Alex Johnston Makes History in Stunning NRL Moment
Alex Johnston, the NRL’s all-time leading try-scorer, continues to make headlines with another historic achievement. During South Sydney’s 30-18 loss to the Cowboys in Townsville on Sunday, Johnston scored a try in the second half, marking a significant milestone. This feat made him the first player in 43 years to score at least one try in 10 consecutive games and the first in the NRL era to achieve this in his first 10 games of the season.
Johnston’s record now stands at 225 career tries for the Bunnies. The PNG-bound flyer, who will join the Chiefs in 2028 after one final season with Souths next year, has already scored 15 tries in his opening 10 games this campaign. His performance against the Cowboys came after he returned from a knee injury that kept him out of the Round 11 loss to the Dolphins.
Despite Johnston’s record-breaking display, it wasn’t enough to prevent Wayne Bennett’s team from suffering their third loss in four games. The club also faced an extremely tough week, as veteran forward Jai Arrow announced his immediate retirement due to a diagnosis of motor neurone disease (MND).
Another Blow for Souths
South Sydney suffered another setback during the game when NRL debutant Talanoa Penitani was injured. The 21-year-old, who is the younger brother of NRLW stars Tiana and Natasha Penitani, scored a try-scoring double in his first game in the top grade. However, he suffered a hamstring strain while attempting to complete a hat-trick.
Penitani’s injury marks an unfortunate twist for what Bennett described as an impressive debut for the young winger. “I really liked him until he pulled a hamstring halfway down the field when he should have scored a try. He was going really good,” the Rabbitohs coach said after the game.
Bennett acknowledged that his team’s performance was “very mixed” due to the number of stars missing through injury or Origin duty. “The effort was great but the execution wasn’t,” he said. The coach also revealed that forward Adam Elliott sustained a syndesmosis injury, which is likely to keep him sidelined for several weeks.
Cowboys Shine in Victory
Johnston’s latest record was achieved despite strong efforts from the Cowboys’ defense, including Tom Chester, who denied him on multiple occasions with try-saving tackles. Cowboys centre Scott Drinkwater, fullback Jake Clifford, and halfback Scott Drinkwater were all outstanding for Todd Payten’s side. Veteran middle forwards Jason Taumaolo and Matt Lodge provided crucial go-forward, helping the Cowboys secure their eighth win of the season and climb to sixth on the ladder.
“We played direct, we played upstream and we ran hard,” Cowboys coach Payten said after the 12-point victory. “When we kick to corners and stay patient, the opposition break more often than not.”
