NRL grants Jai Arrow special dispensation for Rabbitohs milestone

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Motor neurone disease has not stopped Jai Arrow’s attempt to bring up a career milestone in Australia’s National Rugby League.

Earlier this week, the NRL allowed an exception to its rules to allow the veteran forward a chance to be on the field for the South Sydney Rabbitohs in his 99th and 100th rugby league games for the club, if only for the first few seconds of the game.

Arrow was subsequently named co-captain and led South Sydney onto the field through a guard of honor for Saturday’s game against the Gold Coast Titans Saturday, in an emotional scene that brought tears to players and fans alike.

The 31-year-old was visibly moved, frequently looking to the sky as he embraced several teammates while “You’ll Never Walk Alone” played around the stadium.

As the referee signaled the start of the match, a brief pause allowed Arrow to be substituted without taking part in any play.

In a moment of levity, Arrow jokingly waved away the planned interchange with co-captain Cameron Murray before slowly leaving the field to a standing ovation and more embraces from his teammates.

He then took his place on the interchange bench in his playing kit for the remainder of the game and watched his Rabbitohs take a 42-22 victory.

But the result was secondary on a day that belonged to Arrow.

“(Seeing) everyone that showed this afternoon, it’s a real credit to his character, what he’s given the game, what he’s given our team, and what he’s gonna give the rest of Australia for the rest of his life,” teammate Cody Walker said to Fox Sports. “I hope today that he feels the love, and he feels the support from everyone, regardless of teams and rivalries.”

Arrow had retired from the sport to concentrate on his treatment and family when he was diagnosed in May with motor neurone disease, which MND Australia describes as an umbrella term for a group of progressive neurological conditions where the motor neurones degenerate. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is the most common form, and ALS is often called Lou Gehrig’s disease.

He never expected to play again in any capacity. But, as part of an agreement with the Rabbitohs, the NRL on Tuesday granted South Sydney special dispensation to include Arrow as an extra player on the official team list and an extra substitution in their rotation for the game against the Gold Coast Titans on Saturday.

A similar dispensation will be allowed for South Sydney’s last regular season game against their historic rivals the Sydney Roosters which will bring Arrow’s tally to 180 career games in the NRL, and 100 for the Rabbitohs, on top of his representative games for Queensland in the annual State of Origin series.

Rugby league star Rob Burrow and Scottish rugby union player Doddie Weir are high-profile players who have died from the illness in recent years.

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