2002 vs 2013

[Tonearm Terrorwrist]

A few weeks ago Ricko and Fletch both said that this 2013 team was much better and would beat the 2002 team. What do people think? I think it would be even more brutal than the semi final against Manly. I feel that the 2002 team doesn't get enough respect. The Dogs cheated and should be irrelevant, they'd be nothing without cheating but the more annoying thing is people who say "oh it was just The Warriors" they were the minor premiers, had an exciting backlinetough forwards lead by Stacey Jones. I think 2013 will remembered as beating a "legitimate" team which is unfair on the 2002 Roosters and NZW.

Cayless, Morley, Crocker vs JWH, Moa and LOD. It'd be worth it for Morley vs LOD :lol:
Hodges v Jennings. Two exciting centres battling it out.
Mullins v RTS - one of the modern day excitement machine at fullback vs the future, both on the wing
Bonnetti vs Friend. Both tough as nails and flying under the radar
Flannery vs Aubusson. Both Mr Reliable that go anywhere and don't get enough recognition
Ricketson vs Cordner. Both will be Easts hero's when it's all said and done.
Stuart vs Robinson. Rookie coaches demanding defence and line speed and respect from day one where their predecessor failed.

Then there is Freddy vs SBW. In both grand finals we were at until a single moment of brilliance turned the game (although it was freddy who started the first try in 02) and that's probably what we need to win the game.

The similarities between the teams are unreal. All I know is that 2013 means a lot more as a teenager I took 2002 for granted and have now been through many years of shit and a wooden spoon to get here.

What would a combined team? Only as they were in 2002 and 2013 respectively though

Anthony Minochiello - 2013
Brett Mullins - 2002
Michael Jennings - 2013
Justin Hodges - 2002
RTS - 2013
Brad Fittler - 2002
Mitchell Pearce - 2013
JWH - 2013
Jake Friend - 2013
Adrian Morley - 2002
Craig Fitzgibbon - 2002
Sonny-Bill Williams - 2013
Luke Ricketson - 2002

Craig Wing - 2002
Boyd Cordner - 2013
Luke O'Donnell - 2013
Sam Moa - 2013

Trent Robinson. Decent team that

2002 - 10
2013 - 7

 

[Manu Vatuvei]

I think the 2002 team was stronger.

At no point did I actually think you guys had the best team this year on paper, but I just couldn't pick against you given the way you played. I think that 2002 side had a similar unstoppable momentum by that point of the season, so I'd have to pick based on the "on paper" strength and go 2002.

 

[Von]

No room for Tupou?

He was one of our best.


Good squad though!

 

[Tonearm Terrorwrist]

2002 was stronger I agree. Ryan Cross missed all but 3 games and David Kidwell who was a regular on the bench misses the grand final. The 2013 team plays as one unit which is always hard to beat regardless of what you're playing. There was a stat saying we've used the least amount of players for 30 years, in 2002 we would have used 30 for that many injuries we had.

Leaving Tupou out was easy, leaving Jason Cayless out was hard. Maybe Cayless and Moa can scrap it out for a bench spot.

I always thought the 2004 team was the best of the 3 seasons even accounting for that moron Finch and Justin Hodges sulking through the year.

 

[H.H]

Too tough to split for me, so I'll call it a draw.

2002 probably a bit more special as it was the first I'd seen and unlike TT, I was already 31 so really appreciated it at the time.

This year was unbelievable too and even though 2002 wasn't tainted in my eyes, alot of people thought it was so it's extra special that there can be no comments and sniping about this one.

 

[Non Terminator]

I would nearly have to consider a Phillips-Mullins-Minichiello backline, this is just way too difficult.

 

[Valheru]

People will say that this team is easily better than that of 2002 but the fact is people forget how good teams/players of the past were. As an example the skills of Mini at his prime are mostly forgotten by the modern day fan even though he was IMO as good as Slater.

Anyways, it would be tough to pick a winner. I find it hard to pick against any team led by Fittler so I’ll go 2002, just. A lot of people will dismiss the 2002 side because of the bulldogs fiasco but in reality they should have had one, if not two more GF wins.

