Souths enforcer Jai Arrow responds to ugly clash with spectator after Bulldogs inflict Good Friday massacre on the Bunnies

South Sydney forward Jai Arrow has spoken out after a heated sideline clash with a Bulldogs fan overshadowed the Rabbitohs’ humiliating 32-0 loss to Canterbury on Good Friday.

The fiery moment occurred in the 65th minute at Accor Stadium as Arrow was substituted and made his way to the bench, where verbal abuse from a Bulldogs supporter triggered a tense confrontation.

Footage captured Arrow being held back by Souths staff, including former club stalwart John Sutton, as he exchanged words with the fan, who sat only a few rows behind the Rabbitohs’ bench.

‘Passion got the better of me,’ Arrow later told News Corp via text message. ‘Nothing to explain really. (There was) nothing in it.’

Police briefly spoke to the fan involved but allowed him to remain in the stadium, despite reports that something may have been thrown at Arrow during the confrontation.

‘You can’t be throwing stuff from the crowd, that’s terrible,’ former NRL player Aaron Woods said on Triple M.

All angles of the incident where Jai Arrow had to be physically restrained by Souths officials after taking offence to taunts from the Bulldogs crowd. pic.twitter.com/03fnaOpeMw

— NRLCentral (@nrlcentrall) April 18, 2025

South Sydney Rabbitohs forward Jai Arrow had a heated confrontation with a Bulldogs supporter in the stands during their Good Friday clash

Arrow’s teammate, English halfback Lewis Dodd, also came under fire from the same section of Bulldogs fans during the match.

‘I don’t think I can say (on the record) to be honest,’ Dodd said of the abuse he received. ‘That’s part of the game – there wasn’t any malice in it.’

John Sutton defended Arrow, saying the fan had been ‘carrying on’ all game and ‘kept swearing at Jai,’ but confirmed ‘it was all fine in the end.’

Souths coach Wayne Bennett didn’t offer much insight post-match.

‘I don’t know anything about that,’ Bennett said when asked to comment.

Captain Cody Walker, who was standing near Arrow, said he didn’t hear what was said due to the noise from the 65,305-strong crowd.

Former Bulldogs captain James Graham sympathised with Arrow but urged restraint.

‘Obviously he’s a passionate individual, his team has just been beaten 32-0,’ Graham said. ‘As long as it’s all fair game, Jai should be the better person and cop that.’

The clash with fans came on a forgettable day for Souths, who were dismantled by a ruthless Bulldogs side that remains undefeated in 2025.

Over 65,000 fans, mostly Bulldogs supporters, piled into Accor Stadium to watch the match

English star Lewis Dodd made his debut for the Rabbitohs under very difficult circumstances

Canterbury’s sixth-straight win marks the club’s best start to a season since 1938 and ended any hope of Latrell Mitchell’s five-eighth experiment continuing.

Mitchell had just one run in the first half before being shifted to centre in a reshuffle, as Souths struggled for direction and discipline.

‘They turned up. We weren’t at our best, they were,’ Bennett said bluntly. ‘We beat ourselves, that’s what we’ve got to take out of it.’

Canterbury raced to a 20-0 lead by halftime, powered by tireless efforts from props Josh Curran and Max King.

Curran crossed early after a sloppy Mitchell offload, and King later bulldozed over for his first try in 80 games, part of a 205-metre performance.

‘Max has been one of our most consistent for a long time now,’ coach Cameron Ciraldo said. ‘We just love him.’

Sitili Tupouniua and Jacob Preston added further tries before Bronson Xerri sealed the win, even as Canterbury finished with 12 men after Marcelo Montoya was sinbinned.

Ciraldo said the win was made even sweeter by the record crowd.

‘That (crowd) record is something we’ll always remember,’ he said. ‘It was a proud day to be a Bulldog.’

But for the Rabbitohs, the day was one to forget — both on the scoreboard and on the sideline.

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