2002 season

2002

Photo: aflphotos.com.au

Position

8th

H&A record

11-11 (8th)

Finals

Lost Elimination Final

Captain

Ben Cousins

Coach

John Worsfold

Best & Fairest

Ben Cousins

Most goals

Phil Matera (46)

<--2001

2003-->

Despite the club's worst year in 2001, there was a cautiously optimistic mood leading into the 2002 season thanks to the return of favourite son John Worsfold to take the coaching reins and a promising group of youngsters headed by Rising Star runner-up Daniel Kerr and top-three draft pick Chris Judd.

In the first half of the season West Coast hovered among the lower half of the top eight, proving almost unbeatable at home but struggling away from Subiaco. They looked set to a return to the finals for the first time in three years but the young side tired late in the season and dropped out of the eight after a heavy loss to reigning premiers Brisbane at the Gabba. Entering the final round they faced a tough test, needing to beat the strong Kangaroos side in Canberra. They passed, scoring a surprise 17 point win to book an elimination final against Essendon. Beaten but not disgraced in that game, the outlook for the future looked rosy.

Taking on the captaincy role solo for the first time after Dean Kemp's retirement, Ben Cousins won his second straight Club Champion award and All-Australian selection for a fourth straight year. Judd was a revelation in his rookie season, finishing in the top three in the Club Champion count and narrowly being pipped for the AFL's Rising Star award by St Kilda's Nick Riewoldt. He, Cousins and Kerr formed the nucleus of a dynamic young midfield, which they would do for several years to come.

Honour board

Coach: John Worsfold

Captain: Ben Cousins

Vice-captains: Nil

Club Champion: Ben Cousins

Rookie of the Year: Chris Judd

Best Clubman: Drew Banfield

Leading Goalscorer: Phil Matera (46)

All-Australians: Ben Cousins

Rising Star nominees: Chris Judd (round 2)

Milestones:

250 games: Peter Matera (round 20)

100 games: Phil Matera (round 3)

Squad

Offseason player movements

	Senior list
6	Drew Banfield	26	Travis Gaspar	3	Chris Judd	36	Phil Read
10	Michael Braun	23	Darren Glass	4	Daniel Kerr	28	Ashley Sampi
46	Trent Carroll	35	Kasey Green	30	Peter Matera	14	Mark Seaby
15	Callum Chambers	29	Ashley Hansen	33	Phil Matera	25	David Sierakowski
22	Michael Collica	12	Greg Harding	19	Andrew McDougall	8	Richard Taylor
9	Ben Cousins	38	David Haynes	11	Ashley McIntosh	37	Andrew Williams
20	Dean Cox	41	Jeremy Humm	21	Mark Merenda	40	Troy Wilson
32	Andrew Embley	39	Adam Hunter	5	Chad Morrison	44	David Wirrpanda
7	Chad Fletcher	27	Glen Jakovich	31	Kane Munro	13	Josh Wooden
1	Michael Gardiner	18	Rowan Jones	16	Michael Prior
	Rookie list
43	Zach Beeck	42	Andrew McCarrey	48	Brent Tuckey
45	Quinten Lynch	34	Clancy Rudeforth

#	Player	Games	Goals
1	Gardiner	16	13
3	Judd	22	21
4	Kerr	23	20
6	Banfield	22	1
7	Fletcher	18	10
8	Taylor	7	1
9	Cousins	23	16
10	Braun	20	4
11	McIntosh	19	0
13	Wooden	19	3
15	Chambers	21	22
16	Prior	2	0
18	Jones	13	6
19	McDougall	2	0
20	Cox	19	7
21	Merenda	7	5
22	Collica	23	1
23	Glass	12	0
25	Sierakowski	6	3
26	Gaspar	10	5
27	Jakovich	22	3
28	Sampi	4	2
30	Pe.Matera	17	11
31	Munro	3	5
32	Embley	18	14
33	Ph.Matera	21	46
35	Green	13	0
37	Williams	18	19
38	Haynes	11	8
39	Hunter	17	6
40	Wilson	14	38
41	Humm	5	1
44	Wirrpanda	21	26
45	Lynch	11	17
46	Carroll	4	3
48	Tuckey	3	1

