Teddy tips Tupou's record to stand for decades

James Tedesco has predicted Daniel Tupou’s tryscoring record is set to stand for decades and believes the feat could provide a lift for the Roosters as they battle to keep their slim finals hopes alive.

After a false start in the Round 21 defeat of the Titans when team-mates hoisted Tupou on their shoulders in the belief he had usurped Anthony Minichiello as the club's greatest tryscorer, the Tongan winger officially broke the record last Friday night.

Tupou’s try against the Broncos at The Gabba took his tally to 140 for the Roosters – one more than the 139 Minichiello scored in 302 matches between 2004 and 2014.

The next best in the club’s 115-year history is Shaun Kenny-Dowall (121), followed by Bill Mullins (104), Dave Brown (93) and Brad Fittler (91).

While Tupou played alongside Minichiello during his first three seasons at the Roosters, there is no one in the current squad likely to challenge the record.

Tedesco is the closest after scoring 68 tries in 130 matches followed by Joey Manu, who has scored 56 tries in 153 matches.

“There's probably not enough good words you can say about Toops. He is the ultimate team-mate and the ultimate gentleman, who just gets in, does his work and never complains,” Tedesco said.

“With him breaking that record on the weekend, it was a nice moment for him but in history, it's a huge moment.

“He's performed on the biggest stages, and he just does his job, and he just wants to make his teammates and his family proud.

“He’s done that for so many years and he is going to have this record for a long time, I assume, and he definitely deserves that.”

With Tupou set to add to his try scoring tally after recently re-signing with the Roosters for one more year, the 32-year-old may hold the record for a long as Mullins, whose last match for the club was in 1978.

“There's probably only a handful of wingers who for a long period of time have scored an amount of tries and performed in Origin, internationally and for the club,” Tedesco said.

“He’s won three premierships as well, so when he looks back it’s been a pretty good career - and it's not over yet.”

Minichiello was on hand in Brisbane to congratulate Tupou on bettering his tally and had also been at Cbus Super Stadium the week before in case he broke the club record.

The pair share a close relationship, as well as a place in history, after Minichiello helped mentor Tupou when he joined the Roosters from Parramatta in 2012.

“Mini has done a whole lot for me since coming through, just as a leader and as a person and a role model,” Tupou said.

“He made me feel comfortable coming into grade back in 2012 and he will always hold a special place in my heart, just for him as a person and the skipper at the time showing me a lot of lessons on and off the field. I am forever grateful.

“I couldn’t think of a better person to take over that record from. It is an awesome feeling. I was reflecting over it on the weekend, and it is pretty special to see my name up there at such a prestigious club.”