Jarrod Wallace helped drive struggling Jai Arrow to become a lock in Queensland’s Origin side
JAI Arrow knows there is a chance he would not be in this Queensland Origin team if it was not for Jarrod Wallace.
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JAI Arrow knows there is a chance he would not be in this Queensland Origin team if it was not for Jarrod Wallace.
Last year the young forward was struggling away from the field.
Still with the Broncos at the time, Arrow had gone through a tough breakup and was dealing with his first serious injury after he tore a ligament in his thumb.
Then came a call from his ex-Brisbane teammate Wallace, who started the push for him to come to the Gold Coast and sign with the Titans.
Along with encouragement from Titans assistant coach Craig Hodges, Arrow followed through on their advice and moved back to the Coast where he became a breakout star of the NRL this season, leading to his Origin debut in Game One.
Arrow says it’s hard to know whether he would have had the same chances had he stayed with the Broncos this year.
But it was certainly Wallace who helped put him in that position.
“He was a big influence on me coming down (to the Titans) and he’s been a massive influence on me this year,” Arrow said of his Titans and Maroons teammate.
“He’s been a leader for me and shown me the right direction. He’s been a massive help and I can’t thank him enough.
“I was having some off-field issues going on in my life (last year) and it wasn’t the best at the time.
“I had a breakup with my partner and I didn’t think it was going to affect me but it did. I was going out all the time, every weekend and not doing the right things that were best for me.
“Jarrod was already on the Gold Coast and he called me and said he wanted me to come down.
“It wasn’t a big move but it was that fresh start I needed. In a way I felt I got a bit comfortable in Brisbane and I wasn’t doing the right things for me to put my best foot forward and play good footy.”
The pair first struck up their close friendship while playing for the Broncos in 2016.
It has now reached the point where they feel more like family, with Arrow particularly close with Wallace’s family, including his two daughters Lara and Peyton.
“Jarrod’s family has welcomed me with open arms,” Arrow said.
“His mum was saying that it doesn’t feel like she has one kid playing Origin, it feels like she has two. It’s pretty special in a way.
“Apparently (his daughters) both have a little crush on me, little Lara and Peyton. They’re so cute and in a way I guess I play an uncle role.
“(Wallace) had to take his other little one to Brisbane the other day, so I put my hand up and took Peyton to daycare.
“I played the dad role for the morning … but we have that relationship where we will do anything for each other and it definitely helps playing footy as well. It always comes back to that.”
The pair hope that partnership can help them on the field on Sunday night when the Maroons look to square this year’s Origin series with the Blues.
Wallace came under heavy fire following Game One after he struggled to make an impact in attack.
But Arrow said some of that criticism was unfair, and he was ready to help Wallace and the rest of the Queensland pack bounce back.
For Wallace’s part, he knows Arrow will always have his back.
“We have the same mentality, we like our workrate really high and we’re hard to get off the field when we are tired or injured,” Wallace said.
“He’s just a good bloke, he’s come so far and I am so happy for him. I’m really proud of how much he has achieved.”
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