Stunned Broncos must move on quickly from the pain of Jack Bird’s injury
Jack Bird’s season-ending injury has left his Brisbane teammates “reeling” – but the Broncos have promised it won’t affect their focus for Friday’s season opener against North Queensland.
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Brisbane are still reeling from the loss of Jack Bird to a season-ending knee injury but the playing group are not allowing it to distract them from Friday’s season-opener against North Queensland.
Bird’s teammates have been left “gutted” and “lost for words” after the 24-year-old tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during a training drill at Red Hill on Wednesday.
Kiwi international Jamayne Isaako will take Bird’s place in the No.1 jersey, and powerful outside back Herbie Farnworth is expected to come on to the bench.
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Isaako trained alongside Bird in the fullback position for much of the pre-season and will tonight be given the No.1 role in light of the unfortunate circumstance.
The shocking incident came as a huge blow for the club on the eve of the NRL season, forcing Broncos coach Anthony Seibold to call an urgent player meeting just moments after it occurred.
The key message was: Don’t let it distract you on Friday.
Brisbane prop forward Payne Haas said it was heartbreaking to see his good mate go down at training but would not let it disturb the Broncos’ preparation for tonight.
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“Obviously we’re a bit shattered for Birdy,” Haas said. “He worked so hard and it’s hard to see.
“(At training) we were all a bit gutted. I just can’t put it into words you know. Seibs pulled us all in and said we had to focus on our job on Friday.
“We can’t control what happened and we can only control what we do. We just have to play good footy on Friday and get ready for the Cowboys.”
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Bird is set to undergo a second reconstruction to the left knee he injured 10 months ago when he snapped his ACL.
He could be sidelined for up to nine months in what is a massive blow for the Origin ace.
Former Broncos and Cowboys star Brent Tate, who retired in 2014 following a fourth knee reconstruction, urged Bird not to make a rash decision on retirement following the devastating injury.
Haas was confident Bird would not leave the game and would return to the NRL in the future.
“We’re close mates and to see that happen to someone like that, it hurts a lot,” he said.
“As soon as I heard him start yelling, we already knew something was wrong.
“With Birdy, you can’t keep him down forever. He’s always got to stay positive and he’ll be back bigger and stronger.”