Crossword Genius

Bet, informally, that note dates from before 2002 (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

punt

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'bet' is the definition.
(I know that punt is a more specific form of the action bet)

'informally that note dates from before 2002' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'note' could be 'n' (abbreviation) and 'n' is located in the answer.
The remaining letters 'put' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for punt that I've seen before include "Stake" , "risky affair" , "Pole-propelled boat" , "Riverboat" , "Flat boat or familiar currency" .)

I've seen this clue in The Irish Times.
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