North Queensland Cowboys Fans Raise $50,000 for Jai Arrow

North Queensland Cowboys fans raised $50,000 during Sunday’s game against South Sydney, turning a raffle into support for Jai Arrow after his motor neurone disease diagnosis was revealed this week. Arrow will retire immediately.

Townsville Raffle

The money came from home fans in Townsville and was collected for Souths Cares, the Rabbitohs’ not-for-profit charity arm. The funds are meant for the fight against MND and to support Arrow and his family.

The size of the haul gave the match a second result beyond the 30-18 scoreline on the field. For Souths, it sent cash toward a cause tied directly to one of their own, while Arrow’s exit from the game became immediate rather than gradual.

Jai Arrow And His Family

Arrow is 30 years old and engaged to his Canadian partner, Berina Colakovic. They have a one-year-old daughter, and the fundraiser’s reach went beyond the club badge because the support was aimed at the family as much as the player.

Wayne Bennett addressed the diagnosis after the game and said, “It's personal. I know how it affected me, but everyone is different,” then added, “We can't live on that as an excuse as to why we don't play well.” South Sydney still had to finish the job after the diagnosis news, and the Cowboys did that with the 30-18 win in Townsville.

Bennett And Souths Cares

The raffle money now sits with Souths Cares, where it will be used in the fight against MND and in support of Arrow’s family. For fans in Townsville, the response was simple: a matchday fundraiser that turned into a six-figure emotional storyline only in its ripple effects, not its dollar total.

Arrow’s playing future is settled. The immediate issue is no longer whether he returns, but how Souths Cares and those around him carry the burden that came with this week’s diagnosis.