2002 Finals Week 1 vs St George Illawarra Dragons:
Third Qualifying Final
St George Illawarra 26 (J. Smith, L. Thompson, T. Barrett, L. Clarke, M. Riddell tries; M. Riddell 3 goals) defeated
Newcastle 22 (B. Peden, A. Woolnough, T. Tahu, J. Bailey tries; D. Abraham 2, B. Peden goals) at EnergyAustralia Stadium, Saturday night, September 14.
Scrums: Newcastle 9-6. Penalties: 3 all.
Crowd: 21,051. Referee: Bill Harrigan. Halftime: St George Illawarra 14-12.
Goalkickers: Abraham (Newcastle) 2/2, Peden (Newcastle) 1/2, Johns (Newcastle) 0/1, Riddell (St George Illawarra) 3/5.
| Newcastle Knights: | St George Illawarra Dragons: |
|---|---|
| 1. Kurt Gidley | 1. Ben Hornby |
| 2. John Morris | 2. Wise Kativerata |
| 3. Matthew Gidley | 3. Mark Gasnier |
| 4. Timana Tahu | 4. Lee Hookey |
| 5. Anthony Quinn | 5. Leo Clarke |
| 6. Sean Rudder | 6. Trent Barrett (c) |
| 7. Andrew Johns (c) | 7. Willie Peters |
| 8. Josh Perry | 8. Luke Bailey |
| 9. Danny Buderus | 9. Shane Millard |
| 10. Matt Parsons | 10. Jason Ryles |
| 11. Steve Simpson | 11. Justin Smith |
| 12. Ben Kennedy | 12. Lance Thompson |
| 13. Bill Peden | 13. Jason Hooper |
| Interchange: | Interchange: |
| Daniel Abraham | Mark Riddell |
| Clint Newton | Craig Stapleton |
| Julian Bailey | Nathan Tutt |
| Adam Woolnough | Jason Kent (Not used) |