Queensland coach Billy Slater has described Jai Arrow as “the life of the party” after the Maroons invited him into camp ahead of the series opener a week after he was forced to retire from rugby league following a devastating motor neurone disease diagnosis.
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Arrow played 12 games for his beloved Maroons and will be a source of inspiration for the entire state after the Rabbitohs veteran medically retired last week.
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Slater played with Arrow during the 2018 Origin series and made sure that the workhorse forward was brought into the team environment ahead of the first game in Sydney, with Arrow joining the group for dinner in Parramatta on Monday night.
“Jai is one of those guys that loves being around his mates, his teammates, a footy environment. He’s the life of the party, and that was no different last night,” the Maroons coach said.
“To see Jai laughing and joking with his teammates, it was a really cool environment to be in. We just thought that it was really important that we bring Jai in for Jai.
“The other thing was it was a great opportunity to celebrate Jai’s career. We all know the journey that he’s embarking on, and it’s going to be a really tough one. We’re all there for him as Queenslanders, as members of the rugby league community.
“But at the end of the day, he’s also retiring from rugby league, and we can’t forget that. So us as Queenslanders, we certainly acknowledged our player 196 last night and celebrated what he brought in the Maroon jersey, so that was a pretty cool time as well.”
Slater paid tribute to AFL legend Neale Daniher, who died on Monday after a lengthy battle with MND. Daniher, the 2025 Australian of the Year, raised millions of dollars for MND research.
Slater acknowledged the difficult road ahead for Arrow and said his presence this week had a huge impact on the team.
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‘Jai will be with the team for the game’ | 00:50
“The one thing that I love about Jai is he’s reliable. He’s hard, he’s tough, but being a reliable mate and a reliable teammate, that’s one thing that I love about Jai,” he said.
“His words when he did an interview with (Channel 9 reporter) Danika Mason, I thought the fact that he wants to inspire people is pretty inspirational.
“When people like Jai go through adversity and tough times and they’re thinking about others and what they can do for others, that’s a pretty cool legacy to leave.
“The players have been great, and to be honest, it’s not about the players; it’s about Jai. The decision to bring Jai in was purely to support him. He’s giving a whole heap of inspiration, but the decision to bring him in was not to inspire the group.
“It was certainly to be around him and support him. But the boys get a kick out of seeing their mate as well, and he’s still the same Jai. He’s obviously going through a bit, and his speech is failing him a little bit, but he’s still got the same sense of humour.
“I can tell he still loves being a Queenslander, and I think they got a big kick out of it. He’s definitely going to be in our company come game night. He’ll be on the bus coming to the game and he’ll be with the team.”
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‘Great to see Jai with his QLD mates’ | 00:58
On the field, Slater downplayed any injury concerns over Cameron Munster after the Queensland captain sat out Sunday’s field session.
“He had a bit of tightness. Unfortunately, it wasn’t in the throat and his voice box because that’s still pretty loose,” Slater said.
“But he’s good. I suppose when you get a little bit older and you get to the back end of your career, you need those modifications.
“At the end of the day, the week is surrounded about playing your best football on Wednesday night, and that’s tomorrow night. So the decisions you make in and around the week is all pointed towards being at your physical and mental best and having the team prepared as best they can for Wednesday night.
“We just felt the other day that it was best for Cam just to have a session off, freshen his body up, and he’ll have a run around this afternoon and he’ll be right to go.”
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Sam Walker will make his Origin debut in front of 80,000 fans in Sydney. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
Munster will partner Origin rookie Sam Walker who has been told by his captain and coach to be himself and to not try to play like other Queensland halves.
“He’s a very unique style of player, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised with his skill level,” Slater said.
“We all know he’s a very creative little player, and that’s probably enhanced my opinion spending the week with him.
“He’s quite a level-headed, quiet sort of lad, so he’s had a great week. I’m looking forward to seeing him get out there and get his game on. Our aim is to help him do that.”