A life-size bronze statue of South Sydney Rabbitohs winger Alex Johnston now stands outside the Rabbitohs’ training centre at Heffron Park in Maroubra, unveiled on Monday 16 March after Johnston became the greatest try-scorer in NRL premiership history just three days earlier.
Johnston crossed for his 213th NRL try in the first minute of the second half against the Sydney Roosters at Allianz Stadium, edging past Ken Irvine’s record that had stood for more than half a century. The try came from a brilliant set-up by Latrell Mitchell, with Johnston sprinting away from 40 metres to finish an 80-metre team movement that drew thousands of fans onto the field in celebration, a moment that the NRL had explicitly asked supporters not to create, but which produced one of the competition’s most extraordinary scenes regardless.
Three days later, Johnston stood in front of his bronze likeness at Heffron Park, surrounded by teammates, club officials, family and a delegation from the Randwick community, with local Bidjigal and Gweagal Elder Aunty Barbara Simms-Keeley welcoming the crowd to Country before the statue was officially unveiled. The statue, which depicts Johnston running with ball in hand, was created by artist John Cabellon and commissioned by club donor Danny Taibel.
A Record Years in the Making
The statue had been completed three years ago in Thailand and had been waiting for its unveiling as Johnston steadily closed in on the record. It will be the first statue in South Sydney Rabbitohs history.
Johnston’s path to the record is inseparable from Maroubra and the broader Randwick community. He is a South Sydney junior who grew up playing for the La Perouse United jersey, attended and graduated as dux from Endeavour Sports High School, and has remained a one-club player since making his NRL debut for the Rabbitohs on Anzac Day in 2014. His 213 premiership tries have all been scored in cardinal and myrtle, making the placement of the statue at Heffron Park a fitting permanence for a career that has never wandered from its roots.
Johnston is a proud Koedal Klan Saibai man of Torres Strait Islander and Papua New Guinean heritage, and celebrations of his record extended well beyond Sydney, with jubilant scenes reported throughout Papua New Guinea as the country’s rugby league community joined in marking the achievement. PNG Prime Minister James Marape joined Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in formally congratulating Johnston, and plans are underway to honour him when he returns to PNG later this year.
What the Moment Meant
NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo described Irvine’s record as one that many had considered untouchable, given that it had stood for more than half a century, and said Johnston’s achievement made him one of the finest finishers the game had ever seen.
Johnston himself took the weight of the occasion in stride. He described the past few days as pretty crazy and called the statue the cherry on top of his celebrations, before joking that it would give the local wildlife the opportunity to have their say on his performances.
Rabbitohs CEO Blake Solly credited Taibel for the statue’s existence, noting that Taibel never doubted Johnston would break the record and ensured the design, build and transportation were completed before the record was actually broken. Solly described it as a lasting tribute located in a sporting precinct that draws a million visitors a year, and expressed hope it would inspire the young athletes who train and play at Heffron.
Why This Matters to the Maroubra Community
Heffron Park is Maroubra’s sporting heartland. The precinct draws junior and senior athletes from across the eastern suburbs week after week, and the Rabbitohs’ move to the site has made it one of the most visited sporting facilities in the Randwick area. A permanent bronze statue at the entrance to the Rabbitohs’ centre of excellence gives the park a landmark that connects its daily visitors to one of rugby league’s greatest individual achievements.
For the Maroubra community, Johnston’s story is also a deeply local one. He grew up playing football in the streets and parks of the area, attended school in the eastern suburbs and has built his career in the community that shaped him. The statue at Heffron Park is not simply a monument to a sporting record. It is a marker of what the eastern suburbs, and Maroubra specifically, can produce when a young person grows up with the right environment around them.
The statue stands permanently outside the Rabbitohs’ training centre at the Heffron Centre, Heffron Park, Maroubra, and is accessible to visitors to the precinct.
Published 20-March-2026.
