Latest news with #KenIrvine
News.com.au
a day ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
New two-year deal for South Sydney try-scoring machine Alex Johnston
South Sydney try machine Alex Johnston could set an NRL record no one will ever be able to chase down after earning an extra two years at the club. Johnston, 30, needs just six tries to break Ken Irvine's longstanding record of 212 and, with the rest of 2025, plus now 2026 and 2027, could set an unreachable mark courtesy of his new deal. Already South Sydney's greatest try scorer with 207 from his 237 NRL games, Johnston could pass Irvine and then put a gap on the rest of the chasers. 'I couldn't be happier to be staying at the club for another two years,' Johnston said. 'Despite the recent results, I know we have a strong club here with quality players, coaches and staff, and I want to be part of returning us to the top of the ladder. 'I've enjoyed premiership success here before and I'm really focused on doing that again here for South Sydney. 'I also want to break the try-scoring record at the Rabbitohs and achievements like that come from the efforts and performances of my teammates as much as me. We're all in this together. 'I also would like to thank the members for their support. There are no more loyal supporters in the game and I love representing them each week as well. I thank them for sticking by us and encouraging us throughout some difficult times on field. 'I'm looking forward to working hard to turn around the back end of our season this year and then having a crack at premierships over the next two years as well.' Veteran Sydney Roosters winger Daniel Tupou is the closest active player to Johnston with 175 career tries. MOST NRL TRIES 1 Ken Irvine 212 2 Alex Johnston* 207 3 Billy Slater 190 4 Steve Menzies 180 5 Brett Morris 176
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Veteran Rabbitoh re-signs with NRL record in sight
Alex Johnston looks guaranteed to break the NRL's tryscoring record in South Sydney colours after signing a new contract extension. The veteran winger, six tries from an unmatched 213 career four-pointers, had been in talks with the Rabbitohs in recent weeks before the club confirmed a new two-year deal on Tuesday. An injury to Latrell Mitchell cast doubt over Johnston's ability to break the record this season, given he must now shift to fullback out of the left wing spot where he has been so prolific. But the new deal means Johnston will at least have the chance to surpass Ken Irvine's mark of 212 next season, when Souths will look to rebound from a horror campaign of injuries. It's official 😍✍️ — South Sydney Rabbitohs 🐰 (@SSFCRABBITOHS) July 22, 2025 "I couldn't be happier to be staying at the club for another two years," Johnston said. "Despite the recent results, I know we have a strong club here with quality players, coaches and staff, and I want to be part of returning us to the top of the ladder. "I also want to break the tryscoring record at the Rabbitohs and achievements like that come from the efforts and performances of my teammates as much as me. We're all in this together." The new deal keeps Johnston a one-club player, with the 30-year-old local product making his debut in the 2014 season. He went on to feature in that year's drought-breaking grand final win and has made 237 appearances for the club in total.
