KIERSTEN DUKE: Souths fans should be allowed to rush the field when Alex Johnston breaks try-scoring record
Moments like these do not come around very often so let the crowd do their thing.
There are big moments in sport, and then there are history making moments.
The kind that deserves chaos and a stadium full of people forgetting themselves for just a few seconds.
That’s exactly what looms as South Sydney’s Alex Johnston sits just one try away from equalling a record that for years has felt untouchable.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.The number hanging in the air is 212. The legendary career tally of Ken Irvine, set in 1973. It’s a mark that has stood for decades like a monument to rugby league’s golden age.
Records like that aren’t supposed to be broken easily. They’re supposed to live in dusty record books, spoken about by commentators with phrases like “never to be beaten”.
And yet here we are.
AJ, the flying finisher from South Sydney Rabbitohs, has spent years doing what great wingers do best.
Soaring above his opponents to pluck the ball out of thin air and plant it down, hugging the sideline like a tight rope and diving into the corner while defenders arrive half a second too late.
When the ball hits the turf and history changes hands, let the crowd go wild.
Plenty of theatrics, but no ego. Just great tries over and over again.
And now he stands on the brink of achieving something enormous on Friday against the Rabbits’ most hated rival — the Roosters.
And when that moment comes, when Johnston grounds the ball and the referee points to this now sacred spot I want the fans to storm the field.
Why? Because sport spends so much time trying to be polished and perfect that sometimes we forget what it’s meant to be. It’s emotional, raw and completely unscripted.
A record that has stood for generations being broken deserves a moment that feels just as unforgettable.
Think about some of the greatest sporting scenes in history.
When the fairytale champions of Leicester City FC lifted the trophy after winning the Premier League in 2016 — a title nobody thought possible — the celebrations spilled everywhere. The barriers between players and fans simply disappeared. Strangers hugged and tears flowed. It was messy but it was perfect.
In 2022 at the SCG, the ball had barely left Buddy Franklin’s foot when thousands upon thousands of fans rushed the field to celebrate him kicking his 1000th AFL goal. It’s a memory described as “magical” and it will live long in the memory of those who saw it unfold in the flesh.
A generation earlier here were similar scenes at the SCG when Tony Lockett broke the AFL-VFL goal scoring record, also in a Swans jersey.
These are the moments people remember forever and it’s what sport is supposed to look like when history is made
And in my humble opinion AJ’s record deserves that kind of reaction.
Because this isn’t just another try, it’s the culmination of years of brilliance that often flew under the radar because it’s simply expected from experienced athletes.
Johnston has never been the brightest star in rugby league, but he has been one of its most reliable servants.
Give him a sliver of space and you will regret it very quickly. Week after week. Season after season.
Suddenly the record that belonged to Irvine, a legend whose name has echoed through rugby league folklore, is within touching distance.
When Johnston crosses the line for that historic try, the stadium shouldn’t just clap politely and wait for the conversion.
It should erupt.
Kids should be lifted onto shoulders. Fans should be screaming themselves hoarse.
And yes, while fans have been urged not to, a few thousand people should spill over the fence and surround Johnston in celebration.
I’m not sure anyone should be in a hurry to stop them because moments like this don’t come along often.
Records fall often in modern sport, but some carry the weight of generations. Irvine’s try tally is one of them. It has survived rule changes, tactical revolutions and countless superstar wingers.
Now it’s about to belong to Johnston.
So, when the ball hits the turf and history changes hands, let the crowd go wild.
Let the stadium lose its mind.
It would feel like the perfect reaction to one of rugby league’s greatest stories.