 

[Manu Vatuvei]

I really don't get how people seriously call the 2002 premiership "tainted". The Bulldogs were caught blatantly cheating, how does them being kicked out taint anything? And why do I always hear this about 2002 but not 2010?

The way the Roosters stormed home in the finals, they were the best team by a mile. Didn't they beat the Warriors by 40 late in the season too? The Warriors had already beaten the Bulldogs to halt their winning streak and won the minor premiership with, iirc, a 17 win 7 loss record. The Bulldogs were never as impressive that season as the late-season Roosters were.

 

[Non Terminator]

In a way of that Velheru, we could see the growth in this team the next few years.
Not saying we'll capture that 3 straight Grand Finals magic, but I think we're onto something special.

 

[Captain Apollo]

2002 was stronger I agree. Ryan Cross missed all but 3 games and David Kidwell who was a regular on the bench misses the grand final. The 2013 team plays as one unit which is always hard to beat regardless of what you're playing. There was a stat saying we've used the least amount of players for 30 years, in 2002 we would have used 30 for that many injuries we had.

Leaving Tupou out was easy, leaving Jason Cayless out was hard. Maybe Cayless and Moa can scrap it out for a bench spot.

I always thought the 2004 team was the best of the 3 seasons even accounting for that moron Finch and Justin Hodges sulking through the year.

Was surprised you had Morley in the front row though. He played most of his games in 2002 in the second row, and started the Grand Final in the second row with Craig Fitzgibbon relegating Bryan Fletcher to the bench.

 

[Tonearm Terrorwrist]

So which second row player makes way for Morley, Fitzy or SBW? He only played about 10 games in 2002 and half were up front or on the bench. It doesn't matter if he plays in the 10 jersey or 11.

 

[H.H]

I really don't get how people seriously call the 2002 premiership "tainted". The Bulldogs were caught blatantly cheating, how does them being kicked out taint anything? And why do I always hear this about 2002 but not 2010?

The way the Roosters stormed home in the finals, they were the best team by a mile. Didn't they beat the Warriors by 40 late in the season too? The Warriors had already beaten the Bulldogs to halt their winning streak and won the minor premiership with, iirc, a 17 win 7 loss record. The Bulldogs were never as impressive that season as the late-season Roosters were.

Yeah you're spot on. Pisses me off still.

Both Mason and Price have said they knew we were the team to beat after we played them earlier In the season (and lost). Bennett also said the same when we beat them to start our 9 game winning run.

All 9 games were against top 8 sides including the Warriors who we beat 44-0 so to me we were unstoppable by the time the GF rolled around.

 

[Cliffhanger]

2002 was stronger I agree. Ryan Cross missed all but 3 games and David Kidwell who was a regular on the bench misses the grand final. The 2013 team plays as one unit which is always hard to beat regardless of what you're playing. There was a stat saying we've used the least amount of players for 30 years, in 2002 we would have used 30 for that many injuries we had.

Leaving Tupou out was easy, leaving Jason Cayless out was hard. Maybe Cayless and Moa can scrap it out for a bench spot.

I always thought the 2004 team was the best of the 3 seasons even accounting for that moron Finch and Justin Hodges sulking through the year.

What about the bigger overrated hack moron Chris Walker?

Replace Heggarty with Cross for the 02 team and there is just that much class all over the park in the 02 team.

We also missed Ricko for the 04 gf.

 

[TheFrog]

I think the 2003 side was stronger than the 2002, but they choked in the face of an unexpectedly strong GF opponent. The 2003 side had been ruthless all year whereas the '02 side came from well back.

This year's team was much better than either of them.

 

[Babyface O'reilly]

I think the 2003 side was stronger than the 2002, but they choked in the face of an unexpectedly strong GF opponent. The 2003 side had been ruthless all year whereas the '02 side came from well back.

This year's team was much better than either of them.