Daily Mail
24-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Thousands of NRL fans beg police not to arrest them for storming the field in Souths star Alex Johnston's milestone match
South Sydney Rabbitohs fans have launched a passionate online campaign pleading with authorities to let them storm the field in celebration if club legend Alex Johnston breaks the NRL 's all-time try-scoring record. The viral petition on is calling for 'safe and respectful' fan access to the pitch, echoing scenes from Lance 'Buddy' Franklin's famous 1000th AFL goal moment in 2022. Johnston moved within touching distance of the historic milestone on Saturday night, scoring four tries in a 25-24 golden-point loss to Melbourne. Three of those came via sharp assists from Latrell Mitchell, while the fourth was a brilliant intercept effort. The 29-year-old winger now has 206 tries in 234 career matches. The record he is chasing belongs to Ken Irvine, the legendary winger for North Sydney and Manly, who crossed 212 times before retiring in 1973. That mark has stood unchallenged for more than 50 years. Johnston is now just six tries away from matching Irvine and seven from surpassing him. The online petition is gaining momentum as supporters push for a historic moment in rugby league celebration as Johnston closes in on Ken Irvine's (pictured) long-standing record 'AJ holds a special place in the heart of thousands of South Sydney Rabbitohs fans,' the fan petition states. 'A Rabbitohs junior, a 2014 premiership winner, a three-time Ken Irvine Medallist, and a Dally M Winger of the Year – but most of all, an incredible bloke.' Johnston, who almost left the club in 2020 after being told he was no longer required, has become one of the sport's most humble and consistent stars. That same year, fans rallied to keep him at the club with an online petition that drew significant support. Supporters now hope lightning will strike twice, this time calling for coordination between the NRL, club officials and police to allow fans to safely enter the field in the event Johnston breaks the record. The proposal points to the Buddy Franklin moment at the SCG as proof such celebrations can be handled in an organised way. Former premiership-winning NRL halfback Chad Townsend publicly backed the campaign on his podcast. 'Souths fans, when your guy Alex Johnston breaks the record, I'm giving you permission to run on the field,' he joked. 'Get him up on your shoulders and celebrate this. I don't know if we'll ever see it broken in our lifetime again.' Johnston himself has admitted the milestone now feels within reach. 'If you told me a few weeks ago, I would have told you I was still a fair bit away,' he said. 'But I've scored a few tries in the past few games and I'm getting close now. I'll try my best to get it this year.' He also acknowledged the tough times he's faced and credited his family for helping him through. 'I was probably not in the best place for a good while there,' he said. 'But I've got a pretty good rock at home, my family are always there for me.' Entering the field during an NRL match currently carries steep penalties in New South Wales, including a $5500 fine and a 12-month venue ban. Repeat offenders risk lifetime bans, and more serious offences can attract jail time. Despite this, fans remain hopeful a special exemption can be made for a one-off moment of history. 'Let's make this moment something rugby league never forgets,' the petition continues. 'We believe an organised field surge can be achieved with the right planning and guidelines in place.' Johnston, who is off-contract at season's end, said breaking the record and securing a new deal would be a fitting way to continue his career. 'Once I finish this season ... signing a new contract will be nice, getting that record will be nice, and then I don't know,' he said. 'Another four more years would be nice.'
News.com.au
22-06-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
‘It will be very special': Try-scoring record starting to feel real for Alex Johnston after grabbing four more against the Storm
Alex Johnston has never liked talking about the try-scoring record in case he jinxed it, but the reality of breaking Ken Irvine's long-standing mark is starting to hit home for the Souths legend who narrowed the gap on Saturday with four tries against the Storm. The South Sydney winger is now up to 206 tries and is just six behind Irvine's record which many people thought would never be broken. But Johnston, 30, looks set to do it after grabbing a second-half hat-trick in the golden point loss to Melbourne, taking his tally to nine tries in his past four matches against teams that are all in the top four. He's already scored 11 tries in just seven matches this season and could very well break the record as early as next month. 4 TRIES FOR JOHNSTON! He may break the all-time try scoring record tonight! ðŸ'° Watch #NRLSouthsStorm on ch.502 or stream on Kayo: âœ�ï¸� BLOG ðŸ'¢ MATCH CENTRE — Fox League (@FOXNRL) June 21, 2025 'If you told me a few weeks ago, I would have told you I was still a fair bit away,' he replied when asked about possibly becoming the greatest try-scorer in history. 'But I've scored a few tries in the past few games and I'm getting close now. I'll try my best to get it this year. 'It will be very special. 'Hopefully it's a payday, and a third party comes my way and wants to be a part of it.' Johnston was on the receiving end of three glorious assists from Latrell Mitchell, with the winger paying tribute to Cody Walker and Greg Inglis for setting him up for the bulk of his tries. 'Trell was pretty much feeding me those tries, so it was pretty good,' he said. 'They are two special fullbacks that I've played with. Then you've got guys like Cody who probably has even more try assists to me. 'The centres I've had over the years as well, I've been lucky to be on the end of a pretty special backline. 'I'm getting closer to that record, but it's bittersweet losing the way we did. We should have won the game.' The only question now is what the game will do to celebrate Johnston's impending achievement, with fans likely to storm the field as we see in other sports like AFL when someone reaches the 1000-goal mark. Johnston said he didn't have the flair to do anything too crazy, with the winger just content to be back on the field after a serious Achilles injury last year had people wondering if his career – and the record chase – were over. 'I don't want to harp on it too much, but I said when I scored 200 tries a few weeks ago how I wasn't in the best place for a good while [last year], and it was special to go out there and get a standing ovation when I scored 200 tries,' he said. 'It's now 206. I'll keep ticking them over. Things are looking up. 'I was lucky because I've got a pretty good rock at home, and my family are always there for me. 'I'm still probably getting there to be honest. Once I finish this season, without getting injured, touch wood, signing a new contract will be nice, getting that record will be nice, and then I don't know. Another four more years would be nice.' The 2014 premiership winner is off contract at the end of the season but is hopeful that a deal will be struck soon. 'We're still chatting,' he said. 'I don't know if it's locked in yet. I know my manager and Souths were in talks this week. We'll see what happens. I think it's very close.'
