Semi-Final |  Wigan Warriors (H) |
24-8 |
| Key: (H) = Home venue; (A) = Away venue. | ||
Bradford Bulls
Bradford as the team finishing second in the season also qualified for the play-off semi-final where they had to travel to St Helens. A close fought game saw Bradford win 28–26 to go straight through to the grand final.
Match Details
19 October 2002 |
| Bradford Bulls |
18 - 19 | St Helens |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Scott Naylor Robbie Paul Michael Withers Goals: Paul Deacon (3) |
Report |
Tries: Mike Bennett Sean Long Martin Gleeson Goals: Sean Long (3) Drop Goals: Sean Long |
| Bradford Bulls | Position | St Helens | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Michael Withers |
Fullback | 1 | Paul Wellens |
| 2 |  Tevita Vaikona |
Wing | 2 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Darren Albert |
| 3 | Scott Naylor |
Centre | 3 | Martin Gleeson |
| 4 | Brandon Costin |
Centre | 4 | Paul Newlove |
| 5 | Lesley Vainikolo |
Wing | 5 | Anthony Stewart |
| 6 |  Robbie Paul |
Stad Off | 6 | Paul Sculthorpe |
| 7 | Paul Deacon |
Scrum half | 7 | Sean Long |
| Joe Vagana |
Prop | Darren Britt | ||
| 9 | James Lowes |
Fullback | 9 | Keiron Cunningham |
| 10 | Stuart Fielden |
Prop | Barry Ward | |
| Daniel Gartner |
Second Row | Mike Bennett | ||
| 11 | Jamie Peacock |
Second Row |  Tim Jonkers | |
| Mike Forshaw |
Loose forward | 13 | Chris Joynt | |
| Leon Pryce |
Interchange | Sean Hoppe | ||
| Lee Gilmour |
Mickey Higham | |||
| Paul Anderson |
John Stankevitch | |||
| Brian McDermott |
Peter Shiels | |||
| Brian Noble |
Coaches | Ian Millward | ||