Canterbury Crush Souths in Dominant Display, But Jai Arrow Incident Sours Good Friday Clash
The Canterbury Bulldogs continued their dream start to the season with a commanding 32-0 win over South Sydney on Good Friday, making it six wins from six and keeping their opponents scoreless for the second consecutive week. However, the emphatic performance was overshadowed by an ugly sideline incident involving Souths forward Jai Arrow and some unruly Bulldogs fans.
Tensions boiled over in the 65th minute when Arrow, clearly frustrated, was heckled as he left the field. The altercation escalated to the point where Arrow had to be physically restrained, and police were forced to intervene. Despite the intensity of the situation, no formal action was taken, and Arrow later downplayed the incident, telling reporters, “It’s all good mate, nothing in it. Passion got the better of me.”
Witnesses at Accor Stadium, where 65,000 fans had gathered, described the confrontation as highly emotional. Souths coaching staff, including club legend John Sutton, stepped in to help calm Arrow, noting that one fan in particular had been targeting the player with abusive language throughout the match.
“He was doing it the whole game,” Sutton said. “It was just one bloke carrying on. It was all fine in the end.”
The hostility wasn’t limited to Arrow. Bulldogs fans also directed abuse at Souths debutant Lewis Dodd before his eventual introduction just before the hour mark.
When asked about the confrontation, coach Wayne Bennett offered a blunt assessment: “It would have been good had he got upset on the football field. [But] I don’t know anything about it.”
On the pitch, Canterbury’s dominance was never in doubt. The Bulldogs capitalized on overwhelming possession in the first half to effectively seal the result by the break. Meanwhile, Souths continued to struggle with their spine, with Latrell Mitchell starting at five-eighth before being shifted to left centre in the second half as the team searched for answers.
The Bulldogs now look ahead to a mouth-watering clash with the Brisbane Broncos on Thursday night, where they’ll have a chance to further cement their premiership credentials.
