Three to go! Tracking AJ's quest to run down Irvine

After snaring a try against the Dragons in Round 25 at Accor Stadium, South Sydney's favourite son Alex Johnston needs two more to equal Ken Irvine and three to stand alone at the summit.

The 30-year-old is closing in on one of rugby league's most enduring records and now has the mercurial Cody Walker back on the field and igniting the Bunnies' left side attack with Latrell Mitchell due to return for the final game against the Roosters.

The clash with the Dragons was played at Accor Stadium, where Johnston now boasts an outrageous strike rate of 96 tries in 98 games, including two hauls of five tries - against the Panthers in 2017 and Roosters in 2020.

The Rabbitohs have a bye in Round 26 before bringing the curtain down on their season at Allianz Stadium in a showdown with fierce rivals the Roosters in Round 27.

If the script writers have their way then Allianz Stadium against the Chooks would seem the perfect place for Johnston to break the record that has stood for more than five decades.

The rivalry between the Rabbitohs and Roosters is as old as the game itself and the men from Redfern would love nothing better than the history books to show that A.Johnston became rugby league's greatest ever tryscorer on September 5, 2025 with a trademark leap into the corner against the Bondi boys.

TALE OF THE TAPE

'AJ' vs Roosters

18 tries in 23 games
Best: 5 tries in Round 20, 2020 at ANZ Stadium

'AJ' at Allianz Stadium

9 tries in 17 games
Best: 2 tries on three occasions