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Jack Bird returns to St George Illawarra after injury-plagued stint at Broncos
Jack Bird’s time at the Broncos has been dogged by a series of injuries
Jack Bird is coming home. Back to where it all began. He never played first grade for St George Illawarra but he is a Wollongong boy who always planned to return to the Dragons at some point in his career.
That time has now arrived, albeit ahead of schedule and under circumstances that he still finds difficult to fully comprehend. He will return to pre-season training on November 17 under Anthony Griffin with a chip on his shoulder and a determination to prove a point to those who question whether multiple knee reconstructions have tempered his ability.
On his day, Bird is a State of Origin player. Those days were few and far between at the Brisbane Broncos thanks to two catastrophic injuries. As he recovered from a second knee surgery, Bird got the sense that he was unwanted.
Brisbane coach Kevin Walters told Bird that he would like him to stay and see out the final year of his contract, worth upwards of $950,000. Others told Bird that he was free to go because the Broncos needed to ease the strain on their salary cap.
“Kevvie kept telling me he wanted me to stay,” Bird told The Weekend Australian.
“I felt like if he wanted me to stay he could have stepped in. I love Kev. Me and Kev are good mates. There are no hard feelings.
“I understand the reasons they want to get rid of me. I spoke to Kev last night. He rang me and asked if I was going.
“I told Kev I understand from your point of view and the club’s point of view that you want to free up some (salary cap) space.
“It is a business in the end. I was looking forward to playing for Kev this year but obviously they had different intentions.
“They wanted to get rid of me — they might not tell me that — but I know they wanted to get rid of me.”
Fortunately, the Dragons stepped in with a contract that provided Bird with some certainty. He inked a two-year-deal that will be supplemented by the Broncos and provide the added bonus of allowing him to return to family — genetic as well as his footballing.
Bird played junior rugby league for the Berkeley Eagles and under 20s for the Dragons before signing with Cronulla. He moved away from his nearest and dearest to join the Broncos but was given a painful reminder of the importance of family only last month when his grandmother passed away.
“I saw her a week before she passed away,” Bird said.
“She got real sick. She had a heart attack. Life is too short. You never know when you will take your last breath. I want to be around my family.
“I am happy to be home. It was a tougher decision than what everyone would think. Last night I woke up at 4am in the morning, laying in my bed thinking am I making the right decision here.
“I know deep down it is the right decision. I always had a plan on coming back to the Dragons and where I started.
“I never thought it would be this early in my career. Hopefully I can get my body up and going and prove to everyone what I can do.
“I have had a lot of people write me off and I am only 25. I am a big NFL fan and I see people over there who have been through the same injury and come back.
“It is not the end. I will be wanted (at the Dragons) and I won’t feel like I am walking around with people thinking they don’t want me there. “
Bird only played 17 games over his three years in Brisbane. He played eight games in 2018 before shoulder and sternum injuries cut his season short. He managed nine games in 2019 before he suffered his first knee reconstruction.
This year he missed the entire season when he suffered a knee injury in pre-season. He is expected to make his return for the Dragons in the back row as Griffin looks to ease him back into action.
Once he has some confidence in his knee, he is expected to be moved to a position where his explosive power will be better used.
“I am a bit nervous,” Bird said.
“My plan was to stay (at the Broncos) for the full contract. It just didn’t go to plan and the Broncos didn’t want me there.
“I didn’t want to be a burden to the club. I obviously didn’t show them my best because I was injured and when I was on the field, I didn’t stay on it very long.
“It was very tough. It is one of those things where I moved my life up there to play for another team and I was all-in.
“It just didn’t work out. It just didn’t go to plan. I felt like I needed a change as well because of what has gone on up there with me.
“I felt like they gave up on me because of my injuries. There is no better feeling than coming back to Wollongong and back to the Dragons, where it all started.”
His plan is to be back for round one next year and hit the ground running.
“I should be right for round one but in saying that I don’t want to rush my body,” he said.
“I have been through too much already. I want to make sure I am 100 per cent right in my body and my head. I think once I get that sorted I will be back to where I was — or even better.
“I feel strong.I just need to get this knee right. There is no doubt about any other parts of my body. I have no doubt in my mind I can get back to where I was.
“I am ready to prove everyone wrong. I have been in the background for too long. I know once my body is 100 per cent I will be twice the player I was. I need to be happy.
“If I am happy, I am going to play my best footy.”
BRENT READ
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