News.com.au
21-06-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Latrell Mitchell robbed of special moment in Golden Point chaos
The record that was never supposed to be broken now looks set to fall this season after try-scoring machine Alex Johnston scored four tries to move within six tries of Ken Irvine's legendary haul, but it wasn't enough as Ryan Papenhuyzen nailed a golden point field goal to sink South Sydney. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer > A week after they were forced off by lightning and heavy rain, the Rabbitohs held their own against a very different Storm side but fell short of a famous win as Papenhuyzen drilled a shot from 15 metres out to seal a thrilling 25-24 win. But the story is Johnston who is now up to 206 tries and needs just seven more tries to go past Irvine after he scored once in the first half and twice in the space of two minutes after the break as he tormented Melbourne's right edge defence. His 16th hat-trick – and 56th multi-try game – continued his astounding record, with Johnston's first three tries all coming off Latrell Mitchell passes. The Storm hit back to take the lead through Grant Anderson, but it lasted less than a minute as the veteran winger picked off a Jahrome Hughes pass to become the first player ever to score four tries against the Storm in a game. Given his incredible strike rate, there's every chance Johnston will break the long-standing record in the coming weeks which will trigger incredible scenes wherever it takes place. GOLDEN MOMENT The Storm had their hearts broken in golden point at Magic Round, but they flipped the script on Saturday with Papenhuyzen nailing the moment after his first shot was charged down 30 seconds earlier. Melbourne's fullback has been ice cool in the past and was at his clinical best after he saw rival Latrell Mitchell miss his 46-metre attempt in the final seconds of regulation time. It sealed a crucial win for the Storm who move into third spot without any byes to come for the rest of the season. SUA SIZZLES Souths looked certain to steamroll the Storm in the final 20 minutes until a moment of magic from livewire winger Sua Fa'alogo saved the visitors. Melbourne got off to a flying start when skipper Harry Grant waltzed through some flimsy marker defence to open the scoring, and they doubled their advantage from the next set when Grant Anderson put in a banana kick for Jahrome Hughes. But then they fell into their old ways that have plagued them for much of the season as they produced eight first-half errors to invite Souths back into the contest. Their attack fell flat until Fa'alogo sparked them into life when he caught a towering bomb on his own 20 and broke through to set up Tyran Wishart to put Melbourne back in front. Another error from the kick-off summed up their night, with Papenhuyzen producing a magical play from a 20-metre restart to find touch, only for the full-time siren to beat them before they could pack the scrum. SOUTHS FIGHT ON The Rabbitohs could drop to second last on the ladder at the end of the round, but they lost no admirers after this one. It's been a tough run for the Bunnies against the top four teams, but they are showing plenty of fight even though Wayne Bennett suffered his 15th loss in a row against Craig Bellamy. Mitchell is the man who can save their season after he set up four tries, including a stunning grubber for Tyrone Munro to score with four minutes remaining, only for his conversion attempt to sail wide.
