When Cowboys flyer Brian Jellick scorched the Carlaw Park turf for four tries on Test debut in 1999, his place in Kiwis folklore was assured.
A product of the Glenora Bears, Jellick had risen to prominence piling on tries for Waitakere City Raiders in the 1995-96 Lion Red competitions and was snapped up by English second division club Widnes for the 1997 season.
After helping Glenora to a Fox Memorial grand final victory in 1998 and touring Cook Island with New Zealand Māori, he secured a contract with North Queensland.
Come Round 7, 1999 he was debuting for the Cowboys, scoring a fry in his first match against the Warriors. By October that year he was running out for the Kiwis and producing that slashing four-try haul in a 74-0 win.
A year later he had a fifth Test try when New Zealand downed Lebanon 64-0 at the 2000 World Cup. In the quarter-final against France he also crossed for a try as the Kiwis romped home 54-6.
Three Tests. Six tries. Some sort of record.
Wind the clock forward to November 10, 2024 and Panthers speedster Casey McLean was making his Test debut against the Kumuls at CommBank Stadium.
Just 18 years of age and already seven games into his NRL career, McLean bagged the opening try in the fifth minute before crossing three more times in the second half to equal Jellick’s record of four on debut.
McLean’s second Test cap came in the opening week of this year’s Pacific Championships and he was at it again, opening the scoring in the 10th minute and making it a double before half-time as the Kiwis squeaked past Samoa 24-18.
Two Tests. Six tries. The most ever by a Kiwi in his first two internationals.
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Casey McLean scores four tries on Kiwis debut
Records supplied by rugby league guru David Middleton, author of the official annual of the NRL, show just how spectacular McLean’s numbers are when it comes to launching a Test career in style.
For Australia, Campbell Graham scored five tries in his first two Test matches at the 2022 World Cup – three against Scotland on debut and a double against Italy a week later.
England boasts six players who scored five tries in their first two Test matches, including current winger Tom Johnstone.
The Wakefield Trinity man crossed for a hat-trick against France on debut in 2018 but then had to wait five years to earn his second Test cap, the wait proving worthwhile as he bagged a double in a 22-18 win over Tonga in St Helens.
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Last time they met: Kiwis v Tonga XIII
Adding to McLean’s hot start to his Kiwis career, the 19-year-old also has 19 tries in 30 NRL games since debuting in Round 17, 2024.
The sweet stepping Panther racked up 16 tries in 23 games in 2025 including three doubles and a five-game stretch early in the season where he scored in consecutive matches against the Roosters, Storm, Cowboys, Dolphins and Roosters again.
On Sunday he steps out at Eden Park in Auckland looking to build on a record that already places him among the most potent tryscorers of his era.
