Tigers recruit Jack Bird couldn’t resist a cheeky dig at the Dragons as he looks to make his former team pay for letting him go and return the Concord club to the finals.
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After four seasons and 17 tries in 73 games for St George Illawarra, Bird was not offered a contract extension, as the club chose to sign former Cowboys star Valentine Holmes to partner Mosese Suli in the centres.
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The NRL journeymen started his career at Cronulla in 2015 and won a premiership with the Sharks under Flanagan in 2016 on the way to scoring 17 tries in 66 games for the club.
An injury-plagued stint with the Broncos saw him play just 17 games in three seasons followed, before he joined the Dragons in 2021.
Now ready for a new challenge at his fourth NRL club, Bird told Code Sports the reason he signed with the Tigers was because the Dragons didn’t want him.
“What made me sign here? The Dragons didn’t want me, to start with,” Bird joked.
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However, he clarified that there was no animosity with the Dragons and former coach Flanagan.
“I understand it’s a business,” Bird said.
“There was no bad blood there. I still have close relationships at the Dragons, I played under Flanno (Flanagan) for a while, but I’m not looking back.”
The 29-year-old veteran of 156 NRL games has already circled the Magic Round clash with the Dragons and revealed he recently sledged his former coach.
“Yeah, that’s Magic Round so I’m looking forward to that,” Bird said.
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“I actually ran into Flanno a few weeks ago, I told him ‘you’re going to regret it’. Nah, that’s a gee up,” Bird laughed.
“But he reckons he’s going to make me make 80 tackles (in the middle). I’ll make 30 tackles and come off.”
The Dragons went within in a whisker of the top eight last season, but Bird now finds himself with the Tigers, trying to avoid a fourth straight wooden spoon.
However, a defiant Bird believes the Tigers’ lack of success in recent years will count for nothing next season.
“I couldn’t give two rats that they’ve won three wooden spoons,” Bird said.
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“Our goal is to make the top eight. We haven’t been there for a while, it’s going to be tough ask, but we have the team to do it.
“You look at the signings we have made at this club. I see a bright future at this club.
“I want to come here turn the culture around and try to make finals again, I think we can do that. I think we are going to surprise a lot of people.”
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