Jai Arrow made a brief but emotional return to an NRL field on Saturday, bringing up his 99th game for South Sydney Rabbitohs in a special appearance granted by the league. The 31-year-old forward, diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) earlier this year, will now reach his 100-game milestone next week against the Sydney Roosters.
Special dispensation for milestone
Arrow was diagnosed with MND earlier this year and immediately announced his retirement from rugby league, leaving him on 98 appearances for the club. The NRL granted special dispensation for Arrow to run onto the pitch at the beginning of Souths' final two regular season games, allowing him to bring up 100 games while still mobile enough to walk.
The Rabbitohs requested the one-off rule change, which had the blessing of the Titans, Roosters, and the players' union RLPA. As part of the agreement, Souths were allowed to name Arrow as an extra player on the team list and have an extra substitution.
Emotional scenes at Cbus Super Stadium
Arrow appeared in full kit before Saturday's clash with Gold Coast Titans, leading out the Rabbitohs to the strains of You'll Never Walk Alone. He received a returning hero's welcome from both sets of fans at Cbus Super Stadium. Visibly moved by the reception, he left the field as planned before the first kick of the game, without any active involvement in play, to take his place on the interchange bench.
South Sydney coach Wayne Bennett, who also coached Arrow at the Broncos, said before kick-off that his player was "very nervous" but delighted to be part of the playing group. "He turns up to train every day and, obviously he can't train with us now, but the friendship, the mateship is there and he needs us and we need him," Bennett told Fox Sports.
Bennett's light-hearted moment
Bennett shared a light-hearted moment about the bus trip to the ground, noting that Arrow was back on board for the first time in recent weeks. "I got on the bus and he's sitting right up the front. He was the first one on the bus. I didn't have the heart to tell him that he was just running on, he's not staying on," Bennett joked. "So when I go back in the room, I'll just tell him, mate, you've got to come off when the whistle goes, OK?"
Arrow, a 12-game Queensland State of Origin player, moved to the Gold Coast as a young boy and played 56 times for the Titans before switching to South Sydney. Many of his friends and family were at the stadium on Saturday.
Support and fundraising
Since his shock diagnosis in May, when he said his "life changed forever", there has been an outpouring of support from the rugby league world for Arrow. Stand With Jai, a fundraising campaign led by the NRL, has raised over $1m for him and his family. As part of that effort, "the biggest birthday party in the world" was held for him in July, while various players from NRL clubs have followed tries with bow-and-arrow celebrations.
Arrow is one of around 2,750 people living with MND in Australia. The progressive neurological condition, which damages the nerves controlling voluntary muscle movement, is life-threatening and there is no known cure. Arrow will make his 100th appearance for South Sydney next week against the Roosters at Allianz Stadium, completing his milestone in the final regular season game.
