Fans break NRL protocol as Johnston breaks tries record

Alex Johnston has officially broken Ken Irvine's record of the most tries scored by an individual player in the NRL.

In the second match of the Rabbitohs' 2026 campaign season, the winger would score the 212th and 213th try of his NRL career against their rivals the Roosters surpassing the NRL great.

Johnston entered the clash against the Tricolours one short of tying Irvine's record, after scoring one in South Sydney's season opener last week.

But with one try in the first half and another shortly after the second got underway, the 31-year-old surpassed the record.

And despite fans being warned not to enter the field by the NRL on Friday at risk of facing a $5,500 fine, it has not deterred the Souths faithful and Roosters fans from getting on the Allianz Stadium field to celebrate with Johnston.

The achievement is one of many for the 31-year-old who has played his entire NRL career in red and green.

Making his debut for South Sydney in the same year that they broke a 43-year premiership drought, Johnston hit the ground running, having scored 21 tries in 18 games in 2014. That included scoring in all three of their finals that year.

The Papua New Guinean and one-time Kangaroos representative would continue to be a constant in the side, which saw him make the No. 2 jersey his own.

As he enters the back half of his career, Johnston has picked up his try-scoring pace, with the highlight being when he scored 30 tries in back-to-back seasons (2021 and 2022), becoming the first player to do so.

He's now on the cusp of breaking a 53-year record with the winger only needing one more try to surpass Irvine's achievement.

Image credit: Fox Sports