He may not be eligible for Rookie of Year honours, but Sydney Roosters winger Mark Nawaqanitawase continues his dream debut season in the NRL.
Following his Round 27 hat-trick against South Sydney, the freakish ex-Wallaby has taken his season try tally to 24 in 23 matches.
Barring a stunning final-match return from Dolphins star Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow (19 tries, 20 matches) against the Raiders on Sunday afternoon, Nawaqanitawase is set to win the 2025 Ken Irvine Medal, the annual award presented to the NRL’s leading try-scorer.
According to Alan Katzmann, club historian for the Sydney Roosters, Nawaqanitawase is only the second first-grade player in the Roosters’ 118-year history to boast a strike rate of at least one try-per-game (minimum 20 matches for Roosters).
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Mark Nawaqanitawase—the best Roosters try scoring strike rate in 118 years
“It has been nearly 90 years since the Roosters had a player who scores tries at such a rate,” Katzmann shared on X after the Roosters’ 36-6 victory over the Rabbitohs.
The other player Katzmann was referring to is the late Fred Tottey, who scored 77 tries in 75 appearances for the Eastern Suburbs Roosters between 1930-1937—including one remarkable run where he crossed in 15 consecutive matches.
In yet another club scoring record for Nawaqanitawase, his three tries against South Sydney on Friday night was the seventh time he has crossed for multiple four-pointers in a match this season—something no Roosters player has achieved since 1936.
If you’re wondering, the most tries ever scored in a single NRL season is 30.
That record is held by current Rabbitohs winger Alex Johnston who has actually reached the mark twice—2021 and 2022—and is almost certain to break Ken Irvine’s all-time try scoring record in 2026.
With his hat-trick tonight, Mark Nawaqanitawase now has the best try strike rate of any @sydneyroosters player in their 118 year history (for those who have played 20 matches or more).
— Alan Katzmann (@Katzo60) September 5, 2025
It has been nearly 90 years since the Roosters had a player who scores tries at such a rate. pic.twitter.com/v4qeMFPJJL