Jai Arrow sends emotional message to public support ahead of 100th Rabbitohs game.Jai Arrow has described….

Jai Arrow sends emotional message to public support ahead of 100th Rabbitohs game.Jai Arrow has described….

Jai Arrow’s emotional reaction to public support ahead of 100th Rabbitohs game

The retired star will share one final moment with his teammates as he battles motor neurone disease.

Jai Arrow has described the support surrounding his devastating diagnosis as “unreal” as he prepares to play his 100th Rabbitohs game on Friday.

The retired South Sydney forward will take the field against the Sydney Roosters at Allianz Stadium before being replaced shortly after the opening whistle.

Arrow was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) in May, forcing him to announce his immediate retirement just two games short of the milestone.

 

The NRL granted him special dispensation to take the field twice more, allowing him to reach 100 appearances for the club in an emotional farewell.

 

Speaking ahead of Friday night’s game, Arrow admitted he was feeling the weight of the occasion.

 

“Yeah. Pretty nervous,” he told Sunrise.

 

But the 31-year-old said the extraordinary response from rugby league fans and the wider community had meant a great deal to him.

“Everything all along has been unreal. I’m really looking forward to tonight.”

 

Arrow ‘deserves every minute of accolades’

Friday’s milestone follows emotional scenes on the Gold Coast last weekend, when Arrow made his 99th appearance.

 

Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett helped Arrow put on his socks and boots before the game, while the crowd sang You’ll Never Walk Alone as the players entered the field.

Arrow stayed alongside his teammates for several extra moments after the whistle, appearing to wave off attempts to call him back to the sideline.

 

A huge crowd is now expected at Allianz Stadium to honour the former representative forward in his final appearance.

 

Rabbitohs chief executive Blake Solly told Sunrise Arrow continued to inspire everyone around him.

 

“You’ve just seen the courage and the character and the measure of Jai and all the things that he does every day to inspire us here at the club, and inspire our members and inspire our community,” he said.

 

“We just want him to celebrate those last moments. He gets to run out with his teammates and enjoy the adoration that he’s well earned from our fans and our members and everyone in that stadium tonight.”

 

Solly said Arrow deserved “every minute of those accolades” as he faced the devastating diagnosis with immense courage.

 

“That diagnosis in May was terrible, really, for everyone at the club, but most importantly for Jai and Berina and his beautiful daughter Ayla,” he said.

 

Solly praised the way in which the community has responded, saying support had come from rugby league fans, South Sydney supporters and people across Australia.

 

Milestone shirts sell out

Arrow and his young family visited South Sydney’s headquarters on Friday morning after supporters lined up outside the door to purchase a special shirt celebrating his 100th game.

 

“There was a queue here at 7.30 yesterday morning to buy the 100 game T-shirts, and that’s just a symptom of what he means to people and what his fight means to people, and the way in which people have responded,” Solly said.

 

The limited-edition red and green shirts have since sold out at the Rabbitohs’ Maroubra store, with the remaining stock only available at Allianz Stadium on Friday night.

The overwhelming response follows months of fundraising and support for Arrow, his partner Berina, and their daughter Ayla.

 

More than $225,000 has been raised through the Gold Coast Titans-led Stand With Jai Round, while the month-long Jai July campaign brought athletes, clubs and major sponsors together in support of the family and FightMND.

 

Players across the NRL, NRLW, AFL and rugby union adopted a bow-and-arrow celebration as part of the campaign.

 

MND is a rare neurological condition that progressively damages and kills the nerve cells responsible for controlling voluntary muscles.

 

Arrow was diagnosed with bulbar-onset MND, which initially affects speech and swallowing before progressing to other parts of the body.

 

He had experienced unexpected weakness, coordination problems in his left arm, and changes to his speech before receiving the diagnosis.

 

Solly said standing beside Arrow and his family was the natural response to the “courage and character” he had shown.