All hail AJ: Try-scoring legends celebrate Johnston's historic moment

Rabbitohs winger Alex Johnston has been hailed as the greatest finisher in rugby league history after surpassing Ken Irvine on the all-time try-scoring list.

Some of the game's most prolific try-scorers have united to celebrate the veteran, who scored his 213th try to surpass the legendary Ken Irvine and claim a record that had sat untouched for more than 50 years. 

Irvine had held the record since 1970 and retired in 1973 with 212 career tries, with many experts predicting the mark would never be matched until Johnston came along. 

After coming close to surpassing the record last season, the Rabbitohs has had to wait patiently all summer before finally getting the chance to add to his tally. 

Manly legend Steve Menzies said Johnston will forever live in the history books alongside the sport's legendary finishers. 

"It's a massive achievement," Menzies told NRL.com. "The record's been around for such a long time and no one's looked like getting close and I don't know whether anyone else will get close. 

"Based on the stats, he has to be considered up there with the greatest wingers of all time. It's hard to compare players of different eras but with this achievement it's hard to argue the point. 

"Alex has that instinct to finish tries and turn those half chances into tries. He also has the awareness of where to be, whether in support or chasing kicks. That anticipation is a skill and when combined with speed and evasion, that's what makes him great."

Menzies' 180 tries are the most by a forward and he currently sits fifth on the all-time list, having been overtaken by Daniel Tupou late last year. 

The Roosters winger is the only other active player in the top ten and is looking to become the third player to notch a double century throughout the next 12 months. 

Queensland coach Billy Slater currently sits third with 190 tries, while Brett Morris is sixth on 176 tries. 

To put Johnston's achievement into context, he's scored 213 tries from 245 career games. Slater's 190 came from 319 games, while Menzies' 180 tries were scored in 349 first grade games. 

Cronulla legend Andrew Ettingshausen is seventh on the all-time list with 166 tries and has watched in awe as Johnston has mastered the art of try-scoring throughout a decorated 12-year career. 

"The game was very different back in the day, which shows Ken was above the rest by such a long way," Ettingshausen told NRL.com. "For many years nobody looked like they would be a chance of breaking his record. 

"It's an art to be able to catch the ball and get it over the line. I was fortunate enough to play on the wing for Australia and to get that try that puts your team in front is a great thrill. This is a huge occasion for Alex, he's the best finisher in the game by a fair way at the moment."

Perhaps the clearest sign of the magnitude of Johnston's achievement is the fact the greatest try-scorers in history thought Irvine's record was untouchable. 

Ettingshausen was one of the greatest try scorers of the 80s and 90s, but even he fell 37 tries short of the record. 

As Menzies racked up the tries, he set his sights on breaking the Sea Eagles club record and scoring the most tries by a forward, but never considered he'd even come close to Irvine.

Johnston hasn't just come close, he's now surpassed the legend. 

"You don't look at those milestones when you're starting but when you start to come close I started to think about becoming the highest forward," Menzies said. "The one thing I never looked at was Irvine's record. 

"It was a record I never thought possible and I didn't think anyone was going to get there. This just proves what a massive achievement this is and how good Alex is at finding the try line."