Updated ,first published
They came in cardinal and myrtle party hats. They ate no less than 120 kilos of cake in honour of Jai Arrow’s birthday.
And they saw South Sydney withstand a desperate Newcastle fightback for a precious 26-24 triumph that may yet prove pivotal in their pursuit of finals.
Rabbitohs fans stormed Accor Stadium on Sunday afternoon in celebration of Arrow’s 31st birthday, a pitch invasion that meant the man of the moment had to be escorted from the field, while Prime Minister Anthony Albanese took in the remarkable scenes alongside ARL chairman Peter V’landys, Play School luminary Big Ted and The Wiggles.
Already, more than $1 million has been raised for Arrow, his family and motor neurone disease research. So those invading punters, they heard too of Arrow’s plans to conquer, on a day when even an enthralling, last-minute finish came second to the inspirational forward.
“I want to build awareness on MND, to essentially find a cure for everyone moving forward,” Arrow told ABC Radio in a pre-game interview.
“That’s what I’m here to do. I’m here to help other people fighting the disease, build awareness. I’m here to beat the bastard.”
Across the next 80 minutes, Matt Dufty – three try-assists, four line-break assists and 215 running metres – emerged as the most dominant man on the field, while David Fifita was along for a rough and ready ride too.
A crowd of 30,113 took it all in, with Arrow, his wife Berina and daughter Ayla guests of honour. Ayla was especially fond of The Wiggles’ half-time performance, and had a fellow fan in Souths coach Wayne Bennett.
Kalyn Ponga and the fast-finishing Knights had them on the edge of their seats too when three tries in seven minutes set up a grand stand finish.
Two tries to Ponga – the second courtesy of a magnificent lead-up featuring his own grubber and a fine Dylan Lucas flick pass – had Newcastle looming large after Souths had led 26-6.
When Sandon Smith busted through and Harrison Graham loomed in support, it was 26-24 with four minutes to play.
A Dufty fumble on the high ball gave Newcastle their chance. A fingertip from Tyson Frizell, and South Sydney’s judicious captain’s challenge, took it away.
Jack Wighton took out Ponga with 90 seconds to play to give the Knights one last crack. And then, fittingly because it was Arrow’s party, Ponga’s last pass for Young sailed over the sideline.
As soon as the full-time siren went, the masses joined Arrow and co. in the middle. Arrow offered a simple, sincere “thank you” as he accepted a framed composite jersey featuring the four sides he has played for – the Rabbitohs, Broncos, Titans and Queensland Origin – while fans clamoured for a piece of him.
Asked what he planned to do in coming weeks and months, Arrow said: “Fight and continue until I have no more left in me. I refuse to give up. For anyone out there with MND, you’re not alone and I am with you.”
Bennett, meanwhile, clamoured for a piece of The Wiggles in South Sydney’s sheds.
“I’ve listened to a lot of their songs through my children. I wanted to sing a couple to them, but they weren’t really interested in that,” Bennett quipped in his post-match press conference.
“It’s lovely, people have put themselves out [for Arrow], done special things for him.”
The Rabbitohs sang Arrow ‘happy birthday’ in their dressing room and toasted a stirring win without Cody Walker and Latrell Mitchell that shored up their spot at the bottom of the top eight as well.
Bennett played down concern for Aitken, who underwent an ECG (electrocardiogram), after he was left short of breath 14 minutes into the game.
“He had a bit of a virus yesterday and thought he could play today, and the doctors thought he could play … but he got out there and all of a sudden his heart was racing,” Bennett said.
“So we got him off as soon as we realised we had a bit of a problem there. He’s fine now, he’s settled down.”
Dufty’s switch to fullback, relegating Jye Gray to the bench, came through Walker’s suspension and the added ball-playing Dufty brings at the back.
A deep cut to rookie winger Dayne Jennings’ knee meant Gray was thrust onto the wing early though, and held his own despite giving away a 30-centimetre height advantage to opposite number Dom Young.
“We were very brave today,” Bennett said. “If you look through our injuries today and the things that happened out there on the field, and a couple of things before we even got on the field… I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
Not least of course, for delivering on Arrow’s birthday.