Results

Rd	Opponent	Venue	Res	Score	Posn
	Pre-season
	Carlton	Princes Park	W	116-81
	Richmond	Subiaco	L	53-78
	Geelong	Subiaco	W	98-84
	Essendon	Princes Park	W	105-69
	North Melbourne	Subiaco	W	113-69
	Home & away
1	Fremantle	Subiaco	W	137-118	7th
2	Collingwood	MCG	L	119-120	8th
3	Western Bulldogs	Subiaco	W	113-81	4th
4	Melbourne	Princes Park	L	103-137	9th
5	Brisbane	Subiaco	W	121-75	6th
6	Port Adelaide	Football Park	L	79-133	9th
7	North Melbourne	Subiaco	W	139-90	7th
8	Richmond	MCG	L	73-94	8th
9	Hawthorn	Subiaco	W	126-88	7th
10	St Kilda	Docklands	L	77-127	7th
11	Sydney	Subiaco	W	102-89	6th
12	Carlton	Princes Park	W	89-88	6th
13	Adelaide	Subiaco	W	135-117	6th
14	Geelong	Kardinia Park	L	33-65	6th
15	Essendon	Subiaco	W	90-63	7th
16	Fremantle	Subiaco	L	70-100	7th
17	Collingwood	Subiaco	W	114-56	6th
18	Western Bulldogs	Princes Park	L	91-142	5th
19	Melbourne	Subiaco	L	100-106	7th
20	Brisbane	Gabba	L	89-136	9th
21	Port Adelaide	Subiaco	L	65-103	9th
22	North Melbourne	Manuka	W	143-126	8th
EF	Essendon	Docklands	L	78-111

Club Champion leaderboard

#	Player		Votes		Games
1st	Cousins		341		23
2nd	Kerr		295		23
3rd	Judd		242		22
4th	Jakovich		238		22
5th	Gardiner		222		16
6th	Wirrpanda		222		21
7th	McIntosh		199		19
8th	Fletcher		194		18
9th	Pe.Matera		187		17
10th	Wooden		180		19

Stats leaders

	Goals		Disposals		Disp/game		Marks
1st	Matera	46 .	Cousins	556 .	Cousins	24.17 .	Gardiner	119
2nd	Wilson	38	Kerr	411	Fletcher	18.72	Cox	82
3rd	Wirrpanda	26	Jakovich	350	Kerr	17.87	Jakovich	81
4th	Chambers	22	Fletcher	337	Pe.Matera	16.94	Collica	74
5th	Judd	21	Judd	331	Jakovich	15.91	Fletcher	72
6th	Kerr	20	Wirrpanda	326	Wirrpanda	15.52	Wirrpanda	70
7th	Williams	19	Banfield	291	Judd	15.05	Embley	66
8th	Lynch	17	Pe.Matera	288	Gardiner	14.88	Wilson	64
9th	Cousins	16	Wooden	282	Wooden	14.84	Ph.Matera	63
10th	Embley	14	Braun	271	Braun	13.55	Braun	61
	Kicks		Handballs		Clearances		Tackles
1st	Cousins	327 .	Cousins	229 .	Cousins	143 .	Kerr	75
2nd	Wirrpanda	254	Kerr	203	Kerr	97	Collica	72
3rd	Jakovich	251	Fletcher	125	Fletcher	59	Judd	63
4th	Judd	222	Banfield	123	Judd	59	Wooden	61
5th	Pe.Matera	212	Wooden	115	Banfield	49	Pe.Matera	57
6th	Fletcher	212	Judd	109	Pe.Matera	46	Cousins	57
7th	Kerr	208	Jones	105	Cox	37	Banfield	56
8th	Braun	185	Jakovich	99	Wirrpanda	35	Braun	51
9th	Gardiner	177	Cox	97	Jakovich	32	Fletcher	49
10th	Banfield	168	Chambers	92	Gardiner	31	Wirrpanda	49