| 2002 AFL premiership season | |
|---|---|
| Teams | 16 |
| Premiers | Brisbane Lions 2nd premiership |
| Minor premiers | Port Adelaide 1st minor premiership |
| Pre-season cup | Port Adelaide 2nd pre-season cup win |
| Brownlow Medallist | Simon Black (Brisbane Lions) |
| Leading goalkicker | David Neitz (Melbourne) |
| Attendance | |
| Matches played | 185 |
| Total attendance | 6,092,987 (32,935 per match) |
| Highest | 91,817 (Grand Final, Brisbane Lions vs. Collingwood) |
The 2002 AFL season was the 106th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season featured sixteen clubs, ran from 28 March until 28 September, and comprised a 22-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top eight clubs.
The premiership was won by the Brisbane Lions for the second time and second time consecutively, after it defeated Collingwood by nine points in the AFL Grand Final.
See 2002 AFL draft.
Port Adelaide defeated Richmond 10.11 (71) to 9.8 (62) in the final.
| Round 1 (Easter and Season Launch) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday 28 March (7:45 pm) | Richmond 24.11 (155) | def. | Collingwood 18.10 (118) | MCG (crowd: 65,316) | |
| Saturday 30 March (2:10 pm) | St Kilda 14.5 (89) | def. | Carlton 10.5 (65) | Colonial Stadium (crowd: 33,359) | |
| Saturday 30 March (7:10 pm) | Geelong 11.10 (76) | def. by | Essendon 18.18 (126) | MCG (crowd: 42,746) | |
| Saturday 30 March (7:10 pm) | Port Adelaide 11.7 (73) | def. by | Kangaroos 12.11 (83) | Football Park (crowd: 28,578) | |
| Sunday 31 March (1:10 pm) | Sydney 12.15 (87) | def. by | Brisbane Lions 17.8 (110) | SCG (crowd: 24,052) | |
| Sunday 31 March (2:10 pm) | Western Bulldogs 12.21 (93) | def. by | Adelaide 16.16 (112) | Colonial Stadium (crowd: 18,475) | |
| Sunday 31 March (1:40 pm) | West Coast 21.11 (137) | def. | Fremantle 18.10 (118) | Subiaco Oval (crowd: 39,467) | |
| Monday 1 April (2:10 pm) | Hawthorn 15.13 (103) | def. by | Melbourne 20.9 (129) | MCG (crowd: 43,484) | |
| Round 2 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday 5 April (7:45 pm) | Essendon 16.16 (112) | def. | Richmond 8.12 (60) | MCG (crowd: 67,453) | |
| Saturday 6 April (2:10 pm) | Carlton 4.9 (33) | def. by | Sydney 17.9 (111) | Optus Oval (crowd: 22,435) | |
| Saturday 6 April (2:10 pm) | Collingwood 17.18 (120) | def. | West Coast 18.11 (119) | MCG (crowd: 29,348) | |
| Saturday 6 April (7:10 pm) | Kangaroos 16.14 (110) | def. | Western Bulldogs 14.13 (97) | Colonial Stadium (crowd: 25,985) | |
| Saturday 6 April (7:10 pm) | Adelaide 16.14 (110) | def. | Geelong 12.7 (79) | Football Park (crowd: 44,386) | |
| Sunday 7 April (1:10 pm) | Brisbane Lions 21.22 (148) | def. | Hawthorn 6.10 (46) | The Gabba (crowd: 25,660) | |
| Sunday 7 April (2:10 pm) | Melbourne 16.13 (109) | def. | Port Adelaide 11.16 (82) | MCG (crowd: 19,611) | |
| Sunday 7 April (1:40 pm) | Fremantle 10.16 (76) | def. | St Kilda 11.7 (73) | Subiaco Oval (crowd: 21,138) | |
| Round 3 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday 12 April (7:45 pm) | Carlton 11.9 (75) | def. | Collingwood 7.13 (55) | MCG (crowd: 63,864) | |
