It was bedlam on the Allianz Stadium turf following Alex Johnston’s record-breaking try, with 26 Roosters and Rabbitohs players caught up in the mayhem.
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However, it was a moment that almost didn’t happen, with Johnston revealing the secret “message” he sent to Wayne Bennett after suffering a potentially career-ending setback two years earlier.
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But more on that later.
The epic scenes of thousands storming the field after Johnston’s runaway try won’t soon be forgotten by anyone who watched it unfold.
Roosters captain Daly Cherry-Evans called it “crazy” while his skipper James Tedesco recalls seeing people of all ages run past him in a bid to be close to history.
Even the man of the moment was ready to get off the field after dealing with just 60 seconds of the chaos, even though he admitted it initially was “an amazing feeling”.
“I know Wayne didn’t want the people to run on, but selfishly it was a good moment for myself,” Johnston said.
“To be lifted up on, I think it was Campbell Graham and someone else’s shoulders and just to see everyone there, it was a pretty amazing feeling.
“I enjoyed it for about a minute. And then I was like, get me out of here. It was pretty crazy. It was full on like, honestly, I was struggling to breathe. It was so hot in there.
“There was so many people. So many people, you know, tugging me and trying to get a piece.
“So yeah, after about a minute, I was just like, all right, get me back in the sheds. But it was an awesome feeling that first minute for sure.”
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A couple of Roosters also detailed their experiences when fans rushed the field, the vast majority of whom ran towards where Johnston scored his try.
“Once he scored, I sort of turned around and I think people were unsure what to do. And then once a couple of people jumped over the fence, they all started to come,” Tedesco recounted.
“I think Sammy (Walker) was quick to run off the field but a lot of us just went to the side. Obviously staff were trying to get us off the field and get us safe but we just stood on the sideline for a bit and just watched people run everywhere. There was kids to 80 year olds out there. It was pretty wild.”
Even though players discussed the possibility of a mass field invasion from fans, confusion was still the common theme when it all went down as Cherry-Evans said.
“I remember sitting at home and watching Buddy Franklin get swamped when he got the record so I sort of had a feeling that it might happen,” the Roosters five-eighth told foxsports.com.au.
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“I had a feeling it was going to happen so I was just standing there obviously to see what was next and once we got a read it was going to get crazy, the staff on the ground did well to get us off quickly so credit to them as well.
“I didn’t want it to happen tonight but we got the best of both worlds as it happened and we got the win.
“We saw something very, very special. A rugby league record we thought may never touched, just got broken so huge credit to Alex. What a special night for him and his family and as an opposition player, it was hard not to stop and admire.”
Given this is a record that might not ever be broken, it’s one that warrants the level of celebration we’ve seen.
For Johnston though, it’s so much more than reaching the top of the try scorers’ list. It’s about overcoming an uncertain future to even get to this point.
In 2024, Johnston suffered a serious Achilles tendon injury. He thought his career was over given he was almost 30 and there were doubts over whether he’d receive a contract extension beyond 2025.
“I thought I was done, to be honest,” he said.
“When it first happened, all I could think about was that I’m off contract going into my 30s, I’ve just done my Achilles. I was in a bad place.”
Johnston then revealed a text to incoming coach Wayne Bennett put his mind at ease.
“Not many people know that I messaged Wayne,” Johnston said.
“I told him I was in a bad place and he looked after me, and with some kind words, sort of got me back on track there, but yeah, to get past that and to be here tonight, it feels a little better knowing I had a bit of adversity to overcome.”
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