Jack Bird: "I wouldn't be here if I hadn't left the Dragons."

[DB]

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...s/news-story/03a90c5ef1fd696168db26bc2feba70d

JACK Bird has declared his decision to sever ties with St George Illawarra as the greatest call of his fledgling career.

Bird, 21, who makes his Origin debut tonight, stunned Dragons officials in 2014 by signing a two-year deal with archrivals Cronulla.

A Wollongong local junior, Bird was the Dragons’ under-20s captain and having been chosen in NSW representative sides since the age of 15, was always destined to play NRL.

But with Josh Dugan holding down the Dragons’ fullback jumper, Bird didn’t want to wait for his shot any longer and jumped at a promise from Sharks coach Shane Flanagan of an NRL-squad position.

Less than six months later, Bird announced himself as a future star, making his debut in round four of the 2015 season from the Sharks interchange bench.

The following week, he started the match at five-eighth, scoring two tries against the Sydney Roosters.

By the end of the year, he would be named NRL rookie of the year.

“I think back now and if I stayed at the Dragons I probably wouldn’t have got the chances I had at the Sharks,’’ Bird said. “I wouldn’t have played five-eighth at the Dragons, I wouldn’t have set the mark I have today.

“The Sharks is the best move I’ve ever made, 100 per cent. I’ve met a lot of good blokes, they’re all my best mates now.’’

Bird, who has played just 36 NRL matches, follows in the footsteps of NSW legend Brad Fittler and champion forward Bradley Clyde, to claim a state jumper after their rookie season.

Fittler was chosen for the Blues after 12 matches, while Clyde made his Origin debut after 21 NRL games.

Bird, alongside Paul Gallen, Andrew Fifita and James Maloney, is one of four Sharks to represent NSW on Wednesday night. It is the most amount of Cronulla players to step out for the Blues in 16 years.

Gallen said Bird’s week has been made easier by being surrounded by so many familiar faces.

“I remember my debut I came in on my own into a team that had been together for three or four years and I felt like an outsider,’’ Gallen said.

“And he’s come in and he’s got us boys to hang around and bounce things off. He’s a pretty cool, calm and collected kid anyway so I think it’s really good for him to be playing in this environment.

“He’s got a lot of confidence with where he’s at the moment and every knows how tough he is, he’ll handle this just fine.’’

 

[hewi]

He won't be coming back I'd say.

 

[Jason Maher]

We just dun got #rekt

 

[2010]

Good luck to him. Another example of Saint's recruitment and player retention

 

[saints4me]

Another piece of piss journalism from DAVID RICCIO from The Sydney Daily Tell U Crap. Can't blame him I guess. Gets told what to write in a rag that's struggling for relevance. This paper is the horse and cart of the 21st century.
Still rings true:-

The Sydney Daily Tell-U-Crap. The job you get when you can't get a job as a print journalist at a newspaper.

 

[Caped Crusader]

Filler piece or not, its 100% truth

 

[grouch]

Another piece of piss journalism from DAVID RICCIO from The Sydney Daily Tell U Crap. Can't blame him I guess. Gets told what to write in a rag that's struggling for relevance. This paper is the horse and cart of the 21st century.
Still rings true:-

The Sydney Daily Tell-U-Crap. The job you get when you can't get a job as a print journalist at a newspaper.

I agree with this sentiment entirely.. but.. there are direct quotes from Jack Bird. Hard to deny that. He smacked us pretty well here, and rightly so

 

[BennyV]

Yeah, seems like a bit of a cheap shot from Bird, but hard to argue with any of it...

 

[BringTheNoise]

We just dun got #rekt

:lol:

 

[Get2dachopper!]

And we were suppose to be a chance of signing this guy at the end of next season, hence the reason to offer Beijing one more year? Yeah right! We will end up with bananas, which is exactly what the monkeys at the dragons deserve.

 

[dino2170]

get rd of mary

 

[rainman44]

get rd of mary

Exactly.... How is Neil Henry going ?

 

[TruSaint]

I agree with this sentiment entirely.. but.. there are direct quotes from Jack Bird. Hard to deny that. He smacked us pretty well here, and rightly so

He said what was expected of him to say. Great time to do it. Pre SOO. As to direct quotes, im sure players are well scripted on what to say and what to avoid.

