For a few years now there has been a couple of statistical constants in the NRL.
James Tedesco has always ranked highly for tackle busts, Nathan Cleary dominates all general play kicking stats and Alex Johnston usually finishes somewhere near the top for most tries in a regular season.
The South Sydney flyer topped the league with 30 tries in both 2021 and 2022, and his 23 tries in 2020 was enough to clinch the title that year, too.
He’s a familiar face at the top of the list this time around, currently with 21 tries and three rounds left to play.
It’s anything but a fait accompli in 2023, though.
Sitting right on Johnston’s heels heading into Round 25 are Jamayne Isaako & Dominic Young (20), Mikaele Ravalawa (19) and Ronaldo Mulitalo, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak & Alofiana Khan-Pereira all with 18 tries each.
It’s the tightest race to the title of top try scorer since way back in 2017 when Suliasi Vunivalu & Josh Addo-Carr tied with 23, closely followed by Semi Radradra & Alex Johnston (22) and Jordan Rapana (21).
For some context, in 2017 Garreth Widdop was still plying his trade in the NRL, Jason Nightingale was on the wing for St George and Michael Morgan led the league for line engagements.
Fast-forward six years and we’ve got another race on our hands as these seven try scoring specialists fight it out with three games remaining.
Let’s take a look at each player’s run home and what makes them such a good finisher in the NRL today.
Alex Johnston (South Sydney Rabbitohs)
Tries: 21 (1st)
Draw: @ Knights, Bye, Roosters
Odds: $3.20
Like he’s done in previous seasons, Johnston is capitalising on the work of South Sydney’s lethal left edge in attack.
Cody Walker has ranked in the top three for try assists four years running and he’s been integral to bringing the best out of Johnston. He hasn’t done it all himself in 2023 though.
The development of Isaiah Tass (nine assists) this season has helped ‘AJ’ to a few four pointers while Latrell Mitchell’s ballplaying has handed him a few more.
At 28 years of age, Johnston still has speed to burn – he outran Jahream Bula for a length of the field intercept in Round 22 – but it’s his ability to create space with his footwork and find the line through the tackle that’s seen Johnston wrack up the tries again this year.
A bye in Round 25 might end up the difference between AJ collecting yet another top try scorer medal or falling just short.
Jamayne Isaako (The Dolphins)
Tries: 20 (= 2nd)
Draw: @ Tigers, Cowboys, Warriors
Odds: $4.25
Isaako has enjoyed a career revival under Wayne Bennett this season and is a real chance of collecting both the top points scorer and top try scorer medals.
He’s one of the best aerial targets in the NRL and has a perfect mix of speed and strength on the end of backline movements. Capable of winning a race to the corner or cutting back inside and shrugging off a few tackles, Isaako is one of the most difficult wingers to stop one-on-one.
The work of Isaiya Katoa and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow this year has been crucial to Isaako’s try scoring form in 2023.
Katoa doesn’t have the highlight reel moments of a Jahream Bula or Jacob Preston but don’t let that fool you. His ability to straighten the attack and create space for The Hammer and Isaako is elite and he should collect the Rookie of the Year award this season – Isaako simply doesn’t score 20 tries this year without Katoa’s work in the lead up
Dominic Young (Newcastle Knights)
Tries: 20 (= 2nd)
Draw: Rabbitohs, Sharks, @ Dragons
Odds: $3.00
What a season for the English import.
Rumours of an early move to the Sydney Roosters were quickly forgotten as Young went on to enjoy one of the great try scoring seasons on the Knights right edge.
He was a $51 shot to finish as the top try scorer this year but has plummeted to be the $3 favourite at time of writing.
Where wingers like Alex Johnston or Alofiana Khan-Pereira have relied on their inside men to create try scoring opportunities, Young seems to do it all himself.
His combination of sheer size and speed has seen Young score tries when literally nothing is on. His long strides lend itself toclength of the field efforts and he’s proving to be one of the most athletic finishers in the game.
With a relatively friendly remaining three games, Young is primed to collect his first piece of silverware in the NRL this season – providing an injury to Jackson Hastings doesn’t cripple the Knights attack from here.
