Thousands sing to Arrow as Souths survive massive scare
Jai Arrow was the NRL guest of honour in the game between South Sydney and the Newcastle Knights, with a VIP list of guests to celebrate his 31st birthday.
With a guest list including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and outgoing NRL CEO Andrew Abdo looking on, Australian entertainment icons The Wiggles took to the field to hype the crowd during half-time at Stadium Australia.
Jai Arrow celebrates cutting his birthday cake. Getty Images
Moments later, a massive birthday cake weighing nearly 120kg was wheeled onto the turf.
The crowd donned custom birthday hats adorned with the name ‘Arrow,’ and The Wiggles led the stadium in a rendition of Happy Birthday dedicated to Arrow, with his wife and their young child standing by.
The man of the hour watched on from the stands, after announcing his medical retirement in May following a diagnosis of Motor Neurone Disease (MND).
The devastating news prompted the league to create ‘Jai July’ to celebrate the former player and raise money for MND charities and Arrow’s family.
True to the theme of the weekend, South Sydney players celebrated their tries with the iconic ‘Arrow’ celebration, a tribute that has been spotted across the league and beyond.
The Rabbitohs were able to hold on to a 26-24 victory over the Knights, after Newcastle mounted a comeback that gave fans and Arrow an almighty scare.
“I’m truly honoured to be here. I want to thank everyone from, me and my family, the bottom of our hearts,” birthday guest Arrow said on Fox League.
“The amount of support that we’ve had is truly overwhelming.”
Arrow also brought out the State of Origin shield in the decider at Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday - where NSW took victory - and on Tuesday, announced he and his partner Berina had eloped.
