Souths coach Wayne Bennett says Jai Arrow first noticed worrying changes to his body in December, months before his motor neurone disease diagnosis was made public on May 20, forcing his retirement. Bennett describes lost strength, grip problems, and teammates
Wayne Bennett only needed a few specific moments to describe when Jai Arrow’s health started slipping. It was just before Christmas last December, during the preseason build-up for the current season, when the Souths coach saw changes he couldn’t write off as routine fitness or a minor tweak.
“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,” Bennett 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.”
Those early signs landed months before Arrow, 30, had his motor neurone disease diagnosis announced on May 20. The condition is described as incurable and deadly, and Arrow said it is already affecting his ability to speak.
Bennett said the club moved quickly after alarm bells started ringing. Arrow kept training, but his involvement was restricted.
“Something wasn’t right. He kept training with us, but we took him out of contact sessions,” Bennett said.
“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.”
Bennett also revealed how the deterioration wasn’t confined to his own observations. Even inside a tight group where details were kept controlled, teammates began to pick up what was changing.
“We kept it pretty tight, even within the club,” he said. “But the boys [Arrow’s teammates] were starting to see the deterioration in him.”
A few players approached the coach with a simple question.
“A few came to me and said, ‘Is Jai OK?’”
The announcement of Arrow’s retirement and illness has reverberated through rugby league. with South Sydney captain Cameron Murray among the first to publicly reflect on what the club — and its fans — are now watching. Murray spoke as Arrow prepared 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.”
Murray’s message also carried the weight of the past few seasons, where Arrow’s performances for Souths were marked by toughness and the ability to keep going through injury.
“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 added that Arrow’s impact on rugby league would not be erased by what has happened since.
“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,” Murray said.
“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.”
Beyond the club, fans have been pushing for a formal league-backed fundraising push. An online campaign — supported by several high-profile players — is calling for the NRL to introduce a “Try for Jai” initiative to back Arrow as he battles motor neurone disease. The league has previously run “Try July”, where players’ post-try celebrations are rewarded with donations to charity.
NSW hooker Blayke Brailey said a similar structure would be something he’d want to see.
“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,” Brailey said.
“Hopefully the NRL and the clubs can sort something out because I think that’ll be an amazing initiative for him.”
The timing of what Bennett described — first grip issues and shrinking strength just before Christmas last year — makes the May 20 announcement feel even more stark. Arrow’s story has moved from an athlete who kept training, to a father and player forced to retire as his condition takes hold.
What began as something Bennett and the club initially thought could be a shoulder problem has ended with a public diagnosis and an urgent fight. And even as Arrow enters Origin week as part of the Maroons camp this year. the questions of support have grown louder: whether the NRL will match the rugby league community’s outpouring with a dedicated campaign. just as it has done before with “Try July.”.
Jai Arrow Wayne Bennett Souths South Sydney Rabbitohs motor neurone disease NRL Origin Cameron Murray Blayke Brailey Try for Jai Try July
That grip/arm strength thing sounds scary as hell.
So he noticed changes in December and they only made the big announcement May?? I mean I get privacy but still, motor neurone is brutal.
Wait, motor neurone is like the same thing as ALS right? If so, why would they let him keep training at all, even no contact? Sounds like they were trying to play it off as a shoulder injury.
This always makes me think about the ‘weights room’ part… like was it an injury that turned into something else or just coincidence? Also why would teammates start noticing if they ‘kept it tight’?? People are still gonna talk either way.