2002 was the year the Warriors changed the competition by introducing a style of Rugby league never seen before.I was too young to remember 2002, but my top 3 are 2007, 2011 & 2023.
Ironically the Broncos just did a 2002 on us the other night.
In 2002 we had the biggest forward pack in the comp, it was ridiculous.
Starting props would bash the shit out of the opposition pack, which obviously the fans loved, and then they would come off the field and be replaced by even bigger dudes who looked and played like Night Club bouncers and beat on the poor bastards even more.
So yeah it was an incredible year as a fan, you knew your team was going to start with George Foreman and send on Mike Tyson off the bench.
They also had the most violent Winger since Eric Growth (legendary Eels giant winger thug that bashed the comp in the 80s) our version Francis Meli used to line up the Center and send them to hospital in an ambulance.
All the teams we played lost their games the following week because they had not recovered from their bruising.
We had the Michael Jordan of Rugby league in Ali Lauitiiti, and the Dennis Rodman in Sione Faumuina.
Clinton Toopi was the best Center in the world, no one in the NRL disagreed.
And out of all the most feared players in the comp, we had an Aussie whose nickname (well earned) was Villa the Gorilla, and he was a fucken Gorilla knocking dudes into HIA land left right and center.
We were the most feared team in the competition.
The fact we lost that NRL GF was a shock to all, especially since we beat up the Roosters that year.
The team was so good they were deep in the finals the following year.
But you have to wonder why we never won the last dance with that side because it is to this day the greatest Warriors team that ever played Rugby league....and In my rant I never even mentioned the goat Stacey Jones or his co captain the man who brought Aussie steele to the Warriors Kevin Campion.
I have to plug PJ Marsh, as good as Egan is, PJ was the best hooker we ever had till he had his spine munted and his career ended early,
2002 is the only side that lost a GF to an inferior opponent, we were the best that year and we should have won it.
It is really funny listening to the two best players in the world of that era (Andrew Johns and Brad Fittler) talk about playing at Mt Smart, they make it sound like playing on Skull Island with the drums and the 'big dude' factory running at them.
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