Alex Johnston

[Raiders_Premiers]

Probably the best winger I've ever seen at positioning himself correctly and being in the right place at the right time - both attributes which take a lot of skill and understanding of the game.

If you look across the board, a try:game ratio of 0.5 for a winger is very good. Johnston is at 0.87 with 230 games under his belt - remarkable consistency. We've all heard the claims that all he does is catch the ball and fall over the line, but if it were that easy then others would be doing it for over a decade too.

 

[moffla]

He does the simple things extremely well. Not flashy, hardly ever in the highlights reel for scoring spectacular tries or the like but just knows where to be and makes the right decision far more often than not.

In 15 years time people might struggle to remember what he looks like but he’ll hold the games try scoring record for a long, long time.

 

[speedster]

His first 100 tries took 141 games. His 2nd 100 tries took 90.

Obviously those 2 seasons in a row where he scored 30 tries in each has fast tracked him but that's some going. He's topped 20 tries in a season 6 times out of 11 completed seasons thus far. He's scored more try multiples than anyone in the history of the game.

Sure he is great at being on the end of those great passes, kicks and shift plays, but he also makes them pass to him by being exactly where he is and catching their eye, calling it, based on the long term trust he and his ball players have had for each other for a long time.

 

[nick87]

Apologies. I re read my post and I’m come across bitchy. I love the guy because he’s dependable. Reading your reply, I absolutely understand your point too. Apologies if I was a merkin.

Na you're good, i took it as a passionate case/defence for a player you love.
I really just think he's just not THAT exciting of a player and thats why there is a decent portion of fans who are nonplussed about it... mind you a mate of mine had a great point when talking about this in a group chat... right now he's still 13 tries away, no guarantee he even gets it this year... but once he's within 5 it's going to start to build and when he's within a hatty of it, those games are probably going to be mandatory viewing in case he gets it

So maybe the excitement and hype around it will build more and captivate the wider NRL audiance when he's closer to the mark

 

[yobbo84]

Robert Jennings was a complete spud who scored a shitload of tries on Souths left edge in 2018.

That's the thing though. Any spud can do it once. AJ has done it for 10+ years.

And he doesn't get enough credit for being a key reason as to why he goes over untouched.

 

[Marshall_magic]

He’s a very good finisher who has played on the end of some very good back lines. He will probably break the record unless he cops a bad injury. As mentioned he’s a great finisher and knows where to be to score a try, but as a winger lacks other key elements to his game, his donkey yardage is not at the level of someone like To’o for example.

It will be interesting to see how long it lasts, as players spend more time in the NRL due to super league no longer being a big end of career payday and general conditioning of players improving. About 15-20 years ago you started on the wing then moved into the centres, now the opposite tends to happen and wingers (attacking wise at least) are more important than centres. Although gun wingers often tend to move to fullback now (AJ had a stint there so did Morris, Hayne and others). I don’t think his record stands for half as long as Irvines did.

 

[Vee]

Not sure if it's been mentioned but to those bagging him as just a finisher, was Irvine any different?

I don't know, I never saw him play, just asking the question. From what I've read, I would think it more likely than not as the game was very different back then.

 

[Trifili13]

Not sure if it's been mentioned but to those bagging him as just a finisher, was Irvine any different?

I don't know, I never saw him play, just asking the question. From what I've read, I would think it more likely than not as the game was very different back then.

Irvine's record doesn't count anyway as the game was only played by players that were shorter and weighed less than today's players, much like the Dragon's 11 in a row was no big deal yet no other team before or after has come anywhere to close that (according to some on here).

 

[speedster]

History can't be cancelled. Everything counts. Mitigating for changes over time also counts.

Only cancel culture doesn't count.

 

[Rabbits20]

His 3 tries against Warriors the other week not all wingers would score he still had lots of work to do where to position himself etc…..

That is why I hate when some say all he has to do is fall over the line for every try

 

[Captain Apollo]

Irvine's record doesn't count anyway as the game was only played by players that were shorter and weighed less than today's players, much like the Dragon's 11 in a row was no big deal yet no other team before or after has come anywhere to close that (according to some on here).

What a load of horses patut!

 

[Det.Wojciehowicz]

What a load of horses patut!

Thats the point he's making Capt. He's aiming it at the morons who say the Dragons 11 in row isn't as impressive as Penriffs 4 in a row because players are so much bigger,stronger and faster today.

 

[MKCS]

Johnston is reliable in all aspects of the game apart from finishing which he is obviously fantastic at. As for Ken Irvine, not trying to take anything away from him but he achieved his 212 before the game was fully professional, didn't he? Therefore if Johnston does break the record it seems a bit more legitimate.

I'm interested where he ends up, wingers seem to be playing longer and longer, he could hit 220 at Souths and break the NRL record and then maybe do another 3-4 years in the Super League where he could do 10-15 tries a year until retirement.

Hope he reaches 250.

 

[soc123_au]

Thats the point he's making Capt. He's aiming it at the morons who say the Dragons 11 in row isn't as impressive as Penriffs 4 in a row because players are so much bigger,stronger and faster today.

Bigger, faster, stronger cancels itself out because so are the opposition. I'd say it's more due to no salary cap back then and that the game was closer to Yawnion in that era than it is to modern day Rugby League.

There will come a time when Margeret Court's achievements in Womens Tennis are overshadowed by some chick packing a trouser snake under the skirt winning a few grand slams on the trot. Only this is kind of the reverse. The Dragons back then were the only thing close to a professional team, they really should be embarrassed not to have gone more than 11 with the advantages they had.

 

[Det.Wojciehowicz]

Can't argue with any of that and yes, the Dragons streak probably should have been longer but it doesn't detract from what they achieved.

 

[Marshall_magic]

Not sure if it's been mentioned but to those bagging him as just a finisher, was Irvine any different?

I don't know, I never saw him play, just asking the question. From what I've read, I would think it more likely than not as the game was very different back then.

I think the big difference there is Irvine played in an era where wingers were there to finish off plays and do little else. There’s the old joke that “wingers score a lot of tries because they are marked by other wingers.” Nowadays a good winger is someone who can make good donkey yardage and is good under a high ball.

A good historical comparison is Clive Churchill was credited for changing the game with his running game as a fullback and scored 13 tries. A top fullback these days should be doing that in a season.

 

[Arbitaar1]

Not only is going to own the record but he's also got a Premiership ring. How many living Crapamatta players can say they have one too?

I don’t know if you can count but do you realise most of the 80’s sides are still alive

 

[Det.Wojciehowicz]

I don’t know if you can count but do you realise most of the 80’s sides are still alive

My math skills are just fine. Just like I know that Crapamatta have more than 3 times as many wooden Spoons as they have Premierships. Now THAT is something to really laugh about.