Hope he backs up his confidence tonight. ;-)

 

[nrlnrl]

Yeah, seems like a bit of a cheap shot from Bird, but hard to argue with any of it...

I know what you mean, but I don't think Bird intended it as a cheap shot, just told the truth. I'm sure it was an easy question to ask as it gives the story a headline. I believe we should all print it off & mail it in a letter to the club.

 

[TruSaint]

I know what you mean, but I don't think Bird intended it as a cheap shot, just told the truth. I'm sure it was an easy question to ask as it gives the story a headline. I believe we should all print it off & mail it in a letter to the club.

PRETTY sure the club has seen and read it mate..

 

[FlameThrower]

Embarrassing and straight after the Keary disaster , not to mention Coote rejection and numerous other signings that did not occur, paints a bad picture. Meanwhile the Benji saga continues, Farrel and Creagh in limbo and Rein is not sorted out, either the whole recruitment retention is stuffed up or I'm seeing different to the Club?
Btw we are dreaming if Bird or Holmes will leave a club on the rise anyway and the final nail has been the hoopla of Bruce Gorden being the saviour , that's all fizzled out to nothing as well..

 

[BringTheNoise]

Embarrassing and straight after the Keary disaster , not to mention Coote rejection and numerous other signings that did not occur, paints a bad picture. Meanwhile the Benji saga continues, Farrel and Creagh in limbo and Rein is not sorted out, either the whole recruitment retention is stuffed up or I'm seeing different to the Club?
Btw we are dreaming if Bird or Holmes will leave a club on the rise anyway and the final nail has been the hoopla of Bruce Gorden being the saviour , that's all fizzled out to nothing as well..

I think the unfortunate reality is that to rebuild this club we're going to have to pay significant overs to land a marquee signing and try and build a club around them. Good players attract good players.
Right now we have very little to offer at the negotiating table. We're not a premiership threat and don't look like being one any time soon. We don't have a coach with a track record of developing players and we don't have any players on our roster that other players would want to come and play alongside. I doubt a single free agent out there is thinking "geez I would love to play alongside Gareth Widdop!".

For 2017 I wouldn't be re-signing a single off contract player, including Marshall, Rein and Thompson. I would make a BIG play for Kodi Nikorima and Matt Gillett. I would promote Mann to starting half and also make a big play for Valentine Holmes.

2018 I would throw absurd amounts of money at Jack Bird.

A spine of Nikorima, Mann, Bird and Holmes to move this team forward into the future.

 

[Coffs dragon]

The truth sometimes hurts and he's only saying what we all know and see. The problem is the old boys brigade running the club have their heads up their arises. In the last 6 years our once mighty club has morphed into the old sharks....an embarrassing joke full of journeyman and reject players.

 

[GC Dragon]

News up here has said that Kodi Nikorima is off to the Storm and Jayden Nikorima is going back to the Bronco's . Best said to be done deals announced after the 10 day cooling off period ..So we will see . And Matt Gillett actually laughed about the possibility of him joining the Dragons . He will re-sign with the Bronco's after origin .

I have been told the sticking point with Cronk and the Storm is he wants a 3 year deal and they are offering a 2 year deal . If we got really serious and payed way overs like 1.5 mil a year for 3 years we might just get him ....But the question is ..Do we want him that bad and are we willing to pay that kind of money ?

 

[TruSaint]

I think the unfortunate reality is that to rebuild this club we're going to have to pay significant overs to land a marquee signing and try and build a club around them. Good players attract good players.
Right now we have very little to offer at the negotiating table. We're not a premiership threat and don't look like being one any time soon. We don't have a coach with a track record of developing players and we don't have any players on our roster that other players would want to come and play alongside. I doubt a single free agent out there is thinking "geez I would love to play alongside Gareth Widdop!".

For 2017 I wouldn't be re-signing a single off contract player, including Marshall, Rein and Thompson. I would make a BIG play for Kodi Nikorima and Matt Gillett. I would promote Mann to starting half and also make a big play for Valentine Holmes.

2018 I would throw absurd amounts of money at Jack Bird.

A spine of Nikorima, Mann, Bird and Holmes to move this team forward into the future.

Thompson is about to re-sign a 2 year deal according to all reports. Happy with that.

Mann, as good as he has played last 2 games on the wing, is your answer to HB ?

Lets see how Bird goes before we do a DCE or Foran and throw "absurd money " at him.