Source : the age
Jai Arrow has vowed to head straight to Sydney Roosters’ owner Nick Politis after full-time on Friday night to personally thank him for a generous donation the billionaire made to him for his fight with motor neurone disease.
The 31-year-old Arrow will bring up his 100th game for South Sydney when he takes the field one last time against bitter rivals the Roosters at a packed Allianz Stadium.
There were plenty of tears when Arrow walked on to the field for his 99th club game for the Rabbitohs last Saturday against the Titans, before he was substituted at kick-off.
Coach Wayne Bennett will make a rare trip to the sideline to hand Arrow his interchange card before kick-off.
It was Bennett who came up with the idea for Arrow to take the field two more times so he could reach the 100-game milestone for Souths. One of the best images of the season was Bennett helping Arrow put on his socks in the South Sydney sheds on Saturday.
“If he needs some help again, I’ll be there for him,” Bennett said on Thursday.
At the end of the night, Arrow said he would march into the Roosters’ sheds – something that has rarely been allowed or contemplated because of the hatred between the two historic clubs – and put his arm around Politis.
Politis helped pay for Arrow to attend a wellness retreat in Spain earlier this year to help with his MND after it emerged the Queensland Origin representative had been forced to medically retire. Politis also made sure the Roosters bought a table for an Arrow fundraiser later this month.
“I met Nick once in the Qantas lounge in LA when I was heading back from my bucks’ party funnily enough,” Arrow told this masthead.
“Nick was in America for business. When I was diagnosed, he called a family member of mine and straight away said, ‘what can I do to help?’.
“I’ve heard he’s a very generous man, but I’ve seen that first hand now and truly appreciate what he did for me.
“After Friday’s game, I’ll definitely go into their sheds and thank him and the club personally. I did the same with the Titans last week.
“Everyone has been so supportive, and I feel I owe Nick and the Roosters my time, and just to say ‘thanks’, because it’s truly remarkable what they and everyone is allowing me to do.”
Arrow’s battle with motor neurone disease – and the rugby league community’s warm response to his plight – have piqued the interest of one of the most recognised news outlets in the US.
Officials from The Athletic, a sports website owned by The New York Times, contacted South Sydney officials this week about a potential story on Arrow.
Arrow was also given the chance to attend the soccer World Cup final in New York in July, which led to local news executives finding out about his situation.
Bennett presented Arrow with his 100th milestone jersey, but only after waiting for this masthead to photograph Arrow, his wife Berina and their 16-month daughter, Ayla.
Arrow said of all the quirky things to have happened during his career, which started in 2016, Arrow said Bennett helping him put on his socks last weekend was on the podium.
“When it came to my socks, I knew I was going to need help, I was too proud to ask, but then Wayne walked towards me and said, ‘here, let me help you’, and I thought to myself, ‘thank f–k’,” Arrow said.
“If you told me when I was a young kid that Wayne Bennett would be putting my socks on before a game, I would have laughed at you.
“He means so much to me, not only as a coach but as a friend, and there isn’t a bad word I could say about him.
“He been a part of my journey since the start, so to have him hand me my 100th jersey – and mind you, he doesn’t hand out jerseys very often – it makes me feel proud. And I think it’s only fitting that he is the one who interchanges me as he was the one who started my career and he’ll be the one to finish it.”
Berina, who grew up in Toronto, south of Newcastle, said it’s a tribute to the rugby league community how they have come together for Arrow. “Being able to go back on the field for the last two times in his career, I know as emotional it will be for us, it will be 10 times more emotional for him. It’s been his whole life. His career got taken away from him by a horrible disease he now has to face.
“It’s really emotional, but it’s also really great they are allowing him to say goodbye to this chapter with his teammates and community and club.”
Berina said the only time Arrow had asked her to put on his socks was game day last week before he went to the ground. She quickly told him to invest in a bigger pair of socks.
The couple, who officially wed earlier this year, will exchange vows in Italy next month, before a honeymoon in Turkey, then a quick trip to Cyprus to continue MND treatment.
Bennett had no issues with the Roosters resting nine of their top-liners for such a memorable occasion, but said it was not an option for his side due to Arrow’s milestone, and because they are still playing for a home final.
“All my players wanted to play because they wanted to be in the moment with Jai – they respect him so much,” Bennett said. “If we didn’t put them on the field, we’d be showing a lack of respect for him.”
On Thursday, there was a long line of fans at Heffron Park at 9am wanting to buy one of 800 limited-edition Arrow shirts.
The Rabbitohs play at Allianz Stadium, which is where they are expected to remain, rather than their other home, Accor Stadium, for week one of the finals in what is shaping as an elimination final against Newcastle.
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