Jai Arrow announces his immediate retirement from the NRL on medical grounds

Rabbitohs forward Jai Arrow has announced his immediate retirement from the NRL on medical grounds following a diagnosis of Motor Neurone Disease (MND).

Arrow, Rabbitohs first grade player number 1166, recently received the diagnosis of MND having undergone months of testing and treatment.

Arrow, 30, played 178 NRL games since making his first grade debut in 2016, as well as playing 12 State of Origin matches for Queensland.

Jai won the George Piggins Medal in 2025 as the Rabbitohs’ player of the year. He also won the Bob McCarthy Clubperson of the Year Award in 2025, the Souths Cares Award for outstanding contributions to the community in the same year and was awarded The Burrow Appreciation Award in 2024. Arrow was also a finalist for the NRL’s Ken Stephen Medal in 2025 for his work with Souths Cares, Whatability and Vinnies Vans.

Arrow is one of the toughest players in the game and is one of the most loved and respected players at both the Rabbitohs and across the NRL.

Rabbitohs CEO, Blake Solly, and Head Coach, Wayne Bennett, sat beside Jai in a media conference at the USANA Rabbitohs Centre to announce his retirement.

The Rabbitohs, his management and his family ask that everyone respects the privacy of Jai and his family at this difficult time.

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