Jack Bird
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Jack Bird (born 20 March 1995) is an Australian professional
rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...
footballer who plays as a and forward for the
Wests Tigers The Wests Tigers is an Australian professional rugby league football team, based in the Inner West of Sydney and South Western Sydney. The Tigers have competed in the National Rugby League (NRL) since being formed at the end of the 1999 N ...
in the
National Rugby League The National Rugby League (also known as the NRL Telstra Premiership for sponsorship reasons) is a professional rugby league competition in Oceania which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria (state), Victoria, the Austral ...
(NRL). Bird previously played for the
Brisbane Broncos The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Red Hill, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland. Founded in April 1987, the Broncos compete in the National Rugby League (NRL) and play their home games at ...
, St. George Illawarra Dragons and
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are an Australian professional rugby league club based in the Sutherland Shire of Southern Sydney, Southern Sydney, New South Wales. Cronulla compete in the National Rugby League (NRL), Australasia's premier rugb ...
where he won the 2016 NRL Grand Final. He is a
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
State of Origin,
Country Origin The Country New South Wales rugby league team is a representative rugby league football team. Between 1987 and 2017 there were two tiers: the Origin team that consisted of professional players who originated from clubs of the Country Rugby Leagu ...
,
Prime Minister's XIII Prime Minister's XIII, or sometimes informally referred to as the PM's XIII, a representative rugby league team, comprising Australian players from National Rugby League clubs that did not qualify for the NRL Finals, or whose teams were knocked ...
and Indigenous All Stars representative. Bird


Background

Bird was born in
Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia Wollongong ( ; Dharawal: ''Woolyungah'') is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near water' or 'sound ...
, and is of
Indigenous Australian Indigenous Australians are people with familial heritage from, or recognised membership of, the various ethnic groups living within the territory of contemporary Australia prior to History of Australia (1788–1850), British colonisation. The ...
descent. Bird played his junior rugby league for the
Berkeley Eagles The Berkeley Eagles are an Australian rugby league football team based in Berkeley, a suburb of Wollongong. The club are a part of Country Rugby League and has competed in the Illawarra competition. History Name and Emblem The Eagles logo consi ...
, before being signed by the
St George Illawarra Dragons The St. George Illawarra Dragons are an Australian professional rugby league football club, representing both the Illawarra and St George regions of New South Wales. The club has competed in the National Rugby League (NRL) since 1999 after a j ...
.


Playing career


Early career

In 2013 and 2014, Bird played for the St. George Illawarra Dragons' NYC team playing 37 games and scoring 15 tries for 60 points. On 3 May 2014, Bird played for the
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
under-20s team against the
Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
under-20s team, playing at lock in the 30–8 win at
Penrith Stadium Penrith Stadium, currently known as BlueBet Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a rugby league and association football stadium located in Penrith, New South Wales, Australia. The 22,500 capacity venue is the home ground for the Penrith Panthe ...
. On 18 September 2014 Bird signed a two-year contract with the
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are an Australian professional rugby league club based in the Sutherland Shire of Southern Sydney, Southern Sydney, New South Wales. Cronulla compete in the National Rugby League (NRL), Australasia's premier rugb ...
starting in 2015. On 18 October 2014, Bird played for the
Junior Kangaroos The Junior Kangaroos side represents Australia in the sport of rugby league. They are commonly known as the Junior Kangaroos, after the native marsupial of that name. Since 2019, they are an under-23 side, with players selected from the NRL. Th ...
against the
Junior Kiwis The Junior Kiwis side represents New Zealand in the sport of rugby league. They are commonly known as the Junior Kiwis, after the native bird of that name. Since 2010, they are an under-20s side, with players selected from the NRL, Intrust Sup ...
, playing at centre in the 15–14 loss at
Mt Smart Stadium Mount Smart Stadium, currently known as Go Media Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in the suburb of Penrose, Auckland, New Zealand. It is the main home ground of the New Zealand Warriors of the National Rugby League a ...
.


