South Sydney Rabbitohs and former Queensland State of Origin forward Jai Arrow has been forced into immediate retirement after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND). The devastating news was revealed by Rabbitohs chief executive Blake Solly during a press conference on Wednesday, with Arrow present but remaining silent as Solly delivered the harrowing update.
Arrow's Career and Personal Life
Arrow, 30, played 98 games for the Rabbitohs after being recruited by Wayne Bennett in 2021. Bennett had handed Arrow his first-grade debut at the Brisbane Broncos a decade earlier. Arrow also spent four seasons at the Gold Coast Titans following his two-year stint at the Broncos. He represented Queensland in 12 State of Origin matches between 2018 and 2023, helping the Maroons win series in 2020, 2022, and 2023. He also played in South Sydney's 2021 grand final loss to the Penrith Panthers.
Off the field, Arrow proposed to his fiancée Berina Colakovic during a holiday in Italy in October 2024. The couple announced they were expecting their first child in December 2024, and their daughter Ayla Rae was born in April 2025.
MND in Rugby League
Arrow's diagnosis comes two and a half years after former Queensland enforcer Carl Webb died of MND at age 42. The rugby league community was also deeply affected by the death of Western Suburbs, Balmain, and North Sydney great Scott Gale, who succumbed to the disease at just 39 in 2004.
The Rabbitohs and the wider NRL community have expressed their support for Arrow and his family during this difficult time.
