2002 Bradford Bulls season

December 2024 May 2014 May 2014 2002 #ffffff #f32824 Super League Super League VII 2nd 25 0 6 1001 603 Runners Up Challenge Cup 4th Round 0 1 Chairman Chris Caisley Head Coach Brian Noble Robbie Paul Valley Parade 11,542 14,271 vs. St. Helens Michael Withers (20) Paul Deacon (155) Paul Deacon (336) 2001 2003 yes List of Bradford Bulls seasons This article details the Bradford Bulls rugby league football club's 2002 season, the 7th season of the Super League era. Season review February 2002 As Bradford won the 2001 Super League Grand Final they had to play the winners of the 2001 NRL Grand Final. Newcastle Knights beat Parramatta Eels 30–24 and played the Bulls in the 2002 World Club Challenge. Bradford came away with a 41–22 victory over the Australian champions thanks to a Robbie Paul double and 2 tries from Michael Withers. Bradford were knocked out of the Challenge Cup by a Ben Walker inspired Leeds Rhinos. The Bulls succumbed to a 17–4 loss. March 2002 The Bulls started off their Super League defence with a hard fought 18–4 win over last years runners up Wigan Warriors. Bradford backed this performance up with a 38–12 win over Warrington Wolves. The Bulls continued their good start to the season by beating Widnes Vikings 22–16. Once again the Bulls overcame the challenge set before them as they recorded 4 wins from 4 games by beating Hull F.C. 32–18. April 2002 Bradford started April with a 44–12 win over Wakefield Trinity Wildcats. New signing Lesley Vainikolo scored 2 tries to help the Bulls to a victory. The Bulls suffered their first league defeat at the hands of London Broncos as they were beaten 15–14. Bradford soon got back to winning ways as they demolished St Helens R.F.C. 54–22 with Tevita Vaikona scoring a hat-trick. They backed up this fine form with a 44–18 win over Salford City Reds. May 2002 The Bulls started May off with a hard fought 32–8 victory against Castleford Tigers. The good run came to an end at the hands of rivals Leeds Rhinos. The Rhinos beat Bradford 28–20 at Headingley Stadium. Bradford bounced back from this defeat to beat Halifax Blue Sox 46–22. The Bulls finished May with a hard fought 28–26 win against Wigan Warriors. June 2002 Bradford started June with a great 40–12 victory over the Warrington Wolves. The Bulls continued their good run of form with a 22–12 win against London Broncos. Bradford then demolished Salford City Reds 48–10 to stay top of the league. Their good run came to an end as the Bulls went down 34–26 to St Helens R.F.C. at Knowsley Road. July 2002 The Bulls got back to winning ways with a 44–6 win against Widnes Vikings. Bradford then followed this win with yet another victory as they beat Wakefield Trinity Wildcats 36–18. The Bulls continued this run of form with a hard fought 25–24 win at Hull F.C. with Michael Withers kicking the decisive drop goal. Bradford finished the month with a 40–18 win against Castleford Tigers. August 2002 Bradford started August with a bang as they beat local rivals Leeds Rhinos for the first time this year, a Lesley Vainikolo double helped the Bulls to a 46–18 victory at Valley Parade. The Bulls continued this winning streak by beating Halifax Blue Sox 25–8. Bradford's 6 game winning run was brutally ended by St Helens R.F.C. as the Saints smashed the Bulls 50–22. For the first time this season the Bulls lost two games in a row as they went down 44–14 to Castleford Tigers. September 2002 The Bulls got back to winning ways with a 46–14 win against London Broncos. Bradford backed this up with a 20–18 win against arch-rivals Leeds Rhinos. The Bulls also beat Wigan Warriors 32–14 however due to a lower points difference Bradford slipped down to 2nd in the table behind St Helens R.F.C. with one game to go. The Bulls finished the regular rounds with a 32–18 win over Hull F.C. however the margin of victory was not enough to claim top spot in the league and Bradford finished 2nd, they finished with 46 points (same as St Helens R.F.C.) but Saints had 14 points more in the points difference column. October 2002 Bradford faced St Helens R.F.C. in the Qualifying Semi-final at Knowsley Road, the Bulls came out on top as they narrowly defeated the Saints 28–26 in a hard fought contest. In the Grand Final the Bulls lost 19–18 to St Helens R.F.C. however the final second of the game is subject to controversy as Saints captain Chris Joynt gave himself up in a voluntary tackle (a penalty should have gone to the Bulls for this action) in a kickable range which would have given Paul Deacon the chance to win the game 20–19. 