Jai Arrow travels to Spain for MND treatment, Shane Flanagan reveals abuse of wife as Dragons coach

Jai Arrow is making his way to Spain to prepare himself for formal treatment for Motor Neurone Disease, in a move the 30-year-old is calling “the fight for my life”.

Watch every game of every round of the Premiership Season LIVE with no ad-breaks during play on FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.

Barely a week after shocking the NRL world when announcing his medical retirement from football due to the cruel neurodegenerative condition, Arrow boarded a plane out of Sydney on Friday night, headed for a neurological wellness retreat in Spain.

The centre will help best prepare Arrow for his battle against MND in terms of nutrition, sleep, fitness and psychological strategies.

It is understood Arrow boarded the first plane available after finalising his plans earlier in the day.

“It’s the first step for me to mentally prepare for what is going to be a pretty hefty battle,” Arrow told Code Sports.

“I’ll be doing everything – hyperbaric chamber, diet, exercise. I am really looking forward to getting over there, learning and then coming home and getting stuck into this bastard.

“I’m going to get away from reality for a bit and then I’ll come home and face the music.”

Get all the latest NRL news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now!!!

Arrow’s public battle against MND has inspired the NRL world, with players, coaches and fans alike rallying behind the former Rabbitoh. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has also been part of the outpouring of support.

Arrow’s announcement earlier this month came as a shock given his age and the fact he was still playing professional sport.

Symptoms of the disease first presented in Arrow’s left shoulder late last year. His speech has also deteriorated in recent months.

Arrow has vowed to fight the disease head-on.

“I want to help find a cure and inspire people,” he said.

“I’m going over there to get ready to fight for my life.

“I’ll be honest, I have my moments, but I make sure they’re not around my family, friends and daughter. I have been dealt these cards and I just have to put up with it.”

Arrow’s trip to Spain marks a huge two-week period, which also included time in the Queensland Origin camp for the former Maroon before joining the squad from the stands at Accor Stadium.

Arrow played 12 Origins during his career, as well as 178 NRL appearances across the Brisbane Broncos, Gold Coast Titans and Rabbitohs.

FLANAGAN OPENS UP ON UGLY SIDE TO COACHING

Former NRL coach Shane Flanagan has opened up on his recent departure from the Dragons and how “abusive emails” took a toll on his family.

Flanagan and the Dragons parted ways in late April, with Flanagan conceding on Saturday afternoon that he “didn’t want to leave”.

“It’s been tough, real tough. I love my job, I love coaching, I didn’t want to leave,” he said on Triple M.

“But we lost six or seven in a row. I’ve always had the belief that there’s no one person bigger than the club.”

Flanagan revealed he had some “good chats” with both CEO Tim Watsford and Chairman Andrew Lancaster at the time, agreeing that the club needed to do “something to break the cycle”.

Get all the latest NRL news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now!!!

To that effect, Flanagan told the club’s powerbrokers that while he was happy to stay on he also understood that maybe it was time to “go in another direction”.

“They weren’t sold on it,” Flanagan added.

“But in the end I just felt that (the fact the Dragons are a big club), the media attention to it, get Kyle some space so I think that’s really important.”

In saying that, Flanagan also conceded over the last few weeks he has been asking himself why he is not sitting in the coach’s box. But in the end, he knows there were reasons he decided to step away from it all.

Some of it, of course, was results-driven. But there was another ugly side to coaching.

“There were people emailing my wife, the stuff around Kyle,” he added.

“I just needed to get away from it and at the time I just thought it was the best thing to do for me and my family. My wife doesn’t deserve to get emails, abusive emails, threatening emails.”

Click here to read article