Updated ,first published
Jai Arrow was in the South Sydney gym with teammate Latrell Mitchell when coach Wayne Bennett first approached him with the idea of “playing” two more games so he could reach 100 NRL matches for the historic club.
Arrow initially thought Bennett was “geeing me up”, only to realise he was serious about reaching the milestone before the season finished.
The 31-year-old was forced to retire earlier this year after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease.
But with the blessing of NRL acting chief executive Peter V’landys and the Rugby League Players’ Association, Arrow will start against the Gold Coast Titans on Saturday, then the Sydney Roosters on Friday week.
The plan will be to substitute him the moment the referee blows the whistle for the kick-off. Souths will be allowed to carry seven players rather than six on the bench, and have nine interchanges instead of eight.
Arrow said he was quite comfortable to finish on 98 games for Souths, but then Bennett floated the touching gesture.
“It’s not your usual way to bring up a milestone, it’s unique, and I pray to God this never happens to anyone else in the future – I hope this is the first and only time this ever happens in the NRL,” Arrow told this masthead.
“When Wayne came to me with the idea in the gym while I was training with ‘Trell’, I thought he was geeing me up.
“Then he explained it; Wayne said it didn’t sit with him right that I finish up on 98 games for Souths.
“Once he said that, I did what I always do, which is do what Wayne tells me to do.
“To be honest, I was happy finishing on 98 games, and I was proud of what I’d done in my career. My career was cut short by MND, but shit happens.
“I’m genuinely in awe of the support I’ve received from everyone, but this is special. It’s bigger than me, it’s bigger than the game. Rugby league is a special community, and I’m forever in debt to everyone who is playing their part to allow this to happen.
“Mind you, I am progressing unfortunately, I can’t run any more, so I will be walking, and I can’t control my emotions, so I’m either going to cry my eyes out or laugh my head off. I also get real stiff when I get embarrassed, so there might be a bit of a limp when I walk off, but that’s the disease. I’ll be right. If anything looks unnatural out there, blame it on the MND.
“It’s going be a wild ride, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
South Sydney teammate Cody Walker joked that he might try and trip Arrow when he walked off the field against the Titans.
Another teammate, Tallis Duncan, joked the Roosters might even attempt “to take his head off one last time” before he made it to the sideline for the final-round grudge match.
“He hasn’t lost his wit, he still makes everyone laugh, and walks around with a smile on his face – Jai is still Jai,” Duncan said.
One of the most emotional scenes of the year involved Arrow breaking down while being comforted by his partner, Berina, and their daughter, Ayla, before Souths and the Broncos played in round 15 at Accor Stadium. His interview with Nine’s Danika Mason when opening up about MND will not be forgotten by anyone in the game.
The game and its supporters have done a wonderful job supporting Arrow and raising awareness about MND through various initiatives.
South Sydney chief executive Blake Solly said of the Arrow cameos: “We believe this will provide great inspiration for everyone watching the game from the stadium or at home, showing that MND will not hold Jai, or anyone else, back from achieving what they want to achieve in life.”
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