Jack Bird return from injury delayed after rolling ankle at training

BRONCOS fans will have to wait a bit longer to see star recruit Jack Bird debut for the club after the centre suffered a new injury in training. Peter Badel and Travis Meyn have the latest NRL gossip.

STAR Broncos signing Jack Bird has suffered a setback in his comeback from a shoulder reconstruction.

The Cronulla recruit got his foot tangled with a teammate during an opposed training session last week and rolled his ankle.

The injury was not serious, but it was enough to sideline Bird for a week and rob him of crucial training time on his legs.

The NSW Origin star was hoping to make his debut for the Broncos in Round 4, however he may now have to wait a couple more weeks.

“He’s ticking along pretty well but he rolled his ankle last week which set him back a week,” said Broncos high performance boss Jeremy Hickmans.

“It was nothing major. He had five days off and was fine. It was more annoying that anything.”

Bird’s Brisbane debut has hit another delay.

While Bird was off his legs, he was able to get stuck into more shoulder rehabilitation after beginning contact work.

“He started contact last week so over the next six weeks or so it will be about how he responds to that contact and feels,” Hickmans said.

“I did some contact with him in PNG and he completely rissoled me. I know I’m not a good comparison but he was fairly strong and is certainly confident.

“The next few weeks we will build him up slowly with the contact and see how he goes from there.

“If he feels comfortable and is coping with everything then he should be good to go.”

Bird is expected to return at left centre for the Broncos when he is fit.

TITANS OWNER’S BRUSH WITH DEATH

TITANS owner Darryl Kelly has revealed how close he came to death after being diagnosed with a serious heart problem.

Kelly is on the comeback trail after undergoing a major heart operation four weeks ago.

The 67-year-old businessman and wife Jo bought the Gold Coast Titans in December last year along with Brett and Rebecca Frizelle.

It was the second time Kelly has purchased the club after losing his initial $5 million investment when the NRL assumed ownership of the Titans in 2014.

But just a month after the acquisition, Kelly found himself undergoing open heart surgery.

“The surgeon told me I had 12 months to live if I didn’t have the operation — it would have killed me,” Kelly told Blindside.

“When he got in there he found the valve was in worse condition than what he thought. He was lucky to repair it rather than replace it.

“It got a bit serious, apparently.”

Darryl Kelly was diagnosed with a serious heart problem.

Kelly has a 22cm scar on his chest after having two valves repaired by cardiothoracic surgeon Dr Ben Anderson at John Flynn Hospital on the Gold Coast.

He was under anaesthetic for 18 hours, placed into intensive care and could barely move in the days following the operation.

When asked what caused the issue, Kelly’s dry humour surfaced.

“Old age, stress and dealing with footballers,” he laughed.

Kelly has been unable to drive since the operation and has been chauffeured to Titans appointments by fellow board member Rebecca.

Doctors were happy with a recent check-up and he is hoping to be back firing on all cylinders within the next few weeks.

“They are very happy, he just said it was a lot bigger operation than what he first envisaged,” Kelly said.

“I’m working at about three-quarter pace now. If I go out for four hours I come back and am pretty exhausted.

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“I have to make sure I don’t commit to too many things.”

Kelly first learned of his heart issues about 18 months ago and urged others to get regular check-ups.

“I picked up a bad virus in August, 2016, and spent an entire day on the lounge and couldn’t move,” he said.

“I drove myself to hospital to find out what the problem was and discovered it was exaggerated because of this heart problem they found.

“I didn’t do so well on the last stress test and they said I better get this operation done.

“If anyone over 55 doesn’t get regular check-ups for all the issues us old people get then they are kidding themselves.

“Doctors are convinced you get things wrong with you when you turn 60. It took until 67 to find something wrong with me but it was fairly decent one.”

Despite being slowed down by the operation, Kelly said he was still forging ahead with plans to make the Titans a sustainable NRL club.

NRL PHYSIO REVEALED

MEET the man behind one of the NRL’s most popular social media accounts.

Blindside can reveal Brisbane physiotherapist Brien Seeney is the owner of the hugely popular NRL Physio account on Twitter.

Seeney’s excellent insights into injuries have attracted nearly 5000 followers since he launched the account last season.

The 27-year-old analyses injuries in real time to provide fans with an insight into the likely severity of the problem and how long a player could be sidelined.

Brien Seeney is NRL Physio.

