Souths cult hero Jai Arrow was impressive in his comeback game from a hamstring injury but says he only has himself to blame for a delayed return.
Latrell Mitchell and Cody Walker rightfully stole the limelight, but Arrow ran for nearly 150m and had five tackle busts as he played for nearly an hour straight during the 36-14 win over the Dolphins on Thursday night.
It was his first hit out since he broke down against Cronulla in round one.
Arrow was meant to return in round four, but after watching three middle forwards – Hame Sele, Junior Tatola and Shaquai Mitchell – fail to finish the game against the Sydney Roosters in round three, he pushed himself too hard the following day and re-injured his hamstring.
“We ran out of middle forwards against the Roosters, and with that in mind I pushed myself too hard the next day at training,” Arrow said.
“I wanted to make sure I was ready for the Manly game the following week. I had one of those touch-up sessions to make sure I was good to go at training the following Monday. But I ended up re-aggravating the hamstring, which was annoying. That set me back a few weeks – it set me back longer than I should have had off.
Jai Arrow was excellent in his comeback game for SouthsCredit: Getty Images
“I remember ‘JD’ [coach Jason Demetriou] saying to me, ‘I knew when the middles went down you would try and push yourself to get back because you’re a d—head’. And I did push myself too hard, so he was right. I am a d—head.”
Demetriou said the return of Arrow had made life easier for hooker Damien Cook and skipper Cameron Murray.
When asked what he thought Demetriou meant by that, Arrow said: “I’m not sure how I help Cooky. All he does is lean over and pass the ball, so he’s alright.
The Queensland Origin representative ran for 150m and played 60 straight minutes.Credit: Getty Images
“But with Camo, not a lot of people realise how much he touches the ball – he touches the ball a lot more than your average lock forward. So if I can help him out by taking a few extra carries and getting on to a kick chase, that’s great. All that does is allow him to get into the game as a more attacking player.”
Tatola is an outside chance to return for Thursday’s clash against premiers Penrith, but looks more than likely to be held back an extra week for table-toppers Brisbane. Melbourne awaits Souths the week after that at Magic Round.
Arrow caused a stir with his new mullet, which cost him $70 and said ‘I’ve been told I’m the only one who can pull off a Joe Dirt mullet’. Pressed on who told him that, Arrow said: “Myself.”
Murray and forward Davvy Moale were charged by the match review committee for a careless high tackle and tripping respectively, which will cost each $1000 with an early plea.
Demetriou was impressed with Cody Walker’s heavy involvement when Souths racked up three tries in five minutes against Dolphins when they were reduced to 12 men midway through the second half, and declared at the post-match press conference: “When he gets himself in the game like he does, he’s the best five-eighth in the game.”
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