South Sydney forward Jai Arrow has announced his immediate retirement from the National Rugby League on medical grounds after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease.
The 30-year-old, who played 178 NRL games after his first-grade debut in 2016 and represented Queensland in 12 State of Origin matches, said he is not currently medically cleared to train or play at the required level. Arrow said he would step away from his duties while he focuses on his health, treatment and rehabilitation. He asked for support, understanding and privacy as he and his family navigate what he described as a difficult time.
Arrow’s retirement brings down the curtain on a career that also delivered recognition off the field. In 2025 he won South Sydney’s George Piggins Medal, the Bob McCarthy Clubperson of the Year Award and the Souths Cares Award for outstanding contributions to the community. He was also a finalist for the NRL’s Ken Stephen Medal for his work with Souths Cares, Whatability and Vinnies Vans, and received The Burrow Appreciation Award in 2024.
His illness was diagnosed after months of testing and treatment, a process Arrow said had left him dealing with symptoms that affected different parts of everyday life. In a statement, he thanked South Sydney, his teammates and staff for what he called an incredibly hard situation made much easier by their support. He said he did not want sympathy, only support, understanding and privacy.
Rabbitohs chief executive Blake Solly said the club would not see Arrow on the field of play in the NRL again because of the diagnosis, adding that handling the situation was more important than football for Arrow and his family. Solly said Arrow’s contribution to the game, the club and the community would never be forgotten, and described him as a player who reached the highest level the sport had to offer.
Arrow, Rabbitohs player number 1166, joined South Sydney after making his first-grade debut in 2016 and became one of the club’s most recognisable figures. Now, the focus shifts entirely to treatment and to the unanswered medical fight that has forced one of the game’s most durable forwards out of rugby league at 30.
