September 7, 2026 • 3 mins
This might be the most heartwarming sports story of the year. After a motor neurone disease diagnosis forced Jai Arrow into an early retirement, the NRL, the Players Association, South Sydney, the Gold Coast Titans and even the Rabbitohs' fiercest rivals came together to help him achieve one final milestone: becoming a 100-game Rabbitoh.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Gold, good afternoon to you. It's Jonesy Demander driving you home.
Motor neuron disease is a terrible disease and we've seen
it hit many of our great sporting icons. Neil Danaher
passed away in May of this year after bringing much
awareness to motor neuron disease. And something that we're seeing
in the NRL as well is the story of Jai Arrow.
(00:20):
And after watching him play the other night, I just
thought whatever complaints I have are completely gone. what this
young man is going through.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Amazing.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
I wasn't aware that just last year he was South
Sydney's Player of the Year. Yeah. This has come upon
him very quickly. Started with problems in his neck, his
shoulder and his speech. He's a young man. He's 30
years old. He's got a wife and a young child.
Such a hard diagnosis to hear. And on the weekend,
(00:48):
I wasn't aware of the backstory of this. I got
emotional and weepy watching him walk out for his 100th game.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Mm-hmm.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
I wasn't aware of the story that allowed him to
do it. And I came across an American commentator. His
name is Mike Coop, and he has 30-second recap is
his site.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
I think it's a 90-second recap.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
What did I say?
Speaker 2 (01:06):
30.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
Okay, no, it's a 90-second recap. And he wears the
sporting cap of the team he's talking about. And this time,
he wore a Rabideau's cap, and he spoke about the
story of Jai Arrow on this weekend.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Every sport has rules. And every once in a while,
a league gets the chance to decide whether what those
rules are actually for. Welcome to 92nd Recap, where every
cap tells a story. Today, this South Sydney Rabbitohs cap
tells one of the best sports stories I've heard in
quite a while. Jai Arrow played 10 seasons in Australia's
National Rugby League for Brisbane, Gold Coast, and South Sydney.
Then in May, at just 30 years old, he announced
(01:41):
his immediate retirement after being diagnosed with motor neuron disease,
the most common form of which is ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease.
And Arrow's South Sydney career stopped on 98 games, too
short of the century mark. He was no longer medically
cleared to play, so South Sydney asked the NRL to
bend the rules, not to gain an advantage, but to
give a man two moments he'd earned. The league said yes.
(02:02):
The Players Association said yes. The Gold Coast Titans said yes.
And South Sydney's fiercest rival, the Sydney Roosters, said yes.
The NRL created a one-off exemption allowing Arrow to suit up,
lead his teammates onto the field, officially enter the game,
and be substituted almost immediately without giving South Sydney a
competitive advantage. Last Saturday, he did it for number 99.
(02:25):
And tonight, with more than 40,000 people in attendance, Jairo
became the 67th Rabideau to reach 100 games. And for
a few minutes, one of rugby league's oldest rivalries didn't matter.
A man did. Baseball has Lou Gehrig Day. Project Main
Street turns awareness into direct help for families living with ALS.
And now the NRL has done its part another way.
(02:45):
It looked at a rulebook, looked at Jairo, and chose
the person. We should tell people when sports get things wrong.
But when they get something that's right, we gotta tell
that story too. Jairo is a 100-game Rabideau. And everybody
who made that possible should be really proud. This is
90-Second Recap.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
It's gone worldwide.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
And what a story to watch him walk out and
the whole crowd on their feet. You'll never walk alone.
You stand beside you. So emotional, wasn't it? And people
from both sides, the players, the fans, just cheering him on.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
And it brings awareness to MND.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
Absolutely it does. And we've also started a database so
experts can research where these cases come from and what
might link them. So much good has come from Jai's story.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
Yeah.
Gold, good afternoon to you. It's Jonesy Demander driving you home.
Motor neuron disease is a terrible disease and we've seen
it hit many of our great sporting icons. Neil Danaher
passed away in May of this year after bringing much
awareness to motor neuron disease. And something that we're seeing
in the NRL as well is the story of Jai Arrow.
(00:20):
And after watching him play the other night, I just
thought whatever complaints I have are completely gone. what this
young man is going through.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Amazing.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
I wasn't aware that just last year he was South
Sydney's Player of the Year. Yeah. This has come upon
him very quickly. Started with problems in his neck, his
shoulder and his speech. He's a young man. He's 30
years old. He's got a wife and a young child.
Such a hard diagnosis to hear. And on the weekend,
(00:48):
I wasn't aware of the backstory of this. I got
emotional and weepy watching him walk out for his 100th game.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Mm-hmm.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
I wasn't aware of the story that allowed him to
do it. And I came across an American commentator. His
name is Mike Coop, and he has 30-second recap is
his site.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
I think it's a 90-second recap.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
What did I say?
Speaker 2 (01:06):
30.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
Okay, no, it's a 90-second recap. And he wears the
sporting cap of the team he's talking about. And this time,
he wore a Rabideau's cap, and he spoke about the
story of Jai Arrow on this weekend.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Every sport has rules. And every once in a while,
a league gets the chance to decide whether what those
rules are actually for. Welcome to 92nd Recap, where every
cap tells a story. Today, this South Sydney Rabbitohs cap
tells one of the best sports stories I've heard in
quite a while. Jai Arrow played 10 seasons in Australia's
National Rugby League for Brisbane, Gold Coast, and South Sydney.
Then in May, at just 30 years old, he announced
(01:41):
his immediate retirement after being diagnosed with motor neuron disease,
the most common form of which is ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease.
And Arrow's South Sydney career stopped on 98 games, too
short of the century mark. He was no longer medically
cleared to play, so South Sydney asked the NRL to
bend the rules, not to gain an advantage, but to
give a man two moments he'd earned. The league said yes.
(02:02):
The Players Association said yes. The Gold Coast Titans said yes.
And South Sydney's fiercest rival, the Sydney Roosters, said yes.
The NRL created a one-off exemption allowing Arrow to suit up,
lead his teammates onto the field, officially enter the game,
and be substituted almost immediately without giving South Sydney a
competitive advantage. Last Saturday, he did it for number 99.
(02:25):
And tonight, with more than 40,000 people in attendance, Jairo
became the 67th Rabideau to reach 100 games. And for
a few minutes, one of rugby league's oldest rivalries didn't matter.
A man did. Baseball has Lou Gehrig Day. Project Main
Street turns awareness into direct help for families living with ALS.
And now the NRL has done its part another way.
(02:45):
It looked at a rulebook, looked at Jairo, and chose
the person. We should tell people when sports get things wrong.
But when they get something that's right, we gotta tell
that story too. Jairo is a 100-game Rabideau. And everybody
who made that possible should be really proud. This is
90-Second Recap.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
It's gone worldwide.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
And what a story to watch him walk out and
the whole crowd on their feet. You'll never walk alone.
You stand beside you. So emotional, wasn't it? And people
from both sides, the players, the fans, just cheering him on.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
And it brings awareness to MND.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
Absolutely it does. And we've also started a database so
experts can research where these cases come from and what
might link them. So much good has come from Jai's story.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
Yeah.
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