2026 Season

[Billy]

About 25 years ago I had to do a lot of research into cigarette consumption.
I was basically asked to look into the issues around introducing a smoking ban in a mental health facility.
I found studies that showed 1 in 3 people who smoked at that time had a mental health diagnosis, but the studies also showed that people with a mental health diagnosis were much more likely to be heavy smokers, so over 50% of cigarettes were consumed by someone with a mental illness.

I also had to look into so-called Nicotine Replacement Therapy - which at that time was basically limited to chewing gum and nicotine patches, and there were strict protocols for those products that limited there use to only for aids to quit smoking, so they could only be used for limited periods of time.

I also looked into studies that showed the cancer risk of products like chewing tobacco and snuff was a fraction of the risk of smoking. Apparently there were places in America where chewing tobacco was still very common and places in Europe where snuff (powdered tobacco that you sniff up your nose) was still used - and those products caused a slight increase in mouth and throat cancer, but no risk of the more deadly lung cancer.

Anyway, vaping wasn't a thing then, but it doesn't surprise me that the UK experience is that getting people off cigarettes and onto Vaps instead has greatly improved overall health outcomes.

I'd imagine the majority of smokers now have a mental health diagnosis.

 

[Seano]

Souths are playing Latrell off the bench. Guessing he moves into centre and Tallis Duncan moves to the back row at some stage. Interesting considering we may be playing the Rabbits in round 1.

 

[usa3617]

Yeah Fish/Barnett/Clark isn't as good as Fish/Leota/Yeo (but it's closer than any other starting middle trio I've seen this decade besides Haas/Flegler/Carrigan maybe).

But then when we get to finals their bench rotation will probably be Ford/Stowers-Smith/one out of Vaimauga & Ieremia-Toeava... yuck. All four of those guys would start for us over Crokes

Probably the best bench since the 2020 Melbourne Storm?

not to mention their bench hooker Healey who would probably start at 9 at most Sydney teams. They have the best 8-17 in the comp by a country mile. Sure their 1-7 leaves a lot to be desired but I've wondered if having genuine marquee outside backs is as important as it once was in the modern game. Whilst we've invested our cap in the spine, they've clearly gone the opposite route and put all their chips in a monstrous pack that will just overpower you. That power game alone, with all the ball playing they do between their forwards, makes them the no 1 attack in the league this year. For all our superior class in the OBs, they've scored 50 pts than us and played one less game.

 

[HarVeeGee13]

If they paid current market rate for all those forwards they'd have a distorted salary cap, but getting two guys in their mid 20's who no one thought of as anything more than meh - that hooker/lock at the Titans that never seems to impact games, and a second rower at the Dragons who can't get a consistent run in the first grade team - and then having both of them turn into two of the best middles in the NRL, well, you're very fortunate if that happens even once. And then the other bench guys are local juniors still on their first top 30 deals.

Fish, Barnett and Halasima would likely be on big bickies, but a lot of the others they'd have pretty cheap for what they're contributing.

In terms of whether having marquee outside backs is important, I daresay they would tell you that's what RTS and DWZ are. But also I reckon it's important to have at least 1, maybe 2, eg Melbourne are *really* missing Xavier Coates atm... but the whole 2-5 being expensive studs has diminishing returns. And also you have to find value in the cap somewhere, there are always more okay to good centres & wingers than any other position, and also it's the position where someone is most likely to be a good, impactful first grader at a very young age... if you're going to cheap out somewhere, that's where.

Also one of my crackpot ideas about footy is that there's such a thing as too many x factor/strike weapons, in terms of team balance. I think a team can get a bit complacent if they know they have eight different guys they can just chuck it to and something might happen. Have seen it happen plenty of times that a team with strike players everywhere can lose 2-3, replace them with roll-up-their-sleeves types, and either get better or stay about the same as a team. Knowing it's all going to be a bit harder and you have to work for your points, work to specific spots to get specific guys into the game, rather than get bailed out constantly - it can put you in a better mindset.

 

[frankLauda]

Fair point. I wouldn’t say they are monstrous. They are the same size as most fowards. Fisher Harris prime example. What gives them the edge though is there athletic ability and strength and now starting to throw some skill in. And DWZ has had a great year finishing off tries.

I guess the only thing they are missing is they don’t have that marque player like a Cleary, Walsh, Teddy, Ponga. Image Cleary in that team. The pac champs is also a prime example look how good Dyl and Foran was behind the Kiwi pack

They will be hard to beat this year and could be a stable top 4 side with a great coach. Maybe slight bias but Knights will be a consistent top 4 side the coming years.

Perhaps a changing of the guard the next 5years+. Sides might look at forwards you can pass short and long. We have that in Manu.

I think everyone one here like most of the NRL are on the Wahs bandwagon. Behind there team they would be everyone’s second team. It’s good for the NRL a New Zealand team doing well.

 

[R_A]

The Rabbitohs and the NRL have worked together to allow Jai Arrow to reach 100 Rabbitohs games. For the final 2 games of the regular season, he will lead the team out, take part in the opening few seconds before being replaced and staying in full kit on the bench.

You love to see it, will assume they'd be allowed to have 17 guys playing.

 

[EASBay17]

Yeah confirmed free interchange aswell, so will have 7 on the bench.

 

[jamesgould]

The Rabbitohs and the NRL have worked together to allow Jai Arrow to reach 100 Rabbitohs games. For the final 2 games of the regular season, he will lead the team out, take part in the opening few seconds before being replaced and staying in full kit on the bench.

You love to see it, will assume they'd be allowed to have 17 guys playing.

That’s a cool gesture!

 

[Wicket]

* When I'm teaching, I often use sport as a way to connect, and you'd be shocked at how many kids can't do basic maths but can talk in terms of odds.

