South Sydney Rabbitohs player Jai Arrow retires after being diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease

South Sydney Rabbitohs player Jai Arrow has announced his retirement from rugby league after being diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND).

The 30-year-old confirmed in a press conference on Wednesday that he had retired from the sport on medical grounds after "months of testing and treatment".

In a statement shared by South Sydney Rabbitohs, Arrow said: "Thank you for the support I've received over what has been an incredibly difficult and uncertain period in my life.

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"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.

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"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 team-mates, staff, and everyone behind the scenes have made an incredibly hard situation much easier to face.

"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 head coach Wayne Bennett added: "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 team-mates, 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."

Arrow played 178 NRL games after making his debut for Brisbane Broncos in 2016, as well as playing 12 State of Origin matches for Queensland.

He is the latest player from both codes of rugby to be diagnosed with MND. Former Leeds Rhinos scrum-half Rob Burrow died from MND in 2024, with British & Irish Lions stalwart Doddie Weir passing away in November 2022, and former Queensland icon Carl Webb also died from the disease in 2023.

Former England rugby union captain Lewis Moody revealed his MND diagnosis in October last year.

The rugby league world sends support to Arrow

For more information:

Every day, the MND Association supports people affected by Motor Neurone Disease, campaigns for better care and funds ground-breaking research. Because with MND, every day matters. Last year alone, the MND Association funded 53 new research grants totalling £14.9m, paid out over £4m in grants to support those living with the disease and answered 5,252 calls to their Connect Helpline.

To find out more about what help is available and the work of the MND Association, please visit www.mndassociation.org or call the Connect Helpline on 0808 802 6262