NRL star Jai Arrow has spoken for the first time since getting the harrowing news that he has motor neurone disease – and revealed that the incurable condition is already having a marked effect on his ability to talk.
The 30-year-old South Sydney forward’s plight was revealed at a press conference on Wednesday, where Rabbitohs CEO Blake Solly spoke on his behalf.
Arrow has retired from the game effective immediately to concentrate on fighting the disease and spending time with his fiancée Berina Colakovic and their one-year-old daughter Ayla Rae.
On Wednesday night he revealed how he’s finding inspiration in his little girl and how he first reacted when he got the horrible news, with the change in his speech painfully obvious to viewers.
‘She’s at a really good age now and I am able to watch her grow into her own person,’ he said on 9News Sydney.
‘She has got a really funny personality and she’s my greatest strength.’
Jai Arrow is pictured breaking his silence on Wednesday night, just hours after the footy world was shattered by the news he has motor neurone disease
The 30-year-old didn’t speak at the press conference to announce his retirement (pictured) and the condition’s effect on his speech was plain as he spoke to Channel Nine afterwards
Arrow revealed his one-year-old daughter Ayla Rae (pictured together) is his greatest strength as he battles the incurable disease
Asked about his first reaction to the diagnosis, he said, ‘I laughed’.
‘Not that I laughed, but my first question was ‘all right, where do I go now?’ [It has] progressed from November until now,’ Arrow revealed.
‘Speech is one of those things [that is different].’
The former Queensland State of Origin star remained defiant when asked about what the future would hold for him.
‘To fight,’ he said when asked what the future looked like.
‘I wanted to do this to let people know I am OK and I am ready to fight.
‘I do really have a lot. Nothing is gonna take me out easy. I wanna do everything I can – any trial, any medication that will maintain me for as long as I can.
‘I want to inspire other people who have been diagnosed.’
Arrow is pictured with his fiancée Berina Colakovic when their daughter was born
The Souths, Broncos and Gold Coast star proved himself as one of the toughest and most committed players in the NRL during a career that spanned 178 first-grade games
Prior to the interview, Arrow’s diagnosis and subsequent retirement were confirmed via a statement read out by Solly.
‘After extensive medical testing and consultations regarding ongoing symptoms, I’ve recently received a diagnosis relating to a nerve and neurological condition,’ Solly said on Arrow’s behalf.
‘Further tests, specialist reviews and medical processes are still ongoing, and my doctors are continuing to assess my condition.
‘Over recent months, my symptoms have affected different parts of my everyday life.
‘On medical advice, I’m currently not medically cleared to train or play at the required level, and I’ll be stepping away from those duties while I focus fully on my health treatment and rehabilitation.
‘What I need right now isn’t sympathy or sadness. What I need is support, understanding, and privacy while my family and I navigate this difficult time.’
Souths coach Wayne Bennett was full of praise and support for a player he’s known for nearly a decade, and even brought a little levity to the press conference.
‘If you look at his football ability, he’s not what you’d call a natural,’ Bennett joked.
Arrow proposed to Colakovic during a romantic post-season holiday in Italy in October 2024.
That December, the loved-up couple took to Instagram to reveal they were expecting their first child together.
Their daughter Ayla Rae was born in April 2025, and the couple posted heartwarming photos to mark her first birthday just a few weeks ago.
The tough forward is hugely respected in NRL circles and won the George Piggins Medal in 2025 as the Rabbitohs’ player of the year.
He also won the Bob McCarthy club person of the year award in 2025, the Souths Cares Award for outstanding contributions to the community and The Burrow Appreciation Award in 2024.
Arrow was also a finalist for the NRL’s Ken Stephen Medal in 2025 for his work with Souths Cares, Whatability and Vinnies Vans.
Arrow also had four seasons at Gold Coast following his two-season stint at the Broncos and played 12 games for Queensland between 2018 and 2023.
He helped the Maroons win series in 2020, 2022 and 2023 while also playing in the Rabbitohs’ 2021 grand final loss to Penrith.
Arrow’s diagnosis comes two and a half years after former Maroons hardman Carl Webb died of MND aged 42.
The rugby league world was also rocked when Western Suburbs, Balmain and North Sydney great Scott Gale died of the debilitating condition at just 39 in 2004.
Motor neurone disease is a rare condition that mainly affects people in their 60s and 70s, but it can hit adults of all ages.
It’s caused by a problem with cells in the brain and nerves called motor neurones. These cells gradually stop working over time. It’s not known why this happens.
Motor neurones control the muscles responsible for movement, speech and breathing.