2002 milestones WCC: Paul Deacon reached 300 points for the Bulls. WCC: Lesley Vainikolo scored his 1st try for the Bulls. Round 2: Paul Anderson scored his 25th try and reached 100 points for the Bulls. Round 2: Brandon Costin scored his 1st try for the Bulls. Round 3: Paul Sykes kicked his 1st goal for the Bulls. Round 7: Tevita Vaikona scored his 5th hat-trick for the Bulls. Round 7: Robbie Paul became the 1st player to score 100 tries for the club and he also reached 400 points for the Bulls. Round 9: Jamie Peacock scored his 25th try and reached 100 points for the Bulls. Round 9: Paul Deacon reached 400 points for the Bulls. Round 10: Stuart Fielden scored his 25th try and reached 100 points for the Bulls. Round 13: Michael Withers scored his 75th try and reached 300 points for the Bulls. Round 17: Paul Deacon kicked his 200th goal and reached 500 points for the Bulls. Round 17: Michael Withers kicked his 1st goal for the Bulls. Round 18: Robbie Paul kicked his 1st goal for the Bulls. Round 20: Tevita Vaikona scored his 75th try and reached 300 points for the Bulls. Round 22: Scott Naylor scored his 50th try and reached 200 points for the Bulls. Round 24: Paul Deacon scored his 25th try for the Bulls. Round 25: Nathan McAvoy scored his 50th try and reached 200 points for the Bulls. Round 27: Paul Deacon reached 600 points for the Bulls. Table BRA World Club Challenge LEGEND Win Draw Loss DateCompetitionVrsH/AVenueResultScoreTriesGoalsAtt1 February 2002WCCNewcastle 12Newcastle KnightsNMcAlpine StadiumW41–26Paul (2), Gartner, Withers (2), VainikoloDeacon 8/8, Deacon 1 DG21,113 + 2002 World Club Challenge TeamsBradford 16 Bradford BullsmainNewcastle 16 Newcastle Knights6. Michael WithersFullback1. Robbie O'Davis2. Tevita VaikonaWinger2. Joshua Smith20. Scott NaylorCentre3. Matthew Gidley14. Lee GilmourCentre4. Mark Hughes5. Lesley VainikoloWinger5. Kurt Gidley1. Robbie PaulStand off6. Sean Rudder7. Paul DeaconScrum half7. Andrew Johns8. Joe VaganaProp8. Josh Perry9. James LowesHooker9. Danny Buderus22. Brian McDermottProp10. Matt Parsons11. Daniel Gartner2nd Row11. Steve Simpson12. Jamie Peacock2nd Row12. Daniel Abraham13. Mike Forshaw Loose forward13. Bill Peden3. Leon PryceInterchange14. Matthew Jobson10. Paul AndersonInterchange15. Clinton O'Brien15. Brandon CostinInterchange16. John Morris29. Stuart FieldenInterchange17. Clint NewtonBrian NobleCoachMichael Hagan 2002 fixtures and results LEGEND Win Draw Loss 2002 Tetley's Super League DateCompetitionRndVrsH/AVenueResultScoreTriesGoalsAtt1 March 2002Super League VII112pxWigan WarriorsAJJB StadiumW18–4Forshaw, Gilmour, VaikonaDeacon 3/314,170 10 March 2002Super League VII212pxWarrington WolvesHValley ParadeW38–12Anderson, Costin, Gartner, Gilmour, McAvoy, Vaikona, WithersDeacon 5/713,876 24 March 2002Super League VII3Widnes Vikings 12Widnes VikingsAHalton StadiumW22–16Lowes (2), McAvoy, McDermottSykes 3/48,844 28 March 2002Super League VII412pxHull F.C.HValley ParadeW32–18Anderson, Gilmour, McAvoy, Vagana, VaikonaDeacon 6/613,268 1 April 2002Super League VII512pxWakefield Trinity WildcatsABelle VueW44–12McAvoy (2), Naylor (2), Vainikolo (2), Costin, PryceDeacon 6/86,6477 April 2002Super League VII6Cronulla 12London BroncosAGriffin ParkL14–15Costin (2), VaikonaDeacon 1/34,605 20 April 2002Super League VII712pxSt. HelensHValley ParadeW54–22Vaikona (3), Fielden, Forshaw, Gilmour, Naylor, Paul, Peacock, VainikoloDeacon 7/1014,271 29 April 2002Super League VII812pxSalford City RedsHValley ParadeW44–18Lowes (2), Anderson, McDermott, Naylor, Pryce, RadfordDeacon 8/89,652 3 May 2002Super League VII912pxCastleford TigersAThe