Season Summary: 1902

Season 1902 was similar to the previous year with Williamstown again finishing fourth, this time with eight wins and eight defeats from its 16 games. Walter Warren was replaced as skipper in this season by former Port Melbourne player, Arthur 'Knobbo' Knox. The highlight was the 7.3 to 3.9 victory over Port Melbourne in the final game of the season which denied the Borough a chance at the premiership as Port and Richmond had won the same number of games going into the last round and making a playoff appear likely as the method of deciding positions on percentages had not entered into usage by the VFA. However, the Tigers downed Prahran by 25 points while the Villagers upset win handed Richmond its first premiership. Port only lost twice in this season, to Richmond in the first round and to 'Town in the last round.

Arthur 'Skelly' Caldwell, brother of Williamstown players, Bob 'Coronation' Caldwell (1897-1901) and Jim 'Ginger' Caldwell (1905-08 & 1921-22), commenced playing for the Villagers in this season while Walter Warren retired as a player at the end of 1902 after 16 solid seasons as a player. This is most probably the lengthiest term of service by a Williamstown player but sadly records were not kept in detail until the mid-1930's by new secretary, Larry Floyd. His five seasons as captain (1895, 1897-99 & 1901) is second only to Gerry Callahan and Ben Jolley who led the Club for six seasons in Williamstown's rich history. He stood down as skipper in 1900 due to Dick Houston being lured across from North Melbourne for one season only.

The team posted 86 goals and 158 behinds to 76 goals and 131 behinds by opposition teams. Ted Staniland was the leading goalkicker for the third successive season with a modest total of 13. 

Walter Warren, one of six brothers to play for Williamstown, was captain 1895, 1897-99 & 1901, leading goalscorer 1892-1896 & 1898-99, and retired as a player at the end of the 1902 season after 16 years service. Walter passed away on November 30, 1952, at the age of 82 at his home in Illawarra St. 

Pictured here in the Victorian Football Follower magazine of June 12, 1909, John Ballantyne 'Ivor' Lawson (nicknamed after the famous Swedish cyclist of the time) played 25 games and kicked 2 goals for Williamstown in 1902/03 before transferring to Collingwood where he played 7 games in 1904. He then played 30 games for St Kilda from 1905-07 and then ended up at Richmond when they joined the VFL where he played 32 games in 1908-09. He was vice-captain of the Tigers in 1909 and captained the team on 13 occasions when the appointed captain, Dick Condon, resigned after being urged by the board to do so. A journeyman, he moved on to North Melbourne in 1910 and then Northcote in 1911. Lawson passed away at North Melbourne on December 2, 1958, aged 75.