“It will be a lasting tribute to Alex’s record, located in a sporting precinct that has a million visitors a year, and will hopefully inspire the kids who play any of their sport here at Heffron.

“We’re very proud it’s going to be part of our home for years to come.”

There would have been a nervous wait for Taibel when Johnston suffered an Achilles injury during a game against Canberra in 2024, and was no certainty to play again, let alone pass Irvine’s record.

Johnston said he had confided in Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett during a difficult time in his career.

“I thought I was done, to be honest, and when it [the injury] first happened, all I could think about was, ‘I’m off contract, going on to 30 years old, and I’ve just done my Achilles’. I was in a bad place,” Johnston said.

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“Not many people know that I messaged Wayne. I told him I was in a bad place, and he looked after me. There were some kind words, and it sort of got me back on track.”

Souths legends Greg Inglis and John Sutton have murals on Cleveland Street and at Kensington Oval respectively, but Johnston will be the first current player to have a statue erected in his honour.

Johnston still has a year to run on his contract with South Sydney, but he has been given permission to broker a lucrative, tax-free contract with the Papua New Guinea Chiefs in time for the 2028 season. The winger has already captained the Kumuls.