“I noticed in American sports that injury analysis with sports doctors and physios is already in the media,” Seeney said.

“As physios we talk about these things but for the average punter it is information that has some value.

“I saw there wasn’t really anything like that in rugby league or sports in Australia.

“I started the account and started making general injury tweets and it took off from there.”

Seeney, a partner of Active Care Physiotherapy in Capalaba, is the worst nightmare for NRL coaches who try to cover up the severity of an injury.

Seeney stresses he does not diagnose injuries, instead offering analysis of the likely problem.

“I’m not diagnosing — that implies you’re assessing and treating a person,” he said.

“I just want to bring education and analysis.

Video suggests more cartilage injury for Alex Johnston rather than fracture. If confirmed can be anywhere from 1-6 wks, but mostly pain tolerance issue (pain killing injection can help).
Rabbitohs fans will be familiar with this injury; Sam Burgess played with one late last year pic.twitter.com/gOBQV2fm0i

— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) February 25, 2018

“There is a gap between what the clubs know and what fans are told. There is some value in trying to educate people with what goes on.

“The account really got going when Jarrod Croker hurt his knee in last year’s All Stars game. Canberra fans were freaking out thinking he may be out for the season.

“You can’t diagnose over television but you could clearly see it was his knee cap more than anything. I put out a tweet and went from 20 followers to about 2000 in the one night. It was pretty crazy.”

You can follow @nrlphysio for Seeney’s insights this season.

COWS WATCHING MUNSTER

SEVERAL NRL clubs, including the Cowboys, are watching the Cameron Munster saga in Melbourne closely. North Queensland have already poached Storm monster Jordan McLean and Blindside can reveal the Cowboys are ready to strike if Munster explores his options next season. The Maroons ace is off-contract next year and has had some off-field concerns in Melbourne. If he can’t settle at the Storm, Munster could easily find a home in Townsville at fullback.

TWO STARS CLASH

WHICH two representative stars at a top-eight club have fallen out in a big way? One of the players is furious at his teammate’s behaviour and has dished out some awful treatment. It has prompted club bosses to step in and demand the pair sort their differences out for the sake of the side’s premiership hopes.

NO HAIR HAT FOR LOCKY

IT’s official. Darren Lockyer has NOT had a hair transplant. Locky’s flourishing locks during recent TV interviews have sparked debate as to whether he has gone down the path of former Test cricket captain Ricky Ponting by regrowing his hair.

But the Broncos legend laughed off the hot rumour.

“No it’s not true,” he said. “I just decided to grow it the best I can over summer and my wife prefers the look. There’s no ‘yeah, yeah’ for me.”

Darren Lockyer says he has not had a hair transplant.

BIG FELLA IMPRESSES

NFL defector Jordan Mailata is going great guns in the US. The former South Sydney under-20s monster arrived in the states last month and has begun NFL training in Florida at the IMG Academy. His agent, PSM’s Chris Orr, visited the 150kg hulk last week and couldn’t believe Mailata’s transformation in picking up gridiron drills so quickly.

GREENBERG’S MESSAGE TO PLAYERS

NRL boss Todd Greenberg has been on a charm offensive telling players they stand to make more money if they continue to behave well off the field.

Greenberg and chief operating officer Nick Weeks have been visiting NRL clubs to meet with players and staff in the lead-up to the season.

Among the discussions with players has been a presentation on how they stand to make more money from the new collective bargaining agreement.

The players will pocket a fixed share of revenue over the next five years, meaning their salaries will increase if the NRL is making more money.

But there was a warning that poor off-field behaviour can impact on the game greatly and cost the players dollars.

“They showed us what’s been happening in the game and how we get to share in the revenue if we make more for the game,” Titans captain Ryan James said after Monday’s meeting.

“It gives us better incentive to make the game better. If we go out there and put the game in a bad light it’s not going to help us in trying to make more money for ourselves.

“It’s the first time in history where if we make the game go better we get a little share in it as well.

“It gives you more incentive to play well and be generally good off the field.”

The NRL has been thrilled with the lack of scandals during the off-season.

JAMES EXPECTING ANOTHER

TITANS captain Ryan James is expecting the birth of his second child on Friday.

James missed yesterday’s NRL season launch in Sydney in case wife Ana went into labour.

Their second son was due to arrive during next weekend’s opening round of the season, prompting Ana to book in for a Caesarian-section.