Rabbitohs forward Jai Arrow has announced his immediate retirement from the NRL on medical grounds following a diagnosis of Motor Neurone Disease (MND).
Arrow, Rabbitohs first grade player number 1166, recently received the diagnosis of MND having undergone months of testing and treatment.
Arrow, 30, played 178 NRL games since making his first grade debut in 2016, as well as playing 12 State of Origin matches for Queensland.
Jai won the George Piggins Medal in 2025 as the Rabbitohs’ player of the year. He also won the Bob McCarthy Clubperson of the Year Award in 2025, the Souths Cares Award for outstanding contributions to the community in the same year and was awarded 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 is one of the toughest players in the game and is one of the most loved and respected players at both the Rabbitohs and across the NRL.
Arrow said: “Thank you for the support I’ve received over what has been an incredibly difficult and uncertain period in my life. “After extensive medical testing and consultations regarding ongoing symptoms, I have recently received a diagnosis relating to a nerve and neurological condition. 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 am not currently medically cleared to train or play at the required level, and I will be stepping away from those duties while I focus fully on my health, treatment, and rehabilitation.
“I want to sincerely thank everyone at the South Sydney Rabbitohs for the personal support they have shown me and my family throughout this process. The South Sydney Rabbitohs, my teammates, staff, and everyone behind the scenes have made an incredibly hard situation much easier to face.
“To my teammates, thank you for treating me exactly the same every single day. Within minutes of walking through the doors, most of you are still making me laugh with the usual banter, and honestly, I wouldn’t want it any other way.
“To my family and closest mates, thank you for standing beside me through all of this. I know the road ahead won’t be easy, but anyone who knows me knows I’m competitive, stubborn, and ready to fight this with everything I’ve got.
“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.
“This is only part of my story, and when the time is right, I’ll share more. But for now, I ask everyone to respect my privacy while I continue working with my doctors and my family.”
Rabbitohs CEO, Blake Solly, said: “Unfortunately, we won’t see Jai on the field of play in the NRL again due to this diagnosis, but handling this situation is much more important than football for Jai and his family.
“His contribution to the game, our Club and the community will never be forgotten. Jai reached the highest level our sport had to offer. Aside from these brave and unrelenting efforts on the field over the past decade, Jai has been one of the great contributors to Souths Cares and its community programs, as well as other charitable organisations such as Whatability and the St Vincent de Paul Society.
“Jai, Berina and their daughter Ayla are very much part of the Rabbitohs family, and Jai’s retirement from Rugby League will give him more time to dedicate to them. We all know how difficult the past few months have been for Jai, but we also know that he will fight this illness with the same bravery, passion and character that was the hallmark of his playing career.
“Jai and his family will always be Rabbitohs and they will be part of this Club for many years to come.”
Rabbitohs Head Coach, Wayne Bennett, said: “I’ve had the pleasure of coaching Jai for many years now, firstly at the Broncos and now at South Sydney.
“Jai is an honest, genuine, hard-working young man who always puts his family and his team first. He has always been the same.
“This is a difficult time for Jai and his family, however we want to pay tribute to him for everything he has given his teammates, his coaches and his communities in Brisbane, the Gold Coast, the people of Queensland, and here in South Sydney.
“Most importantly, we pay tribute to him for the family man he has become. He is a special guy and we’re all very lucky to have him at our Club and in our lives.”
The Rabbitohs, his management and his family ask that everyone respects the privacy of Jai and his family at this difficult time.
Arrow, Rabbitohs first grade player number 1166, recently received the diagnosis of MND having undergone months of testing and treatment.
Arrow, 30, played 178 NRL games since making his first grade debut in 2016, as well as playing 12 State of Origin matches for Queensland.
Jai won the George Piggins Medal in 2025 as the Rabbitohs’ player of the year. He also won the Bob McCarthy Clubperson of the Year Award in 2025, the Souths Cares Award for outstanding contributions to the community in the same year and was awarded 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 is one of the toughest players in the game and is one of the most loved and respected players at both the Rabbitohs and across the NRL.
Arrow said: “Thank you for the support I’ve received over what has been an incredibly difficult and uncertain period in my life. “After extensive medical testing and consultations regarding ongoing symptoms, I have recently received a diagnosis relating to a nerve and neurological condition. 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 am not currently medically cleared to train or play at the required level, and I will be stepping away from those duties while I focus fully on my health, treatment, and rehabilitation.
“I want to sincerely thank everyone at the South Sydney Rabbitohs for the personal support they have shown me and my family throughout this process. The South Sydney Rabbitohs, my teammates, staff, and everyone behind the scenes have made an incredibly hard situation much easier to face.
“To my teammates, thank you for treating me exactly the same every single day. Within minutes of walking through the doors, most of you are still making me laugh with the usual banter, and honestly, I wouldn’t want it any other way.
“To my family and closest mates, thank you for standing beside me through all of this. I know the road ahead won’t be easy, but anyone who knows me knows I’m competitive, stubborn, and ready to fight this with everything I’ve got.
“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.
“This is only part of my story, and when the time is right, I’ll share more. But for now, I ask everyone to respect my privacy while I continue working with my doctors and my family.”
Rabbitohs CEO, Blake Solly, said: “Unfortunately, we won’t see Jai on the field of play in the NRL again due to this diagnosis, but handling this situation is much more important than football for Jai and his family.
“His contribution to the game, our Club and the community will never be forgotten. Jai reached the highest level our sport had to offer. Aside from these brave and unrelenting efforts on the field over the past decade, Jai has been one of the great contributors to Souths Cares and its community programs, as well as other charitable organisations such as Whatability and the St Vincent de Paul Society.
“Jai, Berina and their daughter Ayla are very much part of the Rabbitohs family, and Jai’s retirement from Rugby League will give him more time to dedicate to them. We all know how difficult the past few months have been for Jai, but we also know that he will fight this illness with the same bravery, passion and character that was the hallmark of his playing career.
“Jai and his family will always be Rabbitohs and they will be part of this Club for many years to come.”
Rabbitohs Head Coach, Wayne Bennett, said: “I’ve had the pleasure of coaching Jai for many years now, firstly at the Broncos and now at South Sydney.
“Jai is an honest, genuine, hard-working young man who always puts his family and his team first. He has always been the same.
“This is a difficult time for Jai and his family, however we want to pay tribute to him for everything he has given his teammates, his coaches and his communities in Brisbane, the Gold Coast, the people of Queensland, and here in South Sydney.
“Most importantly, we pay tribute to him for the family man he has become. He is a special guy and we’re all very lucky to have him at our Club and in our lives.”
The Rabbitohs, his management and his family ask that everyone respects the privacy of Jai and his family at this difficult time.
