History was made this week as Super League welcomed only it’s fourth player to ever score 200 tries in the competition, as Catalans Dragons winger Tommy Makinson achieved the feat in their victory over Hull FC on Thursday night.
Bursting onto the scene at St Helens in 2011, the 33-year-old made 337 appearances for the Red Vee, and in that time crossed for 191 Super League tries, the second most behind current Saints boss Paul Wellens who scored 199.
Moving to Catalans in 2025, whilst the team have had a disappointing campaign this weekend’s game especially, will be etched in the memory of the 2018 Golden Boot winner, as he surpassed his former teammate and coach, as well as Leeds Rhinos icon Keith Senior, and became only the fourth person in the league’s history to reach the double-century.
In typical Makinson fashion, his milestone try had to be a spectacular one, as he dived acrobatically into the corner, something he is renowned for doing over the course of his illustrious career.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, whilst the achievement is huge for him on a personal level, the team’s performance was most important.
He said:Â “It means a lot to obviously join an elite club like that. It’s pretty special, but I’m probably more made up for the team, to be honest, and Joel. We’ve finished this season probably how we wanted to start it and go on and continue. this year’s not been good enough on our behalf. We’ve got to be better and hopefully we can take this performance and build it into next year.
“Everyone will tell you, they don’t play the game for the personal records, but when you break something like that it’s always pretty special. It’s a bit emotional really, obviously, [I’m just] a kid from Wigan, it’s pretty special tonight. My grandma and grandad watching, [they are] Wiganers watching on the TV at home and to score two hundred tries it’s pretty emotional and proud as well and to my partner and two children at home it’s something that – it’ll get beaten in time, but for now I can say I was up there and could score a try.
Going into the final game of the season stuck on 199 was something the winger refused to allow happen, and revealed what he said to one of his teammates to ensure he crossed for a four-pointer.
He explained:Â “I said to Luke Keary, ‘make sure I get my 200th tonight lad’ and he was like ‘we’ll get you’ and sure enough, it was Tevita [Pangai Jr] who got it me in the end and I finished in the corner. I can relax this pre-season knowing that I’ve overtook Wello, so I hope he’s watching!”
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Catalans Dragons winger explains “difficult” club switch and reveals Joel Tomkins impact
Spending his entire career at Saints, Makinson made the move to Perpignan ahead of the season, in what was the first change of club in his career. Moving teams is hard enough but moving to a new country adds that extra difficulty. However, despite it’s challenges, he 33-year-old is living his time in the south of France.
He said: “It’s been difficult. I’ve played at a club for so long, and then you move on. It’s tough to get used to different coaches, different structures, moving country ad well, but this club is a great club.
“You come to it, it’s got so much history. It’s got many great people and you only look at what this club puts out just to play in our league. We’ve gone through some tough moments, the club are doing it tough, but like I said, we can finish and be proud, but we’ve got to be better. Catalans have got a steep history, they’ve been in some big games, They’ve won some big games and we’ve just not been good enough this year.
Makinson also highlighted the impact of coach Joel Tomkins, who signed a two-and-a-half year deal earlier this season to become the club’s head coach following the exit of Steve McNamara.
He admitted: “Joel’s come in here and just given us a bit of desire. It’s stand up and be counted and sort of play for one another. We sort of knew a long time ago that we wouldn’t be playing for anything. We’re not in the playoffs and it was about being men and standing up for one another, playing for one another and we were doing it tough for a spell but we just had to tough it out and play for one another, because that’s always at stake at the end and we finished well.
Asked what the former Wigan man brings to the team, he said: “Just a winning mindset. He’s a winner. I think you can tell, he’s a quite honest bloke. He doesn’t beat around the bush if you’re not good enough, he’ll tell you and if you’re not playing well enough, he’ll tell you, just like he did with me at half time. He said you’re not kicking off at half time because he wasn’t happy with my kick-offs, but hopefully he was happy with that performance.