Mikaele Ravalawa (St George-Illawara Dragons)
Tries: 19 (3rd)
Draw: Storm, @ Warriors, Knights
Odds: $16.00
It’s a little surprising to see Ravalawa ranked so highly on the try scoring list this season considering the Dragons struggles as a whole.
I’ll be less surprised to see him here this time next year, though.
In Zac Lomax and Ravalawa, St George have one of the most repeatable and reliable attacking actions in the NRL. Whenever Ben Hunt can isolate Lomax one-on-one, the Dragons centre usually beats his opposite man, draws in the winger and flicks a pass away to an unmarked Ravalawa.
Combine Lomax’s leadup work with Ravalawa’s finishing qualities and you’ve got an extremely reliable avenue to points.
I’m excited to see what Shane Flanagan does with this pair in 2024 but for now, I’m happy to enjoy Ravalawa’s late-season push for the title of top try scorer.
The defensive form of Melbourne and New Zealand might make things too difficult for Ravalawa form here, but it’s still a superb individual effort to score 19 tries in the fourth-worst attacking team in the competition.
Ronaldo Mulitalo (Cronulla Sharks)
Tries: 18 (= 4th)
Draw: @ Cowboys, @ Knights, Raiders
Odds: $12.00
He might be a polarising figure on the field but there’s no denying Mulitalo’s quality as a finisher.
The Cronulla Sharks play with the second-best attack in the NRL and Mulitalo has consistently cashed in on the work of his teammates this year.
The slingshot shape Cronulla employ – with all players in tight and deep formation before fanning out and flying onto the ball – lends itself to the speed of Will Kennedy, Nicho Hynes and their wingers on the paint.
Sione Katoa has cashed in a respectable 11 times on the other edge but it’s Mulitalo who’s been the primary target for the Sharks attack in 2023.
The work of Siosifa Talakai at left centre it pivotal to this.
The big unit demands attention from the defence and has developed a nice pass to punish the opposition winger for jamming in. Talakai has an outrageous 17 try assists this season – ranking him alongside names like Kalyn Ponga, Jahrome Hughes and Ben Hunt – with most of those assists ending with a Mulitalo try in the corner.
With a fair draw remaining, Mulitalo might come to rue a few wasted opportunities over the line this season – as well as the absence of Kennedy, who’s work in Cronulla’s attack is still criminally underrated.
Dallin Watene-Zelezniak (One NZ Warriors)
Tries: 18 (= 4th)
Draw: Sea Eagles, Dragons, @ Dolphins
Odds: $10.00
No player has benefitted more from a permanent move to the wing than Watene-Zelezniak at the Warriors in 2023.
He’s spent time in the centres and at fullback in recent seasons but is one of the best finishers in the game when plying his trade on the paint.
The tries seem to follow Shaun Johnson wherever he goes and Watene-Zelezniak is the latest beneficiary, with 18 tries from 15 games this year easily his best return from 10 years in the NRL.
Great in the air, strong through contact and quick enough to burn even the quickest cover defence, Watene-Zelezniak is enjoying a career-year on the Warriors right edge and can cash in a few more times this season in his last three games.
Alofiana Khan-Pereira (Gold Coast Titans)
Tries: 18 (=4th)
Draw: Panthers, @ Storm, Bulldogs
Odds: $13.00
Lightning quick and evasive, Khan-Pereira has enjoyed a breakout season for the Gold Coast Titans in 2023.
Difficult to stop one-on-one and impossible to stop in the backfield, Khan-Pereira has revelled in the ballplaying development of David Fifita this season.
The big backrower has nine try assists this year – comfortably his best return – with a number of those assists going to Khan-Pereira in the corner.
Kieran Foran can be thanked for this, too. The veteran five-eighth has been putting Fifita into positive areas all season and when he isn’t crashing over himself, Fifita is dishing it on to his centre or winger.
A difficult run home and a faltering Titans attack could hamstring Khan-Pereira in his race to the title of top tryscorer in 2023.
* Betting odds are as per Monday 14th August and subject to change
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Who do you think will win the gong of top try scorer in the NRL this year and why? Let us know in the comments.
Written by Oscar Pannifex | rugbyleaguewriters.com