Plumbing just the ticket for Gold Coast Titans forward Jai Arrow
AS one of the NRL’s best young middle forwards, Jai Arrow is not afraid of getting his hands dirty — which will stand him in good stead when he gets on the tools in retirement.
AS one of the NRL’s best young middle forwards, Jai Arrow is not afraid of getting his hands dirty.
When his rugby league career is over, Arrow, 23, is readying himself for the next stage of his life — as a plumber.
The Titans and Maroons forward has slotted some study into his off-season and pre-season.
“I’m trying to get back to TAFE and finish that,’’ Arrow said.
“I’m a third year apprentice in plumbing. I started it when I was 17 and it’s taken me a fair while but hopefully I can get it done soon.
“I’m trying to get my ticket and be ready for life after footy — footy doesn’t last forever.’’
League teens are strongly encouraged by their NRL clubs to undertake work or study, although not all get as much done as Arrow.
Hard, sometimes confronting work is not foreign to Arrow, who ran for 150m in six of his first eight matches for Gold Coast, an instant success in his early appearances since transferring from the Broncos.
“Everyone needs water. That’s the way I looked at it,’’ he said.
Statisticians clocked Arrow as running with the football for 2988m in 2018, 283m more than the next-most productive Titans forward, Ryan James.
“It definitely sounds tiring, but it’s something I’d love doing and I want to do for a long time,’’ he said.
Arrow has completed a second week back at training with the Titans, who added backs Tyrone Peachey and Tyrone Roberts and 2016 Kangaroos prop Shannon Boyd to their roster.
“With the players we have coming and the squad we already had, we want to be there in the finals,’’ Arrow said of the Titans, who placed 14th last season.
“I think we can jell as a team and be a force to be reckoned with.
“I’m looking forward to playing alongside (Peachey) and Tyrone Roberts will be really good for us. He’s a quality player and he’s showed that through his career in the NRL in the Super League.
“Big Shannon Boyd adds some size and punch to our pack. He’s a big body and he’s hard to handle. He’s always getting on his front and getting away a quick play-the-ball. Our halves will play well off his play-the-balls.’’
Arrow’s success was a pleasing tale of a young man backing his abilities and leaving a comfort zone.
“I wanted to go there and prove myself as a week-in, week-out NRL starting player,’’ he said.
“It was a hard move because the Broncos were so good for me as I came through. It was something I felt I had to do and it was best for me.
“I was pretty happy with how the year went. Towards the back end of the year, it definitely took a toll of my body. Hopefully next year I will be better for it.’’
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Originally published as Plumbing just the ticket for Gold Coast Titans forward Jai Arrow
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