“I got told pretty early if the shoulder was no good, I’d need surgery, and I’d be out for the year. I was prepared for that on Wednesday. But there were no scary moments. It will now come down to pain management.
“I won’t play with needles. It’s my call. There’s no pressure from the club, but if I need a needle, I’ll only be a liability out there. I don’t want to go out half-arsed and be that liability for the boys.
“I got through it, so it looks like I’ll definitely play next week. I’m excited to be back playing some footy.”
Arrow came into last season with a hamstring injury, reinjured it in round one, then missed a couple of months in the middle of the year when he was the victim of a hip-drop tackle and busted his ankle.
Souths head to Melbourne with the spotlight firmly on coach Jason Demetriou, whose heavyweight side sits 1-5. Penrith await the following week.
Arrow has been frustrated by the constant heat on the coach, who was this week joined by new assistant Dave Furner.
“It’s tough to talk about because I feel sorry for him and his family and what he’s gone through,” Arrow said of Demetriou. “As a player, it’s my job and duty to go out and play for him, and play good footy.”
Jye Gray will retain the No.1 jersey in Mitchell’s absence and will have two weeks to nail his fullback audition and keep the job permanently.
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Arrow said he had quickly adopted Gray as his “son”, partly because of his first name, and partly because he was also from the Gold Coast.
“When I noticed he was an absolute gun, I thought I might as well claim him as my son,” Arrow said. “People have spoken about his height, but he’s deceptively strong, and he’s got a big heart.”
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