“I was still on holidays, but I flew up from Melbourne,” Inglis recalled of the ad shoot. “We headed out next to Fox Sports Studios, out there near one of those warehouses over in Artarmon. We were doing it, I was on a treadmill for a little bit, and then he jumped on the treadmill.
“I didn’t see the final cut until afterwards. He introduced me to his mother and I didn’t know who this guy was. He said he would love to be in the NRL one day and years later he made his debut in 2014. When that came about, we signed him up into the NRL squad and his locker was next to mine.”
Johnston scores for the Rabbitohs in Las Vegas last year. Credit: Getty
That was the start of Johnston’s remarkable journey towards becoming the greatest tryscorer of them all. The prolific winger can is just a hat-trick away from breaking Ken Irvine’s long-standing try-scoring record of 212, a mark that could potentially be overtaken in Friday night’s grudge match against the Roosters.
It has been a miserable, injury-marred year for the Bunnies, who sit just two wins above likely wooden spooners Gold Coast. However, the chance to potentially knock arch rivals the Roosters out of the finals, as well as the prospect of Johnston notching the magical milestone, has provided the club with something to look forward to.
The majority of Johnston’s tries have been the result of clever lead-up work from the likes of Cody Walker, Latrell Mitchell and/or John Sutton. However, Inglis has also played a role in some of the Australian and PNG international’s finest moments.
Perhaps their most memorable collaboration came in a clash against the Roosters in the 2015 season opener. Roosters halfback Mitchell Pearce placed a perfectly weighted chip kick into the Rabbitohs in-goal, only for Inglis to retrieve the football just inches from the dead-ball line. Seemingly trapped, the fullback muscled his way into the field of play, evaded several would-be defenders and then threw the ball wide to Johnston, who completed a 109-metre journey to glory.
“It will be cool to witness greatness, a piece of history in rugby league.”
Greg Inglis on Alex Johnston becoming the NRL’s top try scorer
“I remember it was a hot day, I was looking for a bit of shade,” Inglis quipped. “He’s still up there with one of the fastest players, and back then he was the quickest. Once you put him into that space, I knew it was over.”
Excitement is building as Johnston approaches Irvine’s record. The club is already planning a testimonial game, allowing Johnston to join former teammate Sutton, icons Cameron Smith and Johnathan Thurston, as well as Broncos stalwart Alex Glenn as players to have the honour bestowed upon them.
Such is the regard that he is held at the Rabbitohs that the club put a clause in Johnston’s most recent contract extension that allows him to negotiate with the incoming PNG franchise at any time. Johnston is the captain of the PNG national team, has represented the Pacific nation on 10 occasions and is open to finishing his career with the NRL’s 19th team.
Of all the memories Johnston has given the fans over the years, one sticks out for Inglis.
“For me, I would never go past when he’s scoring his first try on debut,” he said.
Alex Johnston is just three tries short of Ken Irvine’s all-time record of 212.Credit: Getty Images
“Obviously it gets him on the board. Over 200 he tries later, it’s remarkable with the setbacks and injuries that he’s had. He’s continued to want to be better and now he’s on the verge of breaking the record that’s been held forever, since records started becoming records.”
There’s a photo of ‘GI’ and ‘AJ’ together in the winning sheds after South Sydney’s drought-breaking 2014 premiership that both men hold dear.
“What made it so special, it was his debut year,” Inglis said. “Obviously, he’s been in the system the year prior, but seeing those young guys debut that year, we had a really good collective mix of players; the young ones with 100 games or less, then the older players that had just under 200 or just over 200.
Alex Johnston scores on of his many tries.Credit: Getty Images
“That’s what helped us. Seeing those young guys, especially AJ, debut and then be in the GF, you can’t ask for a better start to your NRL career than that. He made his Aussie debut [the next year].
“The tryscoring record is going to be spoken about because it’s history and a massive deal, and it should be. But all the other little aspects of his game that he’s worked hard at; he’s had injuries and setbacks that he had to come back from.
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“He just kept his head down, kept at it, kept working through that to get where he is today. He’s a footy head, he does his homework. He anticipates things well, he does stop a lot of tries as well.
“When we’re in attack, and you give him a free license to roam around, it sort of reminds me of what Nathan Merritt used to do, just turn up and just anticipate things.”
Inglis described Johnston as a special person as well as a special player.
“He always wants to get better,” Inglis said. “He’s a very intelligent person and understands himself, which makes him who he is. He’s had no off-field incidents, he’s come from a really great family. He’s really grounded and very respectful.
“There’s the tryscoring record, but as far as everything else, it’s about the person away from the field. It will be cool to witness greatness, a piece of history in rugby league.”
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