I’d love to know how much of that is because of their patents (dads mainly) gambling and how much is due to all the advertising they see

 

[danknights]

I’d love to know how much of that is because of their patents (dads mainly) gambling and how much is due to all the advertising they see

It would be interesting. On that front though both my parents loved a punt and smoked like chimneys but never drank. I hate gambling and smoking but love a beer? Weird.

 

[R_A]

I’d love to know how much of that is because of their patents (dads mainly) gambling and how much is due to all the advertising they see

I think for some it just runs in the family, especially horse racing. Grandad was into it, Dad is into it, sons follow suit. Something to bond over.

Moreso with people born and raised here, foreigners don't seem to have as much of an interest...

To the above drinking may be an exception but know plenty whos old man drank, and son followed suit. Also vice versa where the old man gave up the drink decades ago so the kids never got interested in it.

 

[mozza]

The Rabbitohs and the NRL have worked together to allow Jai Arrow to reach 100 Rabbitohs games. For the final 2 games of the regular season, he will lead the team out, take part in the opening few seconds before being replaced and staying in full kit on the bench.

You love to see it, will assume they'd be allowed to have 17 guys playing.

I might be a bah humbug in this instance but I don’t agree with this. He played 98 games for Souths and that’s how it should be. Cheapening the game to pad someone’s stats is a slippery slope.

 

[Seano]

It's a good point, but I think this will be a one-off and is really about his family and friends.

 

[Tackleslikeagirl]

I might be a bah humbug in this instance but I don’t agree with this. He played 98 games for Souths and that’s how it should be. Cheapening the game to pad someone’s stats is a slippery slope.

I agree and feel a bit torn. It feels like it’s cheapening the achievement, but then….poor Jai doesn’t really have much to look forward to, he knows what’s coming and it’s pretty devastating.

Maybe some kindness and support goes a long way. We do need more of that in this life. I guess the NRL like the players can actually do things to positively impact people who are in tough spots.

 

[R_A]

I might be a bah humbug in this instance but I don’t agree with this. He played 98 games for Souths and that’s how it should be. Cheapening the game to pad someone’s stats is a slippery slope.

I thought about the devils advocate perspective and I’m okay with it considering they’ve dedicated the rest of the season for Jai.
I’m sure all parties were consulted and if he didn’t want to do it or make a big fuss of it I’m sure he wouldn’t have.
Any more and I think they may have been walking a fine line though.

As a fan of a team/player who also went through a tragic incident, with a lot of opposition fans who stood up for and supported Alex during 2014, supporting such causes is always the least I can do. And it always sucks that we can’t do more

 

[HarVeeGee13]

Yeah we can't crawl into Jai's head and know how he feels about it all. I'm sure some players would be mortified by the idea of being handed two extra appearances. He might only be doing it to make the people around him feel better & like they're doing something, I've known people who've had terminal diseases who are just happy to do stuff that makes the people around them feel like they're helping. Or he might take it as a nice gesture and it may just make him feel appreciated by his club & the game more broadly and be fully onboard with it.

Ultimately it's just a tragedy unfolding in real time, the blind idiocy of chance. Some of us win the lottery, some of us are born with rare, horrifying diseases. Some of us live long lives and get to see their children have children of their own, and some of us become fatally ill and leave a child without a mum or dad. Next the horrible reality of the man not getting to see his little girl grow up, I find it hard to muster a lot of care factor for the integrity of the game.

 

[Newygirl]

If Jai wants to do it and the NRL are onboard than I can’t imagine why anyone could possibly have a problem with it. It’ll be a nice moment for a guy guy that hasn’t got a lot of time left. Football is meaningless in comparison

He’s just come out an said the disease is progressing very quickly. The deterioration of his speech in such a short time was really confronting. Why not let him have this? Seems like the least they can do

 

[jamesgould]

Yeah just in his appearances this year, it looks to be moving much faster for him than with Rob Burrow, sadly. Considering he was playing this time last year, too. I don’t think he has much longer left.

 

[bremsstrahlung]

My first thought was, how does Jai feel about that and frankly, that’s probably all that really matters in this situation.

I thought potentially, it may feel a bit like charity being gifted 2 x appearances, but if he’s on board, is looking forward to getting out there - then so be it!
What he’s going through is probably tougher than a few games of footy.

I saw a video the other day of somebody with MND and they noted Jai was their inspiration - so if this helps give world/nation wide recognition to Jai, MND and help inspire and help others then go for it.

(I can also imaging somebody at NRL HQ debating this and thinking “imagine the PR NRL could get” before most hopefully turned the conversation back to supporting Jai and his family).

The NRL community has really gotten behind Jai with all their initiatives and like Harvee alludes to, i suspect Jai doesn’t love the publicity he is getting but is furthering his legacy by being the face of this horrible disease and doing as much as he can to build awareness, putting in support systems for his family and inspiring others.

Ilias gave an interview ahead of the Titans game and made mention of how quickly things are changing for him. I think that will again be apparent over the next fortnight. Heartbreaking to see this unfold.

TLDR; him getting 2 extra appearances for Souths impacts my life very little, but may be very meaningful to him, his family, Souths and others impacted by MND.

The Knights supporter in me is glad he didn’t have 97 appearances and need Finals Game 1 to get to 100.

 

[R_A]

He would have doubled the games played if he was able to finish off his career on his own terms.

Unfortunately, life will go on for a lot of us once the footy season is over and from time to time, we may not have Jai and what he's going through in our thoughts. And next year, year after that etc. I'm sure Souths/Bennett will always be involved with him but for the average fan and outsider. So I can understand soaking up what's left of the spotlight, not a big issue in the scheme of things.
It'll feel similar to Carl Webb, hearing updates etc, then next minute you haven't thought about it for a while and end up hearing they're gone.