Bird's Broncos nightmare gets worse

Super Freak

Super Freak

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Jan 25, 2014
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Jack Bird facing up to eight weeks on the sidelines, with battling star requiring further shoulder surgery


June 13, 2018

Jack Bird’s maiden season at the Broncos has become a nightmare with Brisbane’s $3.5 million recruit set to undergo a second bout of surgery in a crippling blow for the former NSW Origin star.

The Courier-Mail can reveal Bird will see a specialist on Monday for a treatment plan on a sternum injury that has plagued him for the past nine months dating back to his stint at former club Cronulla.

The Broncos face the Sharks this Saturday night in Sydney and Bird, who has not played since round 10, was hopeful of being passed fit to confront the club he quit in controversial circumstances last October.

But Bird is no hope of taking on the Sharks — and is now fighting to save his debut season at Red Hill as he braces for another extended stint on the sidelines.

The 23-year-old missed the entire pre-season after undergoing a shoulder reconstruction and Broncos medicos are resigned to Bird spending another four to eight weeks in the casualty ward.

Broncos coach Wayne Bennett confirmed Bird — who is on $800,000 this season — faces another trip to the operating table.

“We’re looking at getting more surgery for Jack,” Bennett said.

“We’re getting more advice so we need another specialist to look at him on Monday.

“I’m hoping his season isn’t over. They (Broncos medical staff) are saying if he has the operation it could be six weeks so there’s a possibility he could be back this year.

“But to be honest, Jack can’t play at the moment. He’s in pain. He’s no good for us if he can’t play to his potential.

“It (his sternum injury) wasn’t our doing, he came to our club with this injury. We need to get things sorted out for him.”

Bird was hailed as the big-money purchase who could help the Broncos break their 12-year title drought.

Instead, he has endured a luckless campaign, failing to score a try in the eight games he has played, most of which have been riddled with the pain of a sternum problem that won’t go away.

Even if he returns this season, Bird is unlikely to recapture the peak condition that saw him play a key role in Cronulla’s historic 2016 premiership triumph.

Bird’s horror year has sparked speculation he wants out of the Broncos, but Bennett insists the attacking dynamo will honour his four-year contract with the club.

Broncos winger Corey Oates said Brisbane players were trying to lift the spirits of Bird, who recently admitted his confidence was shot by his injury battles and the burden of expectation.

“It has been a really tough time for Jack with his injuries and the way his body is,” Oates said.

“He is dealing with it as well as you can considering the surgeries and the downtime. It’s not easy when you aren’t playing.

“Jack is a good fella and a real larrikin. There’s no issue with the boys, he’s fitted in well here, it’s just the injuries that are affecting him.

“He’s had a tough run, but I hope he can heal soon and make it back as quickly as possible.

“He’s been getting hammered for his form, but in fairness Jack didn’t get to train with us in pre-season. The pressure has built up for him and that hasn’t helped.

“Whether he plays again this year I don’t know, but the guys really like Jack and we’re hoping he wants to be here for the long haul.”

Source: Courier Mail
 
I’m waiting for the day the Courier Fail puts Birds salary at $4 mil or more. I swear that amount goes higher and higher (much like the sport ‘jornos’ after taking a bong)
 
I’m waiting for the day the Courier Fail puts Birds salary at $4 mil or more. I swear that amount goes higher and higher (much like the sport ‘jornos’ after taking a bong)
It was at 4 million at one stage
 
This is all on the Sharks - completely unprofessional behaviour from them, and it's pretty much ruined this bloke's season.
 
The most important thing in that article is Oates sort of implying he wants to be here long-term as well.
 
The most egregious example of transfer sabotage probably in the history of the comp. Cronulla are drug cheating grub scum.
 
I hate the Sharks as much as anyone, but I don’t think much of this, if any, is on them.

Wasn’t the sternum issued described as just an odd part of his physiology, like something congenital?
 
I hate the Sharks as much as anyone, but I don’t think much of this, if any, is on them.

Wasn’t the sternum issued described as just an odd part of his physiology, like something congenital?

but Bennett is talking about surgery to have the issue fixed ... surely since he had this issue for a while the Sharks and their medicos could have done the same thing ... unless they are too incompetent to figure it out
 
but Bennett is talking about surgery to have the issue fixed ... surely since he had this issue for a while the Sharks and their medicos could have done the same thing ... unless they are too incompetent to figure it out
It's not like we got it fixed straight away either.
 
true ... but they had him on their roster a hell of a lot longer ...

meh. I'm fairly certain Jack volunteering to go under the knife again is just a front so Bennett and him can save face.
 
Am I missing something here? Is it not standard practice that when a club is about to pay big money on a player the player has to first pass a fully comprehensive medical? The Broncos system is what is seriously at fault here. Our medicos passed a player who was obviously not fit to play. It looks like we've been sold a pup in the old parlance. I'm staggered that our club was willing to pay such a huge sum and not carry out the proper due diligence before committing anything in writing. Someone at Red hill needs to come up with a 'please explain' and pretty damn quick. When you add this to Kevvie walking out and the Bellamy saga our club is beginning to look like frikkin amateur hour.
 
Am I missing something here? Is it not standard practice that when a club is about to pay big money on a player the player has to first pass a fully comprehensive medical? The Broncos system is what is seriously at fault here. Our medicos passed a player who was obviously not fit to play. It looks like we've been sold a pup in the old parlance. I'm staggered that our club was willing to pay such a huge sum and not carry out the proper due diligence before committing anything in writing. Someone at Red hill needs to come up with a 'please explain' and pretty damn quick. When you add this to Kevvie walking out and the Bellamy saga our club is beginning to look like frikkin amateur hour.
Our medicos couldn't see him until he was officially player on November 1 ... which is why we had to wait to then to diagnose his shoulder injury and send him for surgery .... something else that happened on the Sharks watch, and should have been rectified by them...
 
Am I missing something here? Is it not standard practice that when a club is about to pay big money on a player the player has to first pass a fully comprehensive medical? The Broncos system is what is seriously at fault here. Our medicos passed a player who was obviously not fit to play. It looks like we've been sold a pup in the old parlance. I'm staggered that our club was willing to pay such a huge sum and not carry out the proper due diligence before committing anything in writing. Someone at Red hill needs to come up with a 'please explain' and pretty damn quick. When you add this to Kevvie walking out and the Bellamy saga our club is beginning to look like frikkin amateur hour.

No, where did you get this from. Our guys can't do physical's etc. until he is actually our player. Where have you gotten your info? or did you just make this up and worked yourself up about it before posting?
 
No, where did you get this from. Our guys can't do physical's etc. until he is actually our player. Where have you gotten your info? or did you just make this up and worked yourself up about it before posting?

TBF, in sports like European soccer, the player is given a medical by the new teams doctors before their deal is made official...

his mistake was thinking the NRL was logical
 
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Well at least we now know why he was playing so badly for us, having that kind of injury must be extremely uncomfortable and severely limit your ability to play to your ability.
Hopefully surgery gets him fit and ready to rip in for us for the back end of this season.
 

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