The Australian National Rugby League community has been thrown into mourning after beloved 30-year-old forward Jai Arrow announced an early retirement this week, following a life-altering diagnosis of motor neurone disease. Now, current and former players from across the league are rallying around the former South Sydney Rabbitohs and Queensland Maroons star, pushing league officials to launch a new national fundraising initiative to support Arrow and his young family. The proposed ‘Try for Jai’ campaign would revive the spirit of the league’s old Try July fundraising drive, which was scrapped earlier this year over ties to gambling sponsorship.
Cameron Murray, captain of Arrow’s former club the Rabbitohs and a representative for NSW Blues, could barely contain his emotion when speaking about his ex-teammate ahead of a Blues training session in Gosford. Murray, who has worked alongside Arrow since the forward joined South Sydney in 2021, said Arrow has displayed extraordinary resilience in the months since he first began experiencing symptoms.
“What I will say is that over the last couple of months he’s shown an incredible amount of strength, and it’s really unbelievable what he’s been going through,” Murray shared. “And the strength that he’s shown in the face of such a cruel disease has been amazing. He’s definitely left his mark on rugby league for sure, and particularly since he got here in 2021 at the club, he’s left his mark on all of us. We’re all better people for knowing Jai and we’re all right behind him, and it’s really good to see the support that he’s got throughout the wider rugby league community and even past that. I think it just speaks about his character and the impact that he’s had on everyone that he’s come into contact with. There’s no better bloke and we’re all behind him. We all love him, so we’ll be there with him through this fight. Life can be pretty cruel sometimes.”
Arrow, a fan favorite respected across both the Queensland and NSW representative sides, has earned widespread respect for his decades of commitment to the sport, and players across all clubs have rushed to express their support. Blayke Brailey, a young rising star for the NSW Blues, says he is eager to join the proposed ‘Try for Jai’ campaign, calling on league officials to move forward with the initiative quickly.
“I think that would be a great initiative,” Brailey said. “I think if we can all do our part and help out in some small or big capacity, I would love to get on board with that. Hopefully the NRL and the clubs can sort something out because I think that’ll be an amazing initiative for him. I haven’t had too much to do with him, but just like everyone else, I’m really shocked and saddened by the news. I know Cam and everyone’s getting around him and the Souths staff there, so he’s got all our support. No matter if you’re a Souths fan or if you know Jai, you’ll send your love and your prayers to him and hopefully he can get through this tough time.”
NSW Blues superstar Nathan Cleary echoed the widespread shock across the league, noting that Arrow’s diagnosis has served as a sobering reminder that professional football is secondary to what matters most in life. “I just want to pass on my best wishes to Jai and also his family. It’s devastating news and you never want to see anyone go through that, just as human beings. So I want to definitely pass on my best wishes to him and his family,” Cleary said. “I think it’s rocked not only our team, Queensland’s team, the whole NRL, but also just everyone in general. It just goes to show how precious life is and you’ve got to make the most of it. There are moments that happen throughout life that make you realise that there are things bigger than football and this is one of those. It’s just what we do at the end of the day, but there’s definitely more to life.”
The original Try July campaign, which raised millions of dollars for ailing former players over its five-year run, was cut by the NRL this year due to its sponsorship partnership with gambling company Sportsbet. Proponents of the new ‘Try for Jai’ campaign say a reworked, gambling-free version of the annual initiative would provide critical financial support for Arrow and his family as he navigates treatment, and current stars have already pledged their full participation.