I'll always have a strong emotional connection with the 02 team because they broke a 27 year drought but have to agree with Froggy. This current team broke records this year. 6 teams kept to nil FFS! Best team for most of the season and showed a lot of character in the grand final.

 

[Tonearm Terrorwrist]

I think the 2003 side was stronger than the 2002, but they choked in the face of an unexpectedly strong GF opponent. The 2003 side had been ruthless all year whereas the '02 side came from well back.

This year's team was much better than either of them.

This years team proves that when signing players it's quality > quantity. Compare us, minor premiers, club champions and premiers, to say Penrith who signed twice as many players but couldn't even make the top 8 :lol:

 

[Cliffhanger]

I think when you consider how strog the weakest players in each side were 2002 wins hands down. 02 the weakest guys were probably Hegs and Lomu and both played test football. In 03 you had Finch and Byrne a winger who was run down by the oldest guy on the the field. Our weakest in 04 were Walker and Hodges' fat evil twin (may as well have been a completely different player given his form.)

 

[Tonearm Terrorwrist]

If they let us keep Mullins for 2003 we go back to back. Don't forget that Hodges did his knee at Sandcorp and was out. Different ball game if he plays.

What about the bigger overrated hack moron Chris Walker?

Replace Heggarty with Cross for the 02 team and there is just that much class all over the park in the 02 team.

We also missed Ricko for the 04 gf.

Chris Walker doesn't exist in my memory :x

 

[Valheru]

When comparing defence, don’t forget that the 02-04 sides were the best defensively in an era of high scoring games. That’s not to take away from the 6 shutouts this year which is quite simply amazing.

The 2003 team sometimes gets left behind in the wake of 02 and 04 but that team didn’t lose a game by more than 8 points until the GF which they lost by 12. This years team was also great in that area with the round 1 loss of 18 points being by far the highest with the Warriors (11 points) being next highest.

 

[Deleted member 10972]

2000 (not bad considering we lost Barnett, Elsegood, Pongia and Miles to injury)

Phillips, Minichiello, Hegarty, Cross, Sing, Fittler, Lam, Cusack, Bonetti, Rubin (lol), Fletcher, Fitzgibbon, Ricketson, BENCH: Wing, Rigon, Hood, Solomona (Burns, Logan, Bailey reserves)

2002

Phillips, Minichiello, Hodges, Hegarty/Cross, Mullins, Fittler, Wing, Cusack, Bonetti, Cayless, Fletcher, Fitzgibbon, Ricketson, BENCH: Crocker, Flannery, Morley, Lomu (Kidwell, Hood, Robinson reserves)

2004 (full strength - we lost Ricketson for GF)

Minichiello, Walker, Hodges, Cross, Hegarty, Fittler, Finch, Cusack, Wing, Cayless, Tupou, Fitzgibbon, Ricketson, BENCH: Crocker, Flannery, Morley, Robinson (Catic, Webb reserves)

2010 (full strength - we lost Graham for GF)

Minichiello, Perrett, SKD, Linnett, Graham, Carney, Pearce, JWH, Friend, FPN, Anasta, Aubusson, Myles, BENCH: Leilua, Kennedy, Ryles, Conn (Guerra, Paea, Masoe reserves)

2013

Minichiello, RTS, SKD, Jennings, Tupou, Maloney, Pearce, JWH, Friend, FPN, SBW, Aubusson, Cordner, BENCH: Mortimer, Guerra, O'Donnell, Moa (Kennedy, Napa, Liu reserves)

These were all powerful teams. Might I also add the Roosters 2008 team which IMO was very underrated, and featured Mason and O'Meley at the peak of their powers before their rapid decline. The team was powerful all year but then bowed out of the finals in straight sets.

2008 (Minichiello injured most of the year)

Perrett, Roberts, Soliola, Sa, Perrett, Anasta, Pearce, O'Meley, Brown, Mason, Tupou, Fitzgibbon, Myles, BENCH: Aubusson, Aubusson, Shillington, Paea (FPN, Cherrington, Grose reserves)