It is who Jai Arrow is and what he stands for that has been hailed by South Sydney players as crucial after qualifying for their first NRL finals series in four seasons.
The 42-22 win over Gold Coast in Robina on Saturday took the Rabbitohs to sixth and into the finals for the first time since 2022.
Arrow, 31, led the side out as captain in an emotional start to the match where he notched his 99th NRL game for the Rabbitohs after the NRL gave permission for him to be subbed off straight away.
Cameron Murray, the regular skipper, ran on as Arrow came off to appreciative applause as he continues to fight on after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) earlier this year.
Murray scored two tries and set up two in an opening 27-minute burst to secure a 28-0 lead.
Five-eighth Cody Walker revealed the depth of the emotions that the players have dealt with this year after Arrow's diagnosis.
Only those inside the Rabbitohs' four walls can know what that has truly been like, but the performance against the Titans epitomised the Arrow mentality and ethos.
South Sydney backed their skill and competitive spirit in the opening points blitz and then showed tenacity and fight when the Titans cut the gap to 12 points.
"It's sort of not a great thing to say but it is a sad thing we have gotten used to ... everything that has gone on this year with Jai's diagnosis" Walker told AAP.
"I shouldn't say 'got used to' but we have sort of learned to live with it, if that makes sense, without treating him differently because he doesn't deserve that.
"For us it is about showing some of the strengths that Jai brought to a footy team and the club.
"I thought that through the real tough periods against the Titans we showed a little bit of that. We were on the ropes there and they were coming home with a wet sail and it was just a bit of hard work that got us out of trouble."
Walker, a deep thinker about life and the game itself, said the positives from the day were a two-way street.
"One thing for me on a personal level that I hope Jai got out of today was not just how much he means to our club, but for the wider community," Walker said.
"That includes the whole of Australia and I am sure he is getting support world-wide as well, which is outstanding
"It is a real credit to his demeanour, a real credit to his character and a real credit to the way he lives his life. I hope he just felt the love today."
Murray said the Rabbitohs wanted to set the match up in the opening to the match and credited Arrow for his own adherence to the plan.
"We were able to execute it and obviously there was heightened emotion around Jai," Murray said.
"We spoke about him at the start of the game and what he does and what he did for us every time he ran out on the field.
"We channelled that energy in the right way, started really well and it set the game up for us."
