Alex Johnston (rugby league) facts for kids
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Personal information
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| Full name | Alex Johnston | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 14 January 1995 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
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| Height | 185 cm (6 ft 1 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 95 kg (14 st 13 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Playing information
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| Position | Wing, Fullback | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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As of 6 July 2025
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Alex Johnston (born 14 January 1995) is a professional rugby league player. He mainly plays as a winger (wing) for the South Sydney Rabbitohs in the National Rugby League (NRL). He has also played for both Australia and Papua New Guinea in international games.
Alex has represented the Indigenous All Stars and the Prime Minister's XIII. He helped the South Sydney club win the 2014 NRL Grand Final. Johnston is now the second-highest try scorer in Australian first-grade rugby league history.
Contents
About Alex Johnston
Alex Johnston was born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. He has a mix of Aboriginal and Lumi family roots. His family comes from Sandaun Province, Papua New Guinea, and Saibai Island in the Torres Strait.
Early Rugby League Days
Alex started playing junior rugby league for La Perouse United. He went to Endeavour Sports High School. As a young player, he was part of the New South Wales Under 16s and 18s teams. He also played for the Australian Schoolboys team. In 2013, Alex played for the South Sydney Rabbitohs' junior teams. He then moved up to their New South Wales Cup team, North Sydney Bears, in 2014.
Alex's Professional Career
Starting Strong in 2014
Alex Johnston made his NRL debut in 2014. He played for the South Sydney Rabbitohs against the Brisbane Broncos. He scored a try in his very first game. Alex quickly showed he could play well on both the left and right wing. Some people even thought he could be the next Greg Inglis, a famous player who could play fullback and wing.
In round 21, Alex scored his first "hat-trick" (three tries in one game). This happened in a big 50–10 win against the Newcastle Knights. On 5 October 2014, Alex played in the 2014 NRL Grand Final. He scored the first try of the match, helping South Sydney win 30–6 against the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. He finished his first year as the top try-scorer in the NRL with 21 tries in 18 games.
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Later in 2014, Alex was chosen for the Australia Kangaroos squad. This was for the 2014 Rugby League Four Nations tournament.
Representative Games in 2015
In 2015, Alex played for the Indigenous All Stars team. They won their game against the NRL All Stars. He also played for the Rabbitohs in the 2015 World Club Series. They beat the English team St. Helens 39–0.
Alex made his debut for Australia in the 2015 Anzac Test. He played on the wing against New Zealand. In May, he signed a new contract to stay with South Sydney until 2017. He finished the 2015 season as South Sydney's top try-scorer with 17 tries. Alex also played for the Prime Minister's XIII team against Papua New Guinea.
Injuries and Comebacks: 2016-2017
In 2016, Alex started the season strong, scoring four tries in three games. However, he got a hamstring injury that made him miss several weeks. When he returned, he sometimes played in his preferred position at fullback. He finished the 2016 season with 11 tries from 18 games.
In 2017, South Sydney's main fullback, Greg Inglis, got a serious injury. This meant Alex often played at fullback. In round 2, he scored two tries while playing in this new role. On 14 June, he signed a new contract with South Sydney until 2020. On 2 July, Alex scored an amazing five tries in one game against Penrith. This was the first time a Souths player had done this since 2011. He finished the 2017 season with 22 tries from 22 matches. This made him the second-highest try-scorer in the league that year.
Consistent Performance: 2018-2019
Alex was a key part of the South Sydney team in 2018. They had a great season, finishing third in the regular season. Alex played 24 games and scored 8 tries. The team made it to the preliminary final but lost.
In 2019, Alex started as South Sydney's main fullback. He got a knee injury in round 14 but returned later in the season. He scored a try in a win against the New Zealand Warriors. South Sydney made the finals again. Alex scored a try in their semi-final win against Manly-Warringah.
Record-Breaking Seasons: 2020-2022
In 2020, Alex had an incredible year. He scored several "hat-tricks" (three tries in a game). In the final round, he scored five tries against the Sydney Roosters in a huge 60–8 win. He also scored two tries in a finals game against Newcastle. Alex played 22 games and finished as the league's top try-scorer with 23 tries. He helped Souths reach the preliminary final for the third year in a row.
Alex continued his amazing form in 2021. He scored multiple hat-tricks throughout the season.
In round 24, he scored another hat-trick against the Sydney Roosters. In the finals, he scored two tries in the preliminary final win against Manly. This sent Souths to the Grand Final. Alex won the Ken Irvine Medal for being the top try-scorer with 27 tries. He scored his 30th try of the season (including finals) in the 2021 NRL Grand Final. This broke a 60-year record for most tries by a Souths player in a season. In October, he signed a contract to stay with South Sydney until the end of 2025.
In 2022, Alex kept scoring tries. In round 12, he scored a hat-trick against the West Tigers. This made him South Sydney's all-time leading try-scorer! He scored another hat-trick in round 14. Alex finished as the league's top try-scorer again with 30 tries. He was the first player in history to score 30 tries in a season twice.
Recent Seasons: 2023-2025
In 2023, Alex played his 200th first-grade game in round 10. He scored two tries in that game. He also scored two more hat-tricks during the season.
The 2024 season brought some challenges. Alex was ruled out with a hamstring injury early on. He returned in round 11 and scored a try. On 25 May 2024, he scored his 190th try, putting him equal second on the all-time try-scorers list with Billy Slater. In round 15, he scored his 191st try, which was the most by any player for a single club in the competition's 116-year history. Sadly, in round 21, Alex suffered a season-ending Achilles injury.
In 2025, Alex made his comeback in round 4. He scored a try in South Sydney's win over Penrith but left the game early with another injury. In round 13, he scored three tries against the New Zealand Warriors. This made him only the second player in NSWRL/NRL history to score 200 career tries! In round 16, he scored four tries in a very close game against Melbourne.
Career Statistics
| Year | Team | Games | Tries | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 |  South Sydney Rabbitohs |
18 | 21 | 84 |
| 2015 | 25 | 17 | 68 | |
| 2016 | 18 | 11 | 44 | |
| 2017 | 22 | 22 | 88 | |
| 2018 | 24 | 8 | 32 | |
| 2019 | 15 | 4 | 16 | |
| 2020 | 22 | 23 | 92 | |
| 2021 | 22 | 30 | 120 | |
| 2022 | 25 | 30 | 120 | |
| 2023 | 23 | 21 | 84 | |
| 2024 | 13 | 8 | 32 | |
| 2025 | 7 | 11 | 44 | |
| Totals | 234 | 206 | 824 |