2015

On 31 January and 1 February 2015, Bird played for Cronulla-Sutherland in the
2015 NRL Auckland Nines The 2015 NRL Auckland Nines (known as the Dick Smith NRL Auckland Nines due to sponsorship) was the second NRL Auckland Nines tournament, contested between all sixteen teams of the National Rugby League. The draw was released on 16 September 20 ...
. In round 4 of the
2015 NRL season The 2015 NRL season was the 108th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 18th season of the National Rugby League in Australia and New Zealand. The season started in New Zealand with the annual Auckland Nines, which was followe ...
, Bird made his
NRL The National Rugby League (also known as the NRL Telstra Premiership for sponsorship reasons) is a professional rugby league competition in Oceania which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria (state), Victoria, the Austral ...
debut for the
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are an Australian professional rugby league club based in the Sutherland Shire of Southern Sydney, Southern Sydney, New South Wales. Cronulla compete in the National Rugby League (NRL), Australasia's premier rugb ...
against the
Gold Coast Titans The Gold Coast Titans are a professional rugby league football club, based on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. The club competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership, Australia's elite rugby league competition. Since 2008, the ...
, playing off the interchange bench in Cronulla's 24–22 loss at
Shark Park Endeavour Field, known colloquially as Shark Park or Sharks Stadium, is a rugby league stadium in the southern Sydney suburb of Woolooware, New South Wales, Australia. It is the home ground of the Cronulla-Sutherland Rugby League Club, which re ...
. In his next match in round 5 against the
Sydney Roosters Eastern Suburbs District Rugby League Football Club, known as the Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), Eastern Suburbs. The club competes in the National Rugby Lea ...
, Bird played at five-eighth for Cronulla-Sutherland in the absence of regular five-eighth
Ben Barba Benjamin Barba (born 13 June 1989) is an Australian former professional dual code rugby league & rugby union footballer who last played for St Helens in the Super League. He primarily played as a or . Barba won the Dally M Medal award for ...
. Bird scored two tries and set up another in the Sharks' 20–12 upset win over the 2013 premiers, causing him to be selected again at five-eighth the next week ahead of Barba who was named on the interchange bench. On 3 May 2015, Bird played for New South Wales Country against New South Wales City in the 2015
City vs Country Origin City vs Country Origin was an annual Australian rugby league football match that took place in New South Wales between City and Country representative sides. The City side represented the Sydney metropolitan area. While technically it was Syd ...
match, playing at halfback in Country's 34–22 win at
Wagga Wagga Wagga Wagga (; informally called Wagga) is a major regional city in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Murrumbidgee River, with an urban population of more than 57,003 as of 2021, it is an important agricultural, m ...
. On 28 September 2015, at the
2015 Dally M Awards The 2015 Dally M Awards were presented on Monday 28 September 2015 at Sydney's Star Casino and was broadcast on Fox Sports. They are the official annual awards of the National Rugby League and are named after Dally Messenger. Halfback Johnath ...
night, Bird was named the Dally M Rookie of the Year after playing in 23 matches and scoring 8 tries for Cronulla.


2016

On 15 January 2016, Bird re-signed with Cronulla-Sutherland on a one-year contract. In February 2016, Bird played for the Sharks in the
2016 NRL Auckland Nines The 2016 NRL Auckland Nines (known as the Downer NRL Auckland Nines due to sponsorship) was the third NRL Auckland Nines competition. It was held on 6–7 February 2016 at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand. As with previous tournaments, it wa ...
. On 8 May 2016, Bird played for Country Origin against City Origin, where he played at halfback in the 44–30 loss in Tamworth. On 22 June 2016, Bird made his representative debut for
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
in Game 2 of the 2016 State of Origin series, where played he filled the void on the interchange bench for Dylan Walker who shifted to centre in the 26–16 loss at
Suncorp Stadium Brisbane Stadium (Lang Park), currently known as Suncorp Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in the suburb of Milton, Queensland, Milton, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Nicknamed The Cauldron, it is a three-tiered rect ...
. Bird also played in Game 3, where he again played off interchange bench in the Blues 18–14 win at
ANZ Stadium Stadium Australia, currently known as Accor Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium located in the suburb of Sydney Olympic Park, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The stadium, which is sometimes referred to as Sydney Ol ...
. On 2 October 2016, in Cronulla's 2016 NRL Grand Final against the
Melbourne Storm The Melbourne Storm is a rugby league football club based in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia that participates in the National Rugby League (NRL). The club plays its home games at AAMI Park, and wears a purple and navy blu ...
, Bird played at centre and bravely played the majority of the match with an elbow injury in the historic 14–12 victory. Bird finished his successful
2016 NRL season The 2016 NRL season was the 109th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 19th season run by the National Rugby League. The season started in New Zealand with the annual Auckland Nines, and was followed by the All Stars Match, ...
with him playing in 26 matches and scoring 6 tries for Cronulla-Sutherland.


