If you think Alex Johnston can score tries, you should see South Sydney’s NRL boy wonder bat.

Pipped for the NRL’s rookie of the year honours by Wests Tigers half Luke Brooks, Johnston will proudly don the famous red and green in Sunday’s grand final against Canterbury.

But those in the know claim the gifted teenager could have been chasing a baggy green instead.

“You’d have to think it was possible. He was an incredible talent,” said former South East Junior Cricket Association representative coach Andrew Taucher.

Johnston has bagged 20 tries from 17 games in a spectacular entry to the NRL this season.

The 19-year-old is crossing the stripe at a faster rate than South Sydney’s all-time highest try-scorer Nathan Merritt, the very winger who Johnston has replaced on the end of the Rabbitohs’ backline.

From all reports, though, the youngster was equally adept at finding the boundary as the try line before he ditched cricket to pursue his rugby league dream.

Taucher recalls the extraordinary summer day back in 2009 when Johnston single-handedly led La Parouse to a 97-run win over East thunder in an under-14s limited-overs match at Moore Park.

Taucher was umpiring as Johnston hammered an unbeaten 229 in La Perouse’s total of 361.

He opened up, carried his bat, blasted too many sixes to remember and so utterly dominated that La Perouse’s next highest tally came from 33 sundries.

While Johnston’s opening partner was dismissed early for a duck, the future Redfern flyer was still in the middle at dusk.

“I had a front-row seat for the fireworks and I’ll never forget it,” Taucher told AAP.

“No-one was safe. There were cars dodging cricket balls all over.”

Taucher has no doubts Johnston would have achieved higher honours in cricket.

“It’s great to see him doing so well in rugby league because he could have been anything as a cricketer,” he said.

“But he just couldn’t commit because he was playing football. He only played a few games but, when he did, it was certainly a struggle getting him out.”