Maroons enforcer Jai Arrow stood down from Origin 3, fined $35,000

Maroons star Jai Arrow has responded after being hit with an Origin ban and a massive fine after reportedly bringing a woman into camp.

Jai Arrow is set to be stood down by the Maroons.

Queensland’s State of Origin game three preparations are in chaos after forward Jai Arrow was banned for the match and fined $35,000 by the NRL after breaching Covid-19 biosecurity protocols.

The star has played both Origin matches so far this series but a breach that saw him reportedly bring a woman into the team hotel has seen him ruled him out of the match.

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SMH’s Michael Chammas tweeted that “Arrow allegedly breached NRL COVID-19 rules by coming into contact with someone from outside the Queensland Origin bubble. It remains unclear whether he left the hotel or brought the third party into camp.”

The NRL confirmed Arrow would be banned from game three and hit with the hefty fine for bringing in “an unregistered guest into the team hotel”.

Arrow will also be forced to quarantine for 14 days, meaning he will miss the Rabbitohs’ round 18 clash with the Canterbury Bulldogs as well.

Queensland Health were made aware of the breach by the NRL.

Additional 24-hour security has been added to the team hotel to ensure the squad’s compliance with the game’s biosecurity protocols.

In a stratement released by the Queensland Rugby Leauge, Arrow admitted he knew the rules but did it anyway.

“I know I have let a lot of people down, including my teammates, coaching staff and fans right across the rugby league community,” Arrow said.

“For this I am truly sorry. I have fully cooperated with the NRL integrity unit, and I understand the scrutiny and criticism coming my way.”

Jai Arrow is set to be stood down for the game three of the State of Origin series.

NRL CEO Andrew Abdo said the decision was quickly reached to minimise the risk to the Queensland community and the playing squad.

“In our view this is a clear breach of our biosecurity protocols, Jai has been placed into isolation from the squad and will return home to Sydney,” he said.

“There are no excuses for breaching the protocols, they are our licence to continue playing – players have to comply, or we will all face the consequences.

“I want to be very clear, any material deliberate repeat offence by a player will result in us removing that player from the approved bubble roster.

“I’d like to thank Queensland Health for their ongoing assistance in managing the situation and ensuring community health and safety.”

Under the NRL’s biosecurity protocols, players are currently only allowed to leave their homes for training or to shop for essentials.

Arrow trained with the Maroons yesterday and the breach raises questions over game three, which will be held at Newcastle’s McDonald Jones Stadium.

It’s been a dramatic week for the NRL after the St George Illawarra BBQ saw more than $305,000 in fines for 13 Dragons players and Paul Vaughan’s contract with the club torn up.

It’s been a tough week for the Maroons with second rower David Fifita ruled out of the match by the NRL judiciary after failing to have a grade one dangerous contact charge downgraded.

Francis Molo will come in for Fifita, while 21-year-old Bronco Thomas Flegler is expected to replace Arrow on his Origin debut.

The Maroons are facing its first cleansweep series loss since 2000 and the first Origin cleansweep since 2010.

So far this series, NSW has won by a combined 76-6 in dominant victories in Queensland.

The final match of the series was moved from Stadium Australia to Newcastle due to Sydney’s Covid-19 outbreak.