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There are plans for Alex Johnston to become one of the select few NRL players to be celebrated with a testimonial game to recognise his upcoming try-scoring record.
Johnston has a chance to inch closer to the magical mark of 212 set by Ken Irvine when South Sydney take on the Gold Coast on Sunday in a match that could well determine the wooden spoon.
The Rabbitohs winger is just five tries shy of a record that has stood since 1973, and the club and the NRL are considering how best to acknowledge the occasion when the mark is finally broken. While there have been calls for spectators to be able to flood the ground when the moment arrives, safety protocols will likely preclude that from happening.
Instead, there have been high-level talks about other ways to mark Johnston’s pending achievement. Sources not authorised to speak publicly have told this masthead that negotiations are under way to pay tribute to Johnston with a testimonial match, a tribute reserved for only a handful of players in the game’s history.
The last Rabbitoh to have had the honour bestowed upon him was John Sutton, at a pre-season fixture at Redfern in 2019. Other players to have been celebrated with a testimonial match are Cameron Smith and Johnathan Thurston, whose careers were jointly celebrated in a trial in 2018, and Brisbane stalwart Alex Glenn in 2021.
Alex Johnston is just five tries short of Ken Irvine’s all-time record of 212.Credit: Getty Images
In the Super League, a testimonial game was held five years ago to honour the career of Rob Burrow and raise money for his fight against motor neurone disease.
The NRL has very strict criteria about testimonial matches: recipients must have spent more than a decade in the game, played all their matches for the one club and avoided any major scandals that have brought the game into disrepute. A charity aspect is usually also required, although the player normally keeps a significant portion of the proceeds.
The NRL is poised to look favourably on Johnston’s case, given he has ticked all the boxes. The details of the match are still being worked through, although given it is unlikely he will break the record until next season, the testimonial is expected to be staged early in 2027.
There are plans for Alex Johnston to become one of the select few NRL players to be celebrated with a testimonial game to recognise his upcoming try-scoring record.
Johnston has a chance to inch closer to the magical mark of 212 set by Ken Irvine when South Sydney take on the Gold Coast on Sunday in a match that could well determine the wooden spoon.
The Rabbitohs winger is just five tries shy of a record that has stood since 1973, and the club and the NRL are considering how best to acknowledge the occasion when the mark is finally broken. While there have been calls for spectators to be able to flood the ground when the moment arrives, safety protocols will likely preclude that from happening.
Instead, there have been high-level talks about other ways to mark Johnston’s pending achievement. Sources not authorised to speak publicly have told this masthead that negotiations are under way to pay tribute to Johnston with a testimonial match, a tribute reserved for only a handful of players in the game’s history.
The last Rabbitoh to have had the honour bestowed upon him was John Sutton, at a pre-season fixture at Redfern in 2019. Other players to have been celebrated with a testimonial match are Cameron Smith and Johnathan Thurston, whose careers were jointly celebrated in a trial in 2018, and Brisbane stalwart Alex Glenn in 2021.
Alex Johnston is just five tries short of Ken Irvine’s all-time record of 212.Credit: Getty Images
In the Super League, a testimonial game was held five years ago to honour the career of Rob Burrow and raise money for his fight against motor neurone disease.
The NRL has very strict criteria about testimonial matches: recipients must have spent more than a decade in the game, played all their matches for the one club and avoided any major scandals that have brought the game into disrepute. A charity aspect is usually also required, although the player normally keeps a significant portion of the proceeds.
The NRL is poised to look favourably on Johnston’s case, given he has ticked all the boxes. The details of the match are still being worked through, although given it is unlikely he will break the record until next season, the testimonial is expected to be staged early in 2027.
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