Jai Arrow played the game of a lifetime in his final second in the NRL
Jai Arrow made a brief, emotional final appearance for the South Sydney Rabbitohs following his diagnosis with motor neurone disease. Teammates and rivals honored him in a tribute that transcended the usual bitterness of the sport.
Why it matters
The story serves as a poignant example of sportsmanship and community support within professional athletics during a player's health crisis.
Arrow played his 100th and final NRL game for South Sydney on Friday night. ( Getty Images: Darrian Traynor )
Link copied Share Share article The record books will show that Jai Arrow’s last game as a South Sydney Rabbitoh lasted exactly one second.
It was one second not for a career, but for a footballing life as rugby league gave him everything it could, which was everything it had.
This was one second that really mattered in a way a century of Rabbitohs-Roosters matches never could. Their hatred, which flared up later on, felt insignificant.
Normally the NRL defines and destroys itself according to such bitterness but for one second it felt so easy to stow away that pettiness. Never has so much been fit into that second.
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