The last Rabbitoh to have had the honour bestowed upon him was John Sutton, at a pre-season fixture at Redfern in 2019. Other players to have been celebrated with a testimonial match are Cameron Smith and Johnathan Thurston, whose careers were jointly celebrated in a trial in 2018, and Brisbane stalwart Alex Glenn in 2021. In the Super League, a testimonial game was held five years ago to honour the career of Rob Burrow and raise money for his fight against motor neurone disease. The NRL has very strict criteria about testimonial matches: recipients must have spent more than a decade in the game, played all their matches for the one club and avoided any major scandals that have brought the game into disrepute. A charity aspect is usually also required, although the player normally keeps a significant portion of the proceeds. The NRL is poised to look favourably on Johnston’s case, given he has ticked all the boxes. The details of the match are still being worked through, although given it is unlikely he will break the record until next season, the testimonial is expected to be staged early in 2027.