Jai Arrow will be granted two ceremonial appearances after the NRL approved an extraordinary plan allowing him to reach 100 games for South Sydney.
Arrow was forced to retire earlier this season after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease, ending his playing career on 178 NRL appearances.
The 31-year-old had played 98 matches for South Sydney since joining the club in 2021, leaving him agonisingly short of becoming a Rabbitohs centurion.
South Sydney proposed a one-off arrangement that will allow Arrow to be officially listed for its final two regular-season matches against the Gold Coast Titans and Sydney Roosters.
The NRL, Rugby League Players Association, Club Consultation Committee and both opposing clubs have supported the proposal.
How Arrow’s Ceremonial Appearances Will Work
Arrow will dress in South Sydney’s full playing kit and prepare alongside his teammates before each match.
He will then lead the Rabbitohs onto the field and be officially included as an additional player on the team list.
After the opening whistle, Arrow will become South Sydney’s first interchange within the opening seconds without participating in a play. He can then remain on the bench in his playing kit for the rest of the match.
The NRL has approved one-off changes allowing the Rabbitohs to carry an additional player and interchange specifically for Arrow.
His appearance against former club Gold Coast will take his South Sydney tally to 99. The Round 27 match against the Roosters at Allianz Stadium will become his 100th game for the Rabbitohs.
V’landys Praises Arrow’s Courage
ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys described the proposal as an example of rugby league’s ability to unite behind people facing extraordinary hardship.
“The game of rugby league is so much more than what happens on the field,” V’landys said.
“At times it is the conduit to bring out the best of humanity. This thoughtful gesture by the South Sydney Rabbitohs shows the true heart of our game.
“Jai has inspired millions of people around the world with the courage and strength he has shown in his fight with MND. He is not only a great player, but an extraordinary person.”
V’landys said Arrow, his family and everyone supporting him should be proud of the milestone.
“The entire rugby league community stands with Jai and is honoured to celebrate this remarkable milestone with him,” he said.
Arrow Joins Exclusive Rabbitohs Group
More than 1,200 players have represented South Sydney in first grade since 1908, but only 66 have reached 100 appearances for the club.
Arrow will become the 67th.
The group includes some of the most important figures in Rabbitohs history, including Clive Churchill, John Sattler, Ron Coote, Bob McCarthy, George Piggins, Mario Fenech, Greg Inglis and John Sutton.
Current South Sydney players Cameron Murray, Alex Johnston and Cody Walker have also reached the milestone.
Arrow previously played for Brisbane between 2016 and 2017 before making 56 appearances for Gold Coast across three seasons.
He joined South Sydney in 2021 and later won the club’s George Piggins Medal as its best and fairest player in 2025.
Despite making 178 career appearances, Arrow had never reached 100 games for any one club.
South Sydney Wants to Show MND Cannot Define Arrow
Rabbitohs chief executive Blake Solly thanked the NRL, RLPA, Titans and Roosters for supporting the proposal.
“We believe this will provide great inspiration for everyone watching the game from the stadium or at home, showing that MND will not hold Jai, or anyone else, back from achieving what they want to achieve in life,” Solly said.
“This initiative will also help to raise awareness and funds for Jai and his fight with MND and afford him the honour of playing 100 first-grade games for the South Sydney Rabbitohs.”
Solly said reaching the milestone against Arrow’s former club before completing it at a potentially sold-out Allianz Stadium represented an appropriate tribute.
“His fight against MND has already been inspirational, and we can’t wait to welcome Jai back onto the field for two more games,” he said.
A Rule Change Rugby League Should Celebrate
Purists may argue that an official appearance should require a player to participate meaningfully in the match.
This situation deserves to be treated differently.
Arrow earned 98 South Sydney appearances before an incurable neurological condition removed his opportunity to reach the milestone conventionally. The additional player and interchange exemptions also ensure neither match is competitively compromised.
The NRL is not rewriting Arrow’s entire career or pretending he completed matches he never attended.
It is allowing him to walk onto the field with his teammates twice while he remains physically capable of doing so.
Few rule changes have ever carried a better reason.
Arrow’s 100th Rabbitohs appearance will be ceremonial, but the courage required to reach it is entirely real.
Donations can be made through the Family of League’s Stand With Jai campaign.
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