Jack Bird: Dragons rally for devastated star after golden point loss

Dragons fans have rallied around Jack Bird after sobering footage from the sheds led to vile and heartless abuse across social media.

Footy fans have lashed out at trolls who hurled heartless abuse at Jack Bird after cameras captured the Dragons star in tears.

The tender moment was recorded in the sheds after his team’s golden point loss to their local rivals, Cronulla Sharks.

The St George Illawarra Dragons went down by one in golden point at Jubilee Stadium on Friday night.

The third time was a charm for the Sharks’ Chad Townsend, who sent the ball sailing through the posts on his third field goal attempt to secure the win for Cronulla.

Footage captured by Fox League in the Dragons sheds showed Bird struggling to hold back tears after the narrow loss, which followed their 44-18 loss to the Storm five days prior.

Jack Bird in tears in the Dragons sheds.

Trolls got stuck in on social media after the footage circulated online, with vicious attack flying thick and fast after the game.

“He’s probably thinking how s*** he’s (sic) career has been since he left the Sharks,” one critic wrote.

“Maybe if they weren’t so soft and cried everything (sic) they lost, they might get a win, soft c**ks,” another added.

But fans then howled down the heartless abuse and criticism pitched at Bird from anonymous trolls and detractors.

“A tough one to swallow, but chin up Birdy, keep up the awesome work,” a fan wrote.

“Don’t read the disgraceful comments from the gutless keyboard warriors.”

Jack Bird of the Dragons reacts during the Round 11 NRL match between the Cronulla Sharks and the St George Illawarra Dragons. (Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

The vulnerable moment also prompted an outpouring of support and well wishes from fans after the video started circulating on social media.

“If I could field a whole team of him I would, plays with more heart than anyone else in the jersey right now,” one commenter wrote.

“Chin up mate, it’s only harder from here for us.”

Another fan said Bird had been among the best of the Dragons since the Wollongong junior returned to the club he started with after a bruising three years with the Brisbane Broncos.

Injuries limited Bird to just 17 games with Brisbane, with the final straw being his second ACL rupture in 10 months during training just before the 2020 season began.

Don't underestimate how hard the losses hit 💔 pic.twitter.com/Guu3yH8n1i

— Fox League (@FOXNRL) May 21, 2021

“He puts everything on the line for the jersey,” the fan wrote.

“Chin up Birdy, this one ain’t on you mate.”

Fans also applauded Bird’s personal investment in the game and shared his heartbreak at the loss.

“That kind of reaction is what I look for being a Dragons fan, it shows he cares about the result,” one fan wrote.

“It’s actually good to see players feel the loss like supporters do,” another wrote.

The Dragons will seek redemption from the two straight losses when they take on the Wests Tigers this Friday.