Greg Bird (rugby league) facts for kids

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Greg Bird

Personal information
Full name	Gregory James Howard Bird
Born	(1984-02-10) 10 February 1984 (age 41) Maitland, New South Wales, Australia
Playing information
Height	183 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight	103 kg (16 st 3 lb)
Position	Lock, Second-row, Five-eighth
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 2002–08 Cronulla Sharks 106 35 6 0 152 2009 Catalans Dragons 23 5 3 0 26 2010–16 Gold Coast Titans 129 15 19 2 100 2017–19 Catalans Dragons 58 8 0 0 32 Total 316 63 28 2 310 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 2007–12 NSW Country 3 0 0 0 0 2007–16 New South Wales 18 2 0 0 8 2007–13 Prime Minister's XIII 3 0 0 0 0 2007–15 Australia 17 4 0 0 16 2010–15 Indigenous All Stars 5 0 0 0 0

Greg Bird (born on February 10, 1984) is a former professional rugby league player from Australia. He played as a second-rower, lock, or five-eighth. Greg represented Australia at the international level.

He played for teams like the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks and the Gold Coast Titans in the NRL (National Rugby League). Greg also played for the Catalans Dragons in the Super League in France during two different periods. He was a representative player for NSW Country, New South Wales State of Origin, Prime Minister's XIII, and the Indigenous All Stars teams.

Early Life and Junior Career

Greg Bird was born in Maitland, New South Wales, Australia. He started playing junior football for local teams. These teams were the West Maitland Red Dogs and the Maitland Pumpkin Pickers.

Later, he was signed by the Newcastle Knights. He played for their junior teams, the Harold Matthews and SG Ball squads. In 2001, while attending Rutherford Technology High School, Greg was chosen for the Australian Schoolboys team. He even captained this team, showing his leadership skills early on.

Professional Rugby League Career

Playing for Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks

Greg Bird made his professional debut in the NRL in 2002. He played for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in Round 7 against the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. By 2003, he became a regular player for the Sharks' main team.

In 2004, Greg was suspended for 10 weeks after an incident during a game. He apologized to the player and the club afterward. In 2006, Greg posed for a charity calendar. This calendar was made to raise money for the National Breast Cancer Foundation of Australia.

Later in 2006, Greg suffered a serious rib injury. This injury happened in Round 21 against the Newcastle Knights. It unfortunately ended his season early. Despite missing several games, he was voted the Sharks' player of the year.

Representing New South Wales and Australia

In May 2007, Greg was chosen for the New South Wales Country Origin team. This was for the yearly City vs Country Origin match. In June 2007, he was selected for the New South Wales team. He played against Queensland in Game 2 of the 2007 State of Origin series. His strong performance led to him being picked for Game 3, where he played as a five-eighth. He was even named the man of the match for that game.

In September 2007, Greg was selected for the Prime Minister's XIII team. They played against Papua New Guinea. In October 2007, he was chosen to play for Australia. This was for a special test match against New Zealand in Wellington, New Zealand. He scored a try in his first game for Australia and was named the players' player.

In May 2008, Greg was selected for Australia again. This was for the 2008 centenary test match. He kept his five-eighth position because Darren Lockyer was injured. Greg was also chosen for Game 1 of the 2008 State of Origin series for New South Wales. He was named man of the match and played in Game 2 as well. In August 2008, Greg was named in the preliminary squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup. However, he did not play in the tournament.

After leaving the Sharks, Greg signed a contract with the Bradford Bulls in England in January 2009. However, he could not play for them because his visa was not approved. He then decided to play rugby union for a short time. Eventually, he signed with the French club, the Catalans Dragons, in the Super League.

Playing for Catalans Dragons

Greg joined the Catalans Dragons in 2009. He played 23 games for them, scoring 5 tries. He later returned to the Catalans Dragons for a second time in 2017. He played another 58 games for them until 2019, scoring 8 more tries.

Time with Gold Coast Titans

On December 7, 2009, Greg signed a one-year contract with the Gold Coast Titans. He returned to the National Rugby League in 2010. In February 2010, fans voted him into the Indigenous All Stars team. This team played against the NRL All Stars in the first-ever All Stars Match.

In May 2010, he was again selected for the New South Wales Country Origin team. In July 2010, he was chosen for Game 3 of the 2010 State of Origin series for New South Wales, where he scored a try. In November 2010, Greg played two matches for Australia in their 2010 Four Nations tournament. He played 22 games for the Titans in 2010 and continued to play for them in 2011 and 2012. He also continued to represent his state and country.

In February 2011, fans voted Greg into the Indigenous All Stars team again. In 2011, he played for New South Wales in all three games of the 2011 State of Origin series. He made 19 appearances for the Gold Coast Titans that year.

In September 2011, he was again selected for the Prime Minister's XIII team. On January 11, 2013, he signed a new four-year contract with the Titans. He was named a co-captain for the Titans in 2013, alongside Nate Myles. Greg was selected for Australia in the 2013 ANZAC Test. He played as a second-row forward in this match. Australia won against New Zealand in what was the first test match ever played in Canberra.

In February 2012, Greg was voted into the Indigenous All Stars team once more. In April 2012, he was selected for the Country Origin team. In 2012, he played for New South Wales in all three games of the 2012 State of Origin series. In 2013, he played in all three games of the 2013 State of Origin series. In 2014, he played in Game 2 and 3 of the 2014 State of Origin series. This was the year he was finally part of a winning State of Origin series for New South Wales.

Bird on international duty for the Kangaroos in 2014

At the end of 2016, Greg signed a five-year deal to join the Super League team Catalans Dragons again.

Career Statistics

Season	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	Pts
2002	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	9	2	0	0	8
2003		21	9	2	0	40
2004		11	3	2	0	16
2005		12	1	0	0	4
2006		17	6	0	0	24
2007		20	9	2	0	40
2008		16	5	0	0	20
2009	Catalans Dragons	23	5	3	0	26
2010	Gold Coast Titans	22	3	0	1	13
2011		19	3	1	1	15
2012		17	3	0	0	12
2013		20	3	2	0	16
2014		17	3	14	0	40
2015		12	0	2	0	4
2016		22	2	1		10
2017	Catalans Dragons	18	1			4
2018		27	5			20
2019		15	2			8
	Totals	316	63	28	2	310

Achievements and Honours

Greg Bird achieved several important milestones in his career:

• Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks: His first-grade debut was on April 28, 2002.
• Country New South Wales: He debuted for Country in the City vs. Country match on May 3, 2007.
• New South Wales Blues: His State of Origin debut was on June 13, 2007.
• Australian Kangaroos: He made his Australian Test debut on October 21, 2007.
• Catalans Dragons: His club debut was on March 7, 2009.
• Gold Coast Titans: His club debut was on March 14, 2010.

He also served as the Captain of the Gold Coast Titans from 2013 to 2016. In 2013, he received the Paul Broughton Medal for the Gold Coast Titans.