2017

In February 2017, Bird was selected in the Sharks
2017 NRL Auckland Nines The 2017 NRL Auckland Nines (known as the Downer NRL Auckland Nines due to sponsorship) was the fourth NRL Auckland Nines competition. It was held on 4–5 February 2017 at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand. Just like previous tournaments, it ...
squad. On 10 February 2017, Bird played for the Indigenous All Stars against the
World All Stars The NRL All Stars team was a rugby league football team made up of professional players in the National Rugby League. These players were selected by fan vote. However, fans were only allowed to select one player from each NRL team to join the Au ...
in the 2017 All Stars match, starting at centre and scoring a try in the 34–8 win at
Hunter Stadium Newcastle International Sports Centre, currently known as McDonald Jones Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose sports stadium located in Newcastle, New South Wales, Newcastle, Australia. The ground is home to the Newcastle Knight ...
. On 13 April 2017, it was announced that Bird signed a lucrative four-year deal, worth $4 million with the
Brisbane Broncos The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Red Hill, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland. Founded in April 1987, the Broncos compete in the National Rugby League (NRL) and play their home games at ...
starting in 2018. For the
2017 State of Origin series The 2017 State of Origin series was the 36th State of Origin series, annual best-of-three series between the Queensland rugby league team, Queensland and New South Wales rugby league team, New South Wales rugby league teams. Before this series Q ...
, Bird played in all 3 matches off the interchange bench for the Blues in their 2–1 series loss. Bird finished his last year with
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are an Australian professional rugby league club based in the Sutherland Shire of Southern Sydney, Southern Sydney, New South Wales. Cronulla compete in the National Rugby League (NRL), Australasia's premier rugb ...
with him playing in 17 matches and scoring 3 tries in the
2017 NRL season The 2017 NRL season was the 110th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 20th season run by the National Rugby League. The season started in New Zealand with the annual Auckland Nines, and was followed by the All Stars Match, ...
. On 23 September 2017, Bird played for
Prime Minister's XIII Prime Minister's XIII, or sometimes informally referred to as the PM's XIII, a representative rugby league team, comprising Australian players from National Rugby League clubs that did not qualify for the NRL Finals, or whose teams were knocked ...
against
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...
, starting at five-eighth in the 48–8 win in
Port Moresby (; Tok Pisin: ''Pot Mosbi''), also referred to as Pom City or simply Moresby, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea. It is one of the largest cities in the southwestern Pacific (along with Jayapura) outside of Australia and New ...
.


