North Queensland Fans Break Club Record to Support Jai Arrow
North Queensland fans have made history by raising over $50,000 for Jai Arrow, a player from their Souths rival team, following his devastating Motor Neurone Disease (MND) diagnosis. The NRL community was deeply affected when the 30-year-old announced his immediate retirement from the sport after revealing his illness. Coaches, teammates, and even rival players have been expressing their support for Arrow and his family in the wake of this heartbreaking news.
The North Queensland football community showed incredible solidarity with Arrow and his family before the Cowboys’ 30-18 win over the Bunnies on Sunday. This gesture highlighted the deep sense of camaraderie within the football world.
As part of this initiative, the club organized a 50-50 raffle, where half of the proceeds went to the ticket winner and the other half were donated to support Arrow and his family, as well as to help fight MND. The club sold a record $100,847 worth of tickets, which led to Cowboys CEO of football Micheal Luck presenting Rabbitohs chief executive Blake Solly with a cheque for $50,423.50 after the game.
“I think it’s a great sentiment and I like how our community got behind it,” said Cowboys coach Todd Payten after the game. “It’s a tough time for Jai and his family, and everyone dug deep. Really proud of our town, our club, and our community.”
Stand-in Souths captain Cody Walker expressed disappointment at the 12-point loss but acknowledged the emotional week for the club. “It’s been a really emotional week for us. [Jai] is one of those blokes who does anything for his teammates. He’s one of my best mates and I care for him a lot,” Walker said. “Us at South Sydney and the whole wider community is behind him. Devastating news.”
Wayne Bennett and Souths ‘Heartbroken’ for Jai Arrow
Sunday’s game marked South Sydney’s first match since Arrow’s MND diagnosis was made public. However, the team suffered a third loss in four games, causing them to drop into seventh place after being leapfrogged by the in-form Cowboys. Coach Wayne Bennett echoed Walker’s sentiments but did not make excuses for the team’s latest defeat. Before the game, he opened up about Arrow’s harrowing ordeal.
Bennett spoke about the dramatic decline of the club’s player of the season in 2025, who played his last game in September last year before noticing MND symptoms in December. The disease initially affected Arrow’s shoulder and coordination, leading to his absence from the NRL and contact sessions at training as he underwent various tests.
The disease eventually started affecting Arrow’s speech, and Bennett said he was gutted when it became clear what he was suffering from about a month ago. Arrow is the second player after the late Broncos great Carl Webb to be diagnosed with MND in the past six years.
“I’m heartbroken, we all are,” Bennett said. “I saw what it did to Carl Webb; I went to his funeral not too long ago. The players here are really feeling it. There’s been a lot of tears in the place.”
