Souths coach Wayne Bennett has revealed that the first indication there was something seriously wrong with Jai Arrow’s health came in December, six months before the 30-year-old’s shattering motor neurone disease diagnosis was made public.
Arrow’s plight rocked the footy world when it was announced on May 20, with the tough-as-teak star revealing the incurable and deadly condition is already impacting his ability to speak.
Bennett said alarm bells started ringing for Arrow just before Christmas last year as he prepared for the current season.
‘Jai was noticing some changes to himself. He couldn’t hold the ball properly and didn’t have any strength in one of his arms,’ the Bunnies coach told News Corp.
‘He could hold the ball, but he wasn’t gripping it properly.
‘In the weights room, he found himself not as strong as he had been.
Souths coach Wayne Bennett has revealed Jai Arrow (pictured) first started noticing worrying signs about his health during preseason training last December
Arrow (left) and Bennett are pictured at the press conference that announced the Bunnies star’s forced retirement
Arrow (pictured with his fiancée Berina Colakovic and their daughter Ayla Rae) lost strength in one of his arms and couldn’t hold a footy properly
‘Something wasn’t right. He kept training with us, but we took him out of contact sessions.
‘We thought maybe he had a shoulder injury and that’s when the process started, to find out what was going on with his body.
‘We kept it pretty tight, even within the club.
‘But the boys [Arrow’s teammates] were starting to see the deterioration in him.
‘A few came to me and said, ‘Is Jai OK?”
Souths skipper Cameron Murray paid tribute to Arrow while he prepares to play for NSW in the first Origin match on Wednesday.
‘There’s no better bloke and we’re all behind him,’ Murray said on Saturday.
‘We all love him, so we’ll be there with him through this fight. It’s cruel, life can be pretty cruel sometimes.’
The 30-year-old footy star (pictured with Colakovic) has been hailed by Souths captain Cameron Murray as fans push for the NRL to launch a fundraising campaign for him
Arrow played nine matches for Queensland and has been invited into Origin camp by the Maroons this year
There has been an online push launched by fans – and backed by several high-profile players – for the NRL to introduce a ‘Try for Jai’ campaign to support Arrow, a 30-year-old father, in his battle with the insidious disease.
The NRL has previously run a ‘Try July’ initiative where players’ post-try celebrations are rewarded with donations to charity.
‘I think that would be a great initiative, if we can all do our part and help out in some small or big capacity. I would love to get on board with that,’ said NSW hooker Blayke Brailey.
‘Hopefully the NRL and the clubs can sort something out because I think that’ll be an amazing initiative for him.’
Murray said Arrow’s heroics as a player for Souths – particularly over recent seasons when he played through injury – would not be forgotten.
‘Over the last couple of months he’s shown an incredible amount of strength with what he’s been going through,’ Murray said.
‘The strength that he’s shown in the face of such a cruel disease has been amazing.
‘He’s definitely left his mark on rugby league for sure and particularly since he got to the club in 2021 he’s left his mark on all of us.
‘We’re all better people for knowing Jai and we’re all right behind him and it’s really good to see the support that he’s got.’