2018

When Bird arrived in Brisbane he had an existing shoulder injury that he suffered at the end of the 2017 season and Broncos coach Wayne Bennett claimed that the Sharks did not disclose the full extent of his injury before his move, the Broncos were only aware of his injury by Bird himself and that he needed surgery that would’ve ruled him out for till at least Round 4. In round 3 of the
2018 NRL season The 2018 NRL season was the 111th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 21st season run by the National Rugby League. The main competition, known as the 2018 Telstra Premiership due to sponsorship from Telstra, featured 16 team ...
, Bird made his club debut for Brisbane earlier than expected against the
Wests Tigers The Wests Tigers is an Australian professional rugby league football team, based in the Inner West of Sydney and South Western Sydney. The Tigers have competed in the National Rugby League (NRL) since being formed at the end of the 1999 N ...
, playing at centre in the gritty 9–7 win at
Campbelltown Stadium Campbelltown Sports Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Leumeah, a suburb in South Western Sydney, Australia, owned by Campbelltown City Council. Formerly known as Orana Park and Campbelltown Sports Ground, it is currently the home ground ...
. After the match Bird was heavily criticised by NRL fans for looking overweight, Bird commenting, "I don't really care what they think to be honest", "I'm happy with my weight, I feel good, "I do have to lose some body fat but it comes with time, being injured doesn't help, "Give me time and hopefully I can slim down a little bit but I'm feeling healthy." In round 10 against the
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Sydney's Northern Beaches. They compete in the National Rugby League (NRL). The Manly club debuted in the 1947 New South Wales Rugby Football League sea ...
, Bird succumbed to the sternum injury that has plagued him for nine months and end his season early during Brisbane's 38–24 loss at
Suncorp Stadium Brisbane Stadium (Lang Park), currently known as Suncorp Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in the suburb of Milton, Queensland, Milton, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Nicknamed The Cauldron, it is a three-tiered rect ...
. Bird would have a horror
2018 NRL season The 2018 NRL season was the 111th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 21st season run by the National Rugby League. The main competition, known as the 2018 Telstra Premiership due to sponsorship from Telstra, featured 16 team ...
, only playing in 8 matches for the Broncos because of his shoulder and sternum injuries were still ongoing during the year.


2019

Bird made his return for Brisbane in the 2019 season opening round 1 match against the
Melbourne Storm The Melbourne Storm is a rugby league football club based in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia that participates in the National Rugby League (NRL). The club plays its home games at AAMI Park, and wears a purple and navy blu ...
, playing at centre in the 22–12 loss at
AAMI Park The Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, currently known as AAMI Park for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct in the suburb of East Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victor ...
. Following the match, Bird was receiving negative feedback on social media about his performance despite it was his first match back since round 10 of the previous season, fans were quick to judge his performance based on an early error, and he finished with 127 running metres, three tackle-breaks and 11 tackles. During the first half, Bird was hit hard by Storm winger Suliasi Vunivalu and coughed up the ball for Curtis Scott to race away and score for Melbourne. In Round 3 against the
St George Illawarra Dragons The St. George Illawarra Dragons are an Australian professional rugby league football club, representing both the Illawarra and St George regions of New South Wales. The club has competed in the National Rugby League (NRL) since 1999 after a j ...
, Bird scored his first club try for the Broncos in the heartbreaking last second 25–24 loss at
Suncorp Stadium Brisbane Stadium (Lang Park), currently known as Suncorp Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in the suburb of Milton, Queensland, Milton, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Nicknamed The Cauldron, it is a three-tiered rect ...
. During the early rounds, Bird would slowly recapture his good form that he showed at Cronulla but in round 9, Bird suffered a season-ending
anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments (the other being the posterior cruciate ligament) in the human knee. The two ligaments are called "cruciform" ligaments, as they are arranged in a crossed formation. In ...
knee injury during the Broncos 26–10 win at
Suncorp Stadium Brisbane Stadium (Lang Park), currently known as Suncorp Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in the suburb of Milton, Queensland, Milton, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Nicknamed The Cauldron, it is a three-tiered rect ...
. Bird's
2019 NRL season The 2019 NRL season was the 112th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 22nd season run by the National Rugby League. The Sydney Roosters became the first team to win back-to-back Premierships since the Brisbane Broncos in 1992 ...
was cut short, finishing with 9 matches and scoring 2 tries for Brisbane.


2020

On 11 March, Bird was ruled out for the entire
2020 NRL season The 2020 NRL season was the 113th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 23rd season run by the National Rugby League. Teams The lineup of teams remained unchanged for the 14th consecutive year. ; Notes : : : Pre-season ...
after suffering an ACL injury at pre-season training. Bird took to
Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
saying "People who know me know how hard I have worked to get to the stage I was at leading into this season, and with that, I’m truly heartbroken that I have to start this process all over again". On 6 November, St. George Illawarra confirmed that Bird had signed a two-year contract with the club after he was permitted by Brisbane to negotiate with rival clubs.