JungleW32–8McAvoy (2), Gilmour, PeacockDeacon 8/87,416 10 May 2002Super League VII1012pxLeeds RhinosAHeadingley StadiumL20–28Fielden, Paul, VaikonaDeacon 4/418,305 17 May 2002Super League VII11Halifax 12Halifax Blue SoxHValley ParadeW46–22Deacon (2), Withers (2), Naylor, Paul, Radford, VaikonaDeacon 7/810,762 24 May 2002Super League VII1212pxWigan WarriorsHValley ParadeW28–26Withers (2), McAvoy, Naylor, VaikonaDeacon 4/513,314 2 June 2002Super League VII1312pxWarrington WolvesAWilderspoolW40–12Vaikona (2), Deacon, Forshaw, Naylor, Paul, WithersDeacon 6/76,619 7 June 2002Super League VII14Cronulla 12London BroncosHValley ParadeW22–12Paul, WithersDeacon 7/79,216 23 June 2002Super League VII1512pxSalford City RedsAThe WillowsW48–10Gilmour (2), Vaikona (2), Costin, Gartner, Paul, PryceDeacon 8/84,806 28 June 2002Super League VII1612pxSt. HelensAKnowsley RoadL26–34Costin (2), Vaikona, WithersDeacon 5/512,297 4 July 2002Super League VII17Widnes Vikings 12Widnes VikingsHValley ParadeW44–6Lowes (2), Paul (2), Gartner, McDermott, Vainikolo, WithersDeacon 5/7, Withers 1/110,264 12 July 2002Super League VII1812pxWakefield Trinity WildcatsHValley ParadeW36–18Forshaw, Gartner, McAvoy, Naylor, Vainikolo, WithersWithers 5/5, Paul 1/18,288 19 July 2002Super League VII1912pxHull F.C.AThe BoulevardW25–24Fielden, Paul, PryceDeacon 6/6, Withers 1 DG6,257 26 July 2002Super League VII2012pxCastleford TigersHValley ParadeW40–18Gilmour, Lowes, McDermott, Naylor, Vaikona, Vainikolo, WithersDeacon 6/79,316 2 August 2002Super League VII2112pxLeeds RhinosHValley ParadeW46–18Vainikolo (2), Fielden, Gilmour, Lowes, Paul, Vaikona, WithersDeacon 6/7, Withers 1/113,631 9 August 2002Super League VII22Halifax 12Halifax Blue SoxAThe ShayW25–8Naylor (2), McAvoy, PryceDeacon 4/4, Deacon 1 DG4,170 16 August 2002Super League VII2312pxSt. HelensHValley ParadeL22–50Fielden (2), NaylorDeacon 5/513,948 25 August 2002Super League VII2412pxCastleford TigersAThe JungleL14–44Deacon, PryceDeacon 2/2, Withers 1/16,697 1 September 2002Super League VII25Cronulla 12London BroncosHValley ParadeW46–14McAvoy (2), Pryce (2), Withers (2), Lowes, VaikonaDeacon 7/88,965 6 September 2002Super League VII2612pxLeeds RhinosAHeadingley StadiumW20–18Gartner, Paul, Pryce, WithersDeacon 2/415,328 14 September 2002Super League VII2712pxWigan WarriorsHValley ParadeW32–14Withers (2), Fielden, VainikoloDeacon 8/812,57620 September 2002Super League VII2812pxHull F.C.AThe BoulevardW32–18McAvoy (2), Deacon, Gartner, Paul, VaikonaDeacon 4/68,630 Challenge Cup LEGEND Win Draw Loss DateCompetitionRndVrsH/AVenueResultScoreTriesGoalsAtt9 February 2002Cup4th12pxLeeds RhinosHValley ParadeL4–17GartnerDeacon 0/111,781 Playoffs LEGEND Win Draw Loss DateCompetitionRndVrsH/AVenueResultScoreTriesGoalsAtt5 October 2002Play-offsQSF12pxSt. HelensAKnowsley RoadW28–26Costin, Deacon, Forshaw, Gartner, VainikoloDeacon 4/515,10019 October 2002Play-offsGF12pxSt. HelensNOld TraffordL18–19Naylor, Paul, WithersDeacon 3/461,138 2002 squad statistics Bradford Bulls Appearances and Points include (Super League, Challenge Cup and Play-offs) as of 2012. NoPlayerPositionTriesGoalsDGPoints1Robbie PaulFullback1510622Tevita VaikonaWing1900763Leon PryceCentre900364Nathan McAvoyCentre1400565Lesley VainikoloWing1100446Michael WithersFullback2081977Paul DeaconScrum-half615523368Joe VaganaProp10049James LowesHooker9003610Paul AndersonProp3001211Daniel GartnerSecond row9003612Jamie PeacockSecond row200813Mike ForshawLoose forward5002014Lee GilmourCentre9003615Brandon CostinStand off8003216Alex WilkinsonWing000018Lee RadfordSecond row200819Jamie LangleyLoose forward000020Scott NaylorCentre13005222Brian McDermottProp4001626Paul SykesCentre030627Rob ParkerProp000029Stuart FieldenProp7002830Richard MooreProp0000 References External links Bradford Bulls Website Bradford Bulls in T&A Bradford Bulls on Sky Sports Bradford on Super League Site Red, Black and Amber BBC Sport-Rugby League https://archive.today/20121205063523/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_league/super_league/bradford/ 5 December 2012 Category:Bradford Bulls seasons Bradford Bulls