‘Don’t know too much about footy’: Jack Bird blasts Dragons’ own fans

The Dragons’ current crisis has seemingly taken a surprise turn after former Origin star Jack Bird took aim at his club’s own fans.

Jack Bird has lashed out. Photo: Fox Sports

St George Illawarra Dragons lock Jack Bird has taken aim at the club’s own supporters after the fans prepare to protest the underperforming side.

As the Dragons languish in 16th but only because of points differential ahead of the last-placed Wests Tigers, angry fans have started a petition for coach Anthony Griffin to be sacked.

This is despite Griffin being forced to reapply for his own job — a move which many feel is signalling his exit from the club.

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The Daily Telegraph reported a group of Dragons fans were planning to protest the club at the clash against the Roosters next Friday, with fans called to bring banners to display their anger with the club.

Bird hit out at the fans for the move.

“Fans don’t really know too much about footy, I don’t think,” he told reporters.

“They’ve got a lot to say about people on the field. I don’t think they’ve ever played a game of footy.

“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.

“Hook could be struggling or any player could be struggling outside of footy then people come on social media and give you a gobful.

“That might be the part where they push you over the edge.

“That’s fans for you. They’re passionate and want us to win games.

“We’re not doing that, so I understand where they’re coming from. But it speaks for itself.”

Jack Bird has lashed out. Photo: Fox Sports

The comments were picked up by Fox League’s NRL 360 with Braith Anasta surprised Bird was targeting the fans.

Anasta, who copped his own fair share of criticism in his career which lasted 15 years and spanned 288 NRL games, 10 Origin games for NSW and four games for Australia.

He said the comments showed immense frustration from a player who has played 137 games and five Origin games for NSW.

“Jack’s an experienced player so I’m a bit surprised by that,” Anasta said. “It shows the frustration within the camp and the players.

“From a rookie player, I’d expect something like those comments … because they haven’t learned.

“When you come into the game as a rookie, you don’t understand how it all works. You’ve got the fans, you’ve got the media — you can forgive them.

“I can’t believe he’s made those comments given the amount of games he’s played and how long he’s been involved in the game.”

Co-host Paul Kent said he understands where Bird is coming from but that the issue could lie with the clubs themselves.

“He’s probably just lost a lot of fans there with that comment,” Kent said. “The fans are passionate and they do have their view on a lot of things.

“To Jack’s point, they probably don’t know what’s going on in the inner workings but part of that is the problem for the people within the club for not actually sharing that and explaining that to the people. They do a poor job of explaining what’s actually going on.”

The frustration is clear. Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images

Fox Sports’ James Hooper added: “I think the frustrations have boiled over. I’m sure if he had his time again he’d choose his words better than that.

“But we all know the fans are the lifeblood of the game. You only had to be at Magic Round over the course of last weekend to understand what the fans mean to the game.”

It was an eventful press conference for Bird also blasted reports from Nine’s Danny Weidler that he was looking to get out of the Dragons.

Weidler told Channel 9’s 100% Footy on Monday that Bird had been ringing rivals, a claim Bird had tried to knock on the head before the reporter went to air.

“My future is here at the club. I’ve got another two years here and am willing to turn things around here. That’s what I want to do,” he said.

“I want to start winning games and that’s going to be here.

“I spoke to Danny (Weidler) and tried to get on the front foot with it all but he still reported it.”

Originally published as ‘Don’t know too much about footy’: Jack Bird blasts Dragons’ own fans