Jack Bird opens up on injuries, critics and his determination to prove himself at Brisbane
Jack Bird believes still has a future at Brisbane. After a two-year injury nightmare and near constant criticism, the former NSW Origin ace is fired up to show the Broncos what he is really worth.
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Luckless Jack Bird has opened up about his two years of injury hell, insisting he is not a spent force at the Broncos and pledging to silence the “haters” in his comeback from a knee reconstruction.
Bird was left so devastated by his ACL tear the Broncos utility has sidestepped interviews for the past seven months, unable to adequately explain the cruel twist of fate that triggered his breakdown against Manly in May.
Now, Bird bares his soul. The big-money recruit discusses the moment his knee collapsed, the public abuse from fans, incessant speculation he wants out of the Broncos, the periods of self-doubt and why, stronger for the adversity, he is determined to fight back.
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His left knee now mended, Bird began running with the squad last month to launch Brisbane’s 2020 pre-season. Still only 24, the former NSW Origin ace says he won’t relent until he fires on the field for the Broncos.
“I want to show Broncos fans what I can do next season,” Bird says. “I want to repay the Broncos and the fans of the club. Because I haven’t had two good seasons of football, the fans get stuck into me and think I’m a waste of money.
“For the last two years, I’ve been down on confidence and I guess I want to shut up all the haters.
“I know what I am capable of. I haven’t lost my ability. I know I can play the game. But I do have to get some self-belief back and I want to go back to why I played the game in the first place.
“I loved the game as a kid because I just had fun with my mates. That’s the attitude I want to take into next year. I want to get back on the field and have fun playing with my mates at the Broncos.
“Hopefully I can get back on track and just be happy with my football again.”
Bird’s glum narrative at the Broncos was not meant to play out like this. The attacking dynamo was supposed to deliver premierships, not problems.
Bird’s tenure at Cronulla was a highlights reel of speed, skill, class and tackle-busting brilliance and when he helped the Sharks to the 2016 title, it soon convinced the Broncos he could bring the glory days back to Red Hill.
He arrived at the Broncos at the end of 2017 on a four-year deal worth a whopping $3.5 million. That makes Bird the second highest-paid player on Brisbane’s full-time roster behind only $1 million-a-season man Anthony Milford.
But in two seasons, Bird has undergone three surgeries on his shoulder, sternum and knee. He has played just 17 games for two tries. His injury ordeals have cost him his NSW Origin jumper.
The frustration for Bird is that he was finally beginning to feel at home in Brisbane, and rediscover his attacking mojo, when a regulation run against the Sea Eagles ended in heartbreak.
“I heard the snap. I knew my season was over straight away,” Bird recalls of his Suncorp Stadium setback.
“I was just starting to feel good again and then my ACL goes. The minute I got tackled, I knew it was gone. I didn’t want to believe it but my whole knee was unstable.
“It’s been a really tough rehab. A really tough two years. I struggled mentally for a while. No NRL player plans on getting injured and you feel you just want to contribute.
“But physically and mentally, I’m feeling good again. During my rehab, the surgeon took a bit of tendon from my hamstring to use on my ACL so my hammy was a bit weak at first.
“But I’ve started full running and I’m now doing change-of-direction stuff. I hope to be doing full contact work after Christmas so I will be sweet for round one.
“My body is OK and that’s all I can ask for.”
Jovial by nature, Bird admits the savage criticism has been tough to digest. His on-field form aside, there were barbs about his weight. Having since lost up to 8kg, Bird is back to his optimum playing weight.
“I know I can do better,” he says. “I’m not living up to the standards that I was hoping to show at the Broncos.
“The criticism is hard because people start talking smack about you on social media and you feel a lack of trust. Of course it gets to you. I’m human like everyone else. I’ve been through some tough times emotionally but I’ve learned ways to deal with it. I don’t read papers. I’m off social media now.
“I’ve had two bad seasons and I do owe the club a lot for sticking by me. I owe the fans, too. Some have given up on me but I still want Broncos fans to see the best of me.
“I want to give back to the community as well. The other day I did a promo at the children’s hospital and it makes you appreciate your position in the game and the way you can influence kids.”
Bird is contracted to the Broncos until the end of 2021 but has a 12-month option in his favour, effectively making him a free agent next season.
Last month, Bird was linked with a possible release to the Dragons or Penrith as the Broncos battled salary-cap pressures. It is often claimed he is homesick. But the kid from Wollongong says he has no plans to quit the Broncos as he sets his sights on a centre position.
“I don’t want to go anywhere. I have another two years on my contract and I’ve told ‘Seibs’ (coach Anthony Seibold) I’m happy here and I’ve got no intentions of leaving,” Bird said.
“I would love to play centre, 100 per cent. I’ve told Seibs I am happy to play any position, whatever is best for the team, but I think the Broncos see me as a centre.
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“Nothing is guaranteed here. There’s lot of good players and a few centres who are fighting for jumpers. I don’t really have the runs on the board to say, ‘This is my position, pick me here’. But if there is a place in the team for me, I’m happy with that.
“The talk about me (being offloaded) didn’t bother me because I knew it wasn’t true. I read one article that said I had been released. I rang the Broncos straight away and said, ‘What is going on?’ and they said, ‘You aren’t leaving’.
“If anyone knows the truth, it’s me. I’m here to stay for the next two years. This period has made me a stronger person and I feel like I’m a better person for what happened.
“Hopefully the man upstairs just gives me some luck … and no more injuries.”
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