| Saturday 13 April (2:10 pm) | Richmond 13.18 (96) | def. | Melbourne 11.10 (76) | MCG (crowd: 37,154) | |
| Saturday 13 April (2:10 pm) | Adelaide 17.12 (114) | def. | Sydney 13.6 (84) | Football Park (crowd: 42,246) | |
| Saturday 13 April (7:10 pm) | Brisbane Lions 17.15 (117) | def. | Essendon 9.13 (67) | The Gabba (crowd: 35,898) | |
| Saturday 13 April (7:10 pm) | Kangaroos 10.7 (67) | def. by | Geelong 11.9 (75) | Colonial Stadium (crowd: 27,286) | |
| Sunday 14 April (1:10 pm) | Hawthorn 13.11 (89) | def. | Fremantle 11.13 (79) | York Park (crowd: 15,066) | |
| Sunday 14 April (2:10 pm) | St Kilda 8.8 (56) | def. by | Port Adelaide 20.19 (139) | Colonial Stadium (crowd: 17,641) | |
| Sunday 14 April (1:40 pm) | West Coast 17.11 (113) | def. | Western Bulldogs 11.15 (81) | Subiaco Oval (crowd: 31,854) | |
| |||||
| Round 4 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday 19 April (7:45 pm) | Essendon 19.8 (122) | def. | Adelaide 11.15 (81) | Colonial Stadium (crowd: 40,322) | |
| Saturday 20 April (2:10 pm) | Collingwood 15.14 (104) | def. | Hawthorn 9.9 (63) | MCG (crowd: 48,476) | |
| Saturday 20 April (2:10 pm) | Melbourne 21.11 (137) | def. | West Coast 15.13 (103) | Optus Oval (crowd: 9,421) | |
| Saturday 20 April (7:10 pm) | Sydney 15.13 (103) | def. | Kangaroos 14.16 (100) | SCG (crowd: 23,775) | |
| Saturday 20 April (7:10 pm) | Western Bulldogs 12.6 (78) | def. by | Brisbane Lions 14.10 (94) | Colonial Stadium (crowd: 23,928) | |
| Sunday 21 April (12:40 pm) | Port Adelaide 23.10 (148) | def. | Carlton 14.11 (95) | Football Park (crowd: 29,486) | |
| Sunday 21 April (2:10 pm) | Geelong 26.10 (166) | def. | St Kilda 6.8 (44) | Skilled Stadium (crowd: 23,563) | |
| Sunday 21 April (1:40 pm) | Fremantle 21.12 (138) | def. | Richmond 11.6 (72) | Subiaco Oval (crowd: 23,571) | |
| Round 5 (ANZAC Day) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday 25 April (2:15 pm) | Collingwood 9.12 (66) | def. | Essendon 4.9 (33) | MCG (crowd: 84,894) | |
| Friday 26 April (7:45 pm) | Western Bulldogs 10.21 (81) | def. by | Melbourne 15.14 (104) | Colonial Stadium (crowd: 30,789) | |
| Saturday 27 April (2:10 pm) | Hawthorn 19.11 (125) | def. | Richmond 12.11 (83) | MCG (crowd: 39,694) | |
| Saturday 27 April (1:40 pm) | West Coast 18.13 (121) | def. | Brisbane Lions 10.15 (75) | Subiaco Oval (crowd: 33,313) | |
| Saturday 27 April (7:10 pm) | St Kilda 8.8 (56) | drew with | Sydney 8.8 (56) | Colonial Stadium (crowd: 21,007) | |
| Saturday 27 April (7:10 pm) | Adelaide 12.10 (82) | def. by | Port Adelaide 14.6 (90) | Football Park (crowd: 49,513) | |
| Sunday 28 April (1:10 pm) | Geelong 17.9 (111) | def. | Fremantle 6.13 (49) | Skilled Stadium (crowd: 20,075) | |
| Sunday 28 April (2:10 pm) | Carlton 17.10 (112) | def. by | Kangaroos 19.17 (131) | Colonial Stadium (crowd: 35,138) | |
| |||||
All teams played 22 games during the home and away season, for a total of 176. An additional 9 games were played during the finals series.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | D | PF | PA | PP | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Port Adelaide | 22 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 2360 | 1783 | 132.4 | 72 | Finals series |
