Rabbitohs hold off Knights 26-24 in Arrow birthday fundraiser

South Sydney defeated Newcastle 26-24 at Accor Stadium on Sunday. Fans raised more than $1 million for motor neurone disease research during the event marking Jai Arrow's 31st birthday. Rabbitohs supporters arrived wearing cardinal and myrtle party hats and consumed about 120 kilograms of cake. The match served as a fundraiser for Arrow, his family, and motor neurone disease research.

Match summary South Sydney led 26-6 before Newcastle scored three tries in seven minutes to close the gap to 26-24 with four minutes remaining. A late captain's challenge and a final pass that sailed out of bounds preserved the Rabbitohs victory. Matt Dufty recorded three try-assists, four line-break assists, and 215 running metres.

Newcastle's Kalyn Ponga scored two tries in the comeback attempt.

Player absences and injuries South Sydney played without Cody Walker and Latrell Mitchell. Bud Sullivan left the field twice with head knocks, and Euan Aitken played 14 minutes before reporting shortness of breath. Arrow stated in a pre-game interview that he aimed to build awareness and help find a cure for motor neurone disease. The crowd numbered 30,113.