South Sydney winger Alex Johnston suffered a rupture to his Achilles last night, an injury that will end his 2024 season and be hard to come back from, especially for a winger.
Johnston has scored 195 tries in just 227 games for the South Sydney Rabbitohs, and at just 29 years of age he is well within striking distance of the Australian first grade record for tries scored in a career which stands at 212 tries set by Ken Irvine in 236 games played.
With 17 tries left to equal Irvine, it would normally just be a matter of time for Johnston, however an Achilles injury puts all of it in doubt.
Firstly, coming back from an Achilles injury is a rough rehabilitation process. If everything goes to plan, it then normally takes some time for a player to just get back up to speed again.
While you’re out, you’ve been replaced in the lineup, so you have to fight your way back into first grade. We’ve seen players do it, but for a winger it will have an effect on his explosiveness and speed.
Alex Johnston is an amazing try scorer, and his march towards the record has been so steady and uninterrupted. To see him cut down with such a bad injury is really rotten to see, and you just hope he can come back into first grade and continue his march towards history.
