The Australian musicians who will perform an emotional NRL Grand Final tribute to South Sydney Rabbitohs forward Jai Arrow have been confirmed.
Amy Shark will headline the special tribute, joined by members of Grinspoon, The Screaming Jets, Peking Duk and Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers.
Together, they will perform Gerry and the Pacemakers’ iconic anthem You’ll Never Walk Alone in honour of Jai, who has been diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND).
The song carries particular meaning for the Rabbitohs star. He entered the field to the anthem before making his 100th NRL appearance last month.
According to The Australian, every artist taking part will donate their appearance fee to MND-related causes.
Jai is expected to complete a lap of honour around the stadium in a car at 7.05pm on Sunday, 25 minutes before the 7.30pm kick-off.
Amy Shark is among the Australian musicians performing in an emotional NRL Grand Final tribute to South Sydney Rabbitohs star Jai Arrow
The performers will sing Gerry and the Pacemakers’ classic You’ll Never Walk Alone for the Souths player, who has been diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND)
The 82,000 spectators will also be invited to make a bow-and-arrow gesture in Jai’s honour. The celebration has become a familiar show of support for Arrow this season, after players began performing it whenever they scored tries.
Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V’landys is moving away from the traditional approach of paying for a major headline act before the NRL Grand Final.
Instead, he plans to place greater emphasis on what he has called the “moments that matter” in rugby league.
The decision follows criticism from some fans, who accused the NRL of being “exploitative” after it failed to secure a replacement headline performer when Tones and I withdrew just two weeks before the Grand Final.
Last week, V’landys described traditional NRL Grand Final entertainment as unnecessary and a poor use of money.
“We’ve been toying with the idea for a couple of years of, rather than spending $100,000 a minute over 11 minutes on a performer, putting that money into grassroots causes for underprivileged kids,” he said.
“The kids who can’t play with their mates, the kids who can’t afford their registration and those who can’t afford to buy their boots.
“I think that would be a much better use of our money than spending it on 11 minutes that nobody really cares about.”
Amy Shark will be joined by members of Grinspoon
Peking Duk will also perform during the NRL Grand Final tribute
Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers are also scheduled to take the stage
“It’s a bit like buying a cheeseburger for the pickle. You don’t do that. You buy it for the cheeseburger.”
When Tones and I dropped out of the pre-game entertainment just weeks away from the match, reports ran rife that she’d refused to perform her biggest hit, Dance Monkey, despite the NRL’s insistence she do so.
Tones, whose real name is Toni Watson, first made a pointed statement on her Instagram Stories last Wednesday, listing a number of Aussie artists who ‘also deserve opportunities’ including G Flip, Baker Boy, Budjerah and Miss Kaninna.
‘Not even scratching the surface of how many incredible artists we have in this country,’ she wrote.
By that afternoon, management for the 33-year-old released a statement indicating that the cancellation was over a clash with a gig date in the USA with rapper Macklemore, rather than a dispute with the NRL over the setlist.
‘Tones was recently approached to perform the pre-show at the NRL grand final,’ manager Regan Lethbridge said in a statement to ABC Sport.
Each performer is also donating their appearance fee to MND causes. Pictured: Dave Gleeson and Jimi Hocking of the Screaming Jets, whoare also on the lineup
‘An offer was presented to Tones via management on September 5.
‘Tones had a prior commitment with Macklemore in America and explored all avenues to make it work.
‘Nothing was signed or confirmed in writing. Due to the last-minute nature and prior commitments by Tones, we were unable to accept the offer.
‘We wish the NRL nothing but the very best for their event.’
Pre-game entertainment is a major drawcard for the grand final, with massive names brought in for previous years.
In 2025, American singer Teddy Swims headlined, with The Kid Laroi taking the stage in 2024.
Others who have graced the NRL stage include Good Charlotte, Jimmy Barnes and Tina Turner.