2021

Bird made his debut for his junior club St. George Illawarra in round 1 of the
2021 NRL season The 2021 NRL season was the 114th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 24th season run by the National Rugby League. Teams The lineup of teams remained unchanged for the 15th consecutive year. Regular season Ladd ...
which saw the club lose 32–18 against rivals Cronulla-Sutherland. Bird played a total of 22 matches for St. George Illawarra as the club finished 11th on the table and missed out on the finals.


2022

In round 23 of the
2022 NRL season The 2022 NRL season was the 115th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 25th season run by the National Rugby League. Teams The lineup of teams remained unchanged for the 16th consecutive year. This became the second longest ...
, Bird scored two tries for St. George Illawarra in a 46–26 victory over the Gold Coast. In round 24, Bird was sin binned for dissent in the clubs 24–22 victory over the
Wests Tigers The Wests Tigers is an Australian professional rugby league football team, based in the Inner West of Sydney and South Western Sydney. The Tigers have competed in the National Rugby League (NRL) since being formed at the end of the 1999 N ...
. Bird played 23 games for St. George Illawarra in the
2022 NRL season The 2022 NRL season was the 115th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 25th season run by the National Rugby League. Teams The lineup of teams remained unchanged for the 16th consecutive year. This became the second longest ...
as the club finished 10th on the table and missed the finals.


2023

On 10 May, Bird came under criticism for comments he made at fans during an interview regarding the club's poor form and planned protests from St. George Illawarra supporters with Bird saying “They’ve got a lot to say about people on the field. I don’t think they’ve ever played a game of footy, they don't much about the game, I’m speaking from first-hand stuff that I’ve copped. I feel sorry for ‘Hook’ (Griffin). It’s us out there playing so we should be the ones to blame, Fans are good for the game and stuff like that, but it comes to a point where you can’t cop so much criticism over the players and coaching staff". The following day, Bird was forced to apologise for his comments. In Round 13, Bird was awarded an illegal try on the seventh tackle of a set in the St. George Illawarra Dragons 12-26 loss to the
Dolphins A dolphin is an aquatic mammal in the cetacean clade Odontoceti (toothed whale). Dolphins belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontopori ...
at Kayo Stadium; the decision would not have been overturned even if the Dolphins had lost the game. Bird would play a total of 14 games for the club in the 2023 NRL season as they finished 16th on the table.


2024

In round 12 of the
2024 NRL season The 2024 NRL season was the 117th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 27th season run by the National Rugby League (NRL). The season consisted of 27 competition rounds, followed by a finals series contested by the top eight ...
, Bird was taken from the field on a stretcher in what appeared to be a serious ankle injury in the clubs 44-12 loss against Canterbury. On 9 September, Bird signed a two-year deal to join the
Wests Tigers The Wests Tigers is an Australian professional rugby league football team, based in the Inner West of Sydney and South Western Sydney. The Tigers have competed in the National Rugby League (NRL) since being formed at the end of the 1999 N ...
starting in the 2025 NRL season.


2025

In round 1 of the
2025 NRL season The 2025 NRL season is the 118th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 28th season run by the National Rugby League (NRL). The regular season will be followed by a finals series contested by the top eight teams on the competiti ...
, Bird made his club debut for the Wests Tigers against Newcastle.


Statistics

*denotes season still competing


Controversy

On 5 July 2021, Bird was fined $25,000 by the
NRL The National Rugby League (also known as the NRL Telstra Premiership for sponsorship reasons) is a professional rugby league competition in Oceania which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria (state), Victoria, the Austral ...
and suspended for one game after breaching the game's
Covid-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
biosecurity protocols when he attended a party along with 12 other St. George Illawarra players at Paul Vaughan's property.


References


External links


Dragons profileBrisbane Broncos profileNRL profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bird, Jack 1995 births Living people Australian rugby league players Brisbane Broncos players Country New South Wales Origin rugby league team players Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks players Indigenous All Stars players 21st-century Indigenous Australian people Junior Kangaroos players New South Wales Rugby League State of Origin players Prime Minister's XIII players Rugby league centres Rugby league five-eighths Rugby league players from Wollongong St. George Illawarra Dragons players Wests Tigers players 21st-century Australian sportsmen