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The 2002 WAFL season was the 118th season of the West Australian Football League. It saw East Perth, despite the end of the first host club scheme that was thought to have unfairly favoured the Royals, win their third successive premiership for the first hat-trick in the WA(N)FL since Swan Districts between 1982 and 1984. The Swans themselves had a disastrous season as chronic financial troubles, which had plagued the club for almost a decade were combined with disastrous results on the field. The black and whites were within two points of a winless season in the seniors and did little better in the lower grades.

Cinderella club Peel Thunder, despite going within two minutes of the first goalless score in senior WAFL football for over eighty-six years and being voted out of the competition by seven of the other eight clubs at a meeting to extend their licence on 6 May, achieved their best overall record to date and their first tangible honours as diminutive on-baller Allistair Pickett won the Sandover Medal. The Thunder, remarkably, provided in Daniel Wells the joint runner-up in the Medal as well as the winner. The loss of these players, and of financial support given to prevent Peel from folding, was to see the Thunder after three years of relatively promising on-field form including wins against three finalists in 2002 again hit rock-bottom the following season. The league’s most famous club, East Fremantle, aided by two lower grade premierships from 2001, rebounded from their disastrous senior record that season to make the finals aided by the only ruck division able to rival the Royals, but this was to be their last finals appearance for the decade as the Sharks reached depths not experienced at any point during the twentieth century over the subsequent four seasons, winning a mere nineteen of eighty matches.

Even apart from Peel’s near-goalless score, 2002 was notable for low scoring, with the high score of 22.13 (145) the lowest in the WAFL since 1927, and the average of 80.83 points the lowest since 1954, in an era when Perth received rainfall much greater than under present-day greenhouse gas concentrations.

Home-and-away season

Round 1 (Easter weekend)

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5 (Anzac Day)

Round 6

Round 7

Round 8

Round 9

Round 10 (Foundation Day)

Round 11

Round 12

Round 13

Round 14

Round 15

Round 16

Round 17

Round 18

Round 19

Round 20

Round 21

Ladder

Finals

First semi-final

Second semi-final

Preliminary final

Grand Final

References

1. ^ Lewis, Ross; ‘Lions Mount Royal Reversal’; in The Game, p. 11; from The West Australian, 8 April 2002
2. See Lewis, Ross; ‘Todd Era Draws to a Close’; in The Game; p. 3; from The West Australian, 3 June 2002
3. Reid, Russell, ‘Peel Ready for Court Battle’; The West Australian, 7 May 2002, pp. 53, 56
4. Lague, Steve; ‘Peel Equals Best Season’; The Game, p. 11; from The West Australian, 19 August 2002
5. ^ Lewis, Ross; ‘Big Sharks Prove Handful’; The Game, p. 11; from The West Australian, 22 July 2002
6. "WAFL Footy Facts: All Seasons Summary". Archived from the original on 13 May 2014. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
7. Flannery, Tim; The Weather Makers: The History and Future Impact of Climate Change; p. 131 ISBN 0802142923
8. See Indian Ocean Climate Initiative: Stage 3: Summary for Policymakers
9. Lague, Steve; ‘Falcons Fight Back for Three-in-a-Row’; in Pre-Game, p. 11; from The West Australian, 26 April 2002
10. Lewis, Ross; ‘Micale Inspires Remarkable East Perth Comeback’; in The Game; p. 11; from The West Australian, 29 April 2002
11. Lewis, Ross; ‘Mystery Prize to Swans’; in The Game, p. 11; from The West Australian, 13 May 2002
12. Townsend, John; ‘Gilmore Raises His Sights’; in The Game, p. 11; from The West Australian, 20 May 2002
13. Lewis, Ross; ‘Ridley Makes Forward Save’; in The Game, p. 11; from The West Australian, 20 May 2002
14. "Australian Football - Swan Districts Football Club - Lowest Scores". australianfootball.com.
15. Lague, Steve; ‘Green Shines Brightly as Sharks Clean Up’; in The Game, p. 11; from The West Australian, 1 July 2002
16. See WAFL Footy Facts: Round 16 2013 Archived 24 October 2013 at archive.today
17. "Australian Football - Peel Thunder Football Club - Lowest Conceded". australianfootball.com.
18. See AFL: Round 19, 2003 Archived 19 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine
19. Leis, Tracey; ‘Pen Powers Subiaco Sword’; in The Game, p. 11; from The West Australian, 15 July 2002
20. Reed, David; ‘Friends Find It Tough On-Field’; in The Game, p. 11; from The West Australian, 29 July 2002
21. "Australian Football - Claremont Football Club - Least Points". australianfootball.com.
22. Reed, David; ‘Falcons Flying High for Finals’; The Game, p. 11; from The West Australian, 26 August 2002
23. Reid, Russell; ‘Old Bulldog Learns New Trick’; The Game, p. 11; from The West Australian, 26 August 2002
24. Reid, Russell; ‘Falcons Find Answer for Curly Question’; The Game, p. 11; from The West Australian, 2 September 2002
25. Reid, Russell; ‘Harris Move Seals It for Falcons’; The Game, p. 6; from The West Australian, 16 September 2002
26. Reid, Russell; ‘Three of a Kind for Royals: Four Flags in Five Years for Micale’; The Game, p. 4; from The West Australian, 23 September 2002

External links

• Official WAFL website
• West Australian Football League (WAFL), 2002

• West Australian Football League seasons
• 2002 in Australian rules football