| 2 | Brisbane Lions (P) | 22 | 17 | 5 | 0 | 2520 | 1843 | 136.7 | 68 | |
| 3 | Adelaide | 22 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 2308 | 2007 | 115.0 | 60 | |
| 4 | Collingwood | 22 | 13 | 9 | 0 | 2081 | 1897 | 109.7 | 52 | |
| 5 | Essendon | 22 | 12 | 9 | 1 | 1939 | 1847 | 105.0 | 50 | |
| 6 | Melbourne | 22 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 2243 | 2245 | 99.9 | 48 | |
| 7 | Kangaroos | 22 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 2241 | 2269 | 98.8 | 48 | |
| 8 | West Coast | 22 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 2208 | 2254 | 98.0 | 44 | |
| 9 | Geelong | 22 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 1933 | 2029 | 95.3 | 44 | |
| 10 | Hawthorn | 22 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 1938 | 2107 | 92.0 | 44 | |
| 11 | Sydney | 22 | 9 | 12 | 1 | 2123 | 1976 | 107.4 | 38 | |
| 12 | Western Bulldogs | 22 | 9 | 12 | 1 | 2335 | 2246 | 104.0 | 38 | |
| 13 | Fremantle | 22 | 9 | 13 | 0 | 1900 | 2151 | 88.3 | 36 | |
| 14 | Richmond | 22 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 1801 | 2172 | 82.9 | 28 | |
| 15 | St Kilda | 22 | 5 | 16 | 1 | 1785 | 2271 | 78.6 | 22 | |
| 16 | Carlton | 22 | 3 | 19 | 0 | 1682 | 2300 | 73.1 | 12 |
| Qualifying and elimination finals | Semi-finals | Preliminary finals | Grand final | ||||||||||||||||
| 6 Sep, AAMI Stadium | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Port Adelaide | 14.11 (95) | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Collingwood | 16.12 (108) | 13 Sep, AAMI Stadium | ||||||||||||||||
| Port Adelaide | 11.17 (83) | ||||||||||||||||||
| 7 Sep, Colonial Stadium | Essendon | 8.11 (59) | 21 Sep, MCG | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Essendon | 17.9 (111) | Collingwood | 13.13 (91) | |||||||||||||||
| 8 | West Coast | 11.12 (78) | Adelaide | 9.9 (63) | 28 Sep, MCG | ||||||||||||||
| Collingwood | 9.12 (66) | ||||||||||||||||||
| 8 Sep, MCG | 21 Sep, The Gabba | Brisbane Lions | 10.15 (75) | ||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Melbourne | 18.14 (122) | Brisbane Lions | 21.12 (138) | |||||||||||||||
| 7 | Kangaroos | 11.18 (84) | 14 Sep, MCG | Port Adelaide | 12.10 (82) | ||||||||||||||
| Adelaide | 20.10 (130) | ||||||||||||||||||
| 7 Sep, The Gabba | Melbourne | 17.16 (118) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Brisbane Lions | 17.13 (115) | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Adelaide | 5.14 (44) | |||||||||||||||||
Note: Adelaide played its "home" final at the MCG despite being ranked above Melbourne due to the agreement then in place with the Melbourne Cricket Club that at least one game each week of the finals be played at the MCG.
Total match attendance for all games was 5,643,908 people. Attendance at the Grand Final was 91,817 people. The largest non-finals attendance was 84,894 people for the Collingwood v Essendon game in round 5.