Some moments in rugby league stop you in your tracks. Not because of the roar of the crowd or the drama of the occasion — but because of what they represent. Years of dedication. Seasons of sacrifice. A career quietly built, try by try, tackle by tackle, until one night the numbers tell a story even the most casual fan cannot ignore.
That moment arrived on Saturday night at Allianz Stadium in Round 9 of the 2026 NRL Premiership. Daniel Tupou, the 34-year-old veteran winger of the Sydney Roosters, crossed for his 190th career NRL try during the Roosters’ 38-24 demolition of the Brisbane Broncos — drawing level with the legendary Billy Slater in equal third place on the all-time NRL try-scoring list.
Read that again. Equal third. All time. In the entire history of the game.
A Journey That Almost Never Happened
To truly understand what this milestone means, you need to go back to where it all began. Daniel Tupou did not arrive in the NRL as a highly-touted prospect with the world at his feet. He was released by the Parramatta Eels as a teenager without a first-grade opportunity, picked up by the Sydney Roosters in 2012 and handed a chance to prove himself.
He did not waste it.
In 2013, in just his first full season of NRL football, Tupou announced himself to the rugby league world in the most unforgettable way. With the Roosters trailing in the Grand Final against Manly, he leapt above Sea Eagles winger David Williams to haul in a difficult ball and score — levelling the game and igniting a comeback that ended with a premiership. It was a try that left jaws on the floor. It was try number one of what would become one of the most remarkable scoring careers the game has ever seen.
Fifteen years later, Tupou is still wearing the red, white and blue. He is still crossing the line. And he has now done it 190 times.
The Company He Keeps
Consider the names that sit alongside Tupou at the top of the all-time try-scoring list. Alex Johnston of the South Sydney Rabbitohs sits first, his extraordinary record in a class of its own. Ken Irvine, a legend from a completely different era of the game, sits second. And in equal third — Billy Slater.
Billy Slater. One of the greatest players rugby league has ever produced. A footballer so gifted, so electric and so consistent that his 190 career tries represent just one piece of an almost incomprehensible legacy.
Daniel Tupou now sits level with him. That tells you everything you need to know.
Still Delivering in 2026
What makes this milestone even more extraordinary is that Tupou is showing absolutely no signs of fading. In 2026 he has been in sensational touch, crossing for six tries in seven games and producing performances that would embarrass players ten years younger. On Saturday night against the Broncos he was exceptional — running for 207 metres and making two line breaks in a match the Roosters controlled for large parts.
His try in the 18th minute, the one that drew him level with Slater, was vintage Tupou. Calm. Clinical. Inevitable. The kind of finish that comes from 15 years of reading the game at the highest level.
The Roosters are now on a five-game winning streak and are firmly in the conversation as premiership contenders. Much of their attacking fluency runs through the halves, but do not underestimate the role Tupou plays week in, week out. He is the ultimate finisher — the player who makes the hard yards worth it, who converts opportunity into points and points into wins.
The Legend in the Locker Room
Numbers only tell part of the story. Ask anyone inside the Roosters’ walls what Daniel Tupou means to this club, and they will not start with tries. Teammate Rob Toia calls him a legend and a big brother — a man who is as down to earth and genuine off the field as he is deadly on it.
Coach Trent Robinson, who has been alongside Tupou for every one of those 190 tries, admitted he had no idea the teenager he signed back in 2012 would become what he has become. That is the quiet miracle of Daniel Tupou. No fanfare. No drama. Just excellence, repeated over and over again across 15 seasons.
With 2026 set to be his final year in the NRL, every try from here feels like a gift. He is closing in on his 300th first-grade appearance. He is the last survivor of the 2013 Grand Final team still pulling on the Roosters jersey. He is, without question, one of the greatest to ever wear the number two.
Equal third on the all-time try-scoring list. A genuine legend of the game. And still going.
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