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Get to know...Jack Bird

Find out more about the Rhinos' latest recruit: Jack Bird

Factfile

Name: Jack Bird

Age: 30

Place of Birth: Wollongong, Australia

Clubs played for: Cronulla Sharks (2015-2017), Newtown Jets (2015), Brisbane (2018-2019), St George Illawarra Dragons (2021-2024), Wests Tigers (2025)

Junior Clubs: Berkeley Eagles, Wests Devils

Representative Honours: Junior Kangaroos (2014), New South Wales Country (2015-2016), New South Wales (2016-2017), Indigenous (2017)

Position: Centre, Half Back, Loose Forward

NRL Debut: Vs Gold Coast Titans (R4, 28th March 2015)

Honours

NRL Grand Final: Winner 2017 (Cronulla)

Dally M Rookie of the Year: 2015

Career so far

- Bird's Rugby League career kicked off in his hometown of Wollongong, where he played junior rugby at Berkeley Eagles in the Illawarra Premiership ranks until he was 13. Later moving to Western Suburbs from the Under-15s to Under-18s, he caught the eye of St George Illawarra, who brought the loose forward on board for their Under-20s programme in 2013.

- Debuting for the Dragons' Holden Cup side aged 19 with a try-scoring performance against Manly in 2013, Bird helped the club turn an 11th-place finish around a year later as the club finished fourth in 2014 and came within 80 minutes of the Holden Cup Grand Final. In a side that contained Matt Dufty, Euan Aitken, Adam Clune, Addin Fonua-Blake, Bird scored nine tries in 23 games under Ben Hornby and Dean Young. He was a try scorer in both the quarter-final against Newcastle and the preliminary final against Brisbane.

- His performances whilst with the Dragons earned Bird his first representative honours as his state and country capped him. An impressive start to life at St George saw the loose forward earn a spot on Todd Payten's NSW Under-18s side that convincingly defeated Queensland 56-6 in 2013. Although the junior Blues squad contained Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, Jackson Hastings, Michael Morgan and Alex Johnston, Bird is the only member of that squad who represented NSW at Origin level.

- A year later, he was one of three Dragons included in the Junior Kangaroos squad that travelled to Mount Smart to take on the Junior Kiwis. Facing off against new team mate Danny Levi, the home side got the better of Bird and the Australians as they came away with a 15-14 win.

- A move to Newtown Jets, the feeder club for NRL side Cronulla Sharks, ahead of the 2015 season proved to be a crucial decision in Bird's rugby journey as he was quickly elevated into the Sharks senior squad. During the pre-season Auckland Nines competition, Bird wowed the crowds and impressed Sharks staff as he got the club through to the finale and forced extra time with a drop goal conversion from the sidelines against South Sydney. The Sharks eventually lost out 18-14 but Bird was on his way up the ranks.

- After two games for Newtown in the centres, Cronulla brought Bird into the fold and he debuted off the bench against Gold Coast in round four. A week later, he scored twice playing in the halves as the Sharks got a crucial result over the Roosters before going on to finish the season with eight tries in 23 games as Cronulla reached the semi-finals. His partnership with Valentine Holmes in particular began to flourish as the duo proved a key part of Shane Flanagan's Premiership push in a year later.

- 2016 was a major campaign in Bird's career as he enjoyed domestic and rep success. As a starting centre for the Sharks, he only missed one game on their run up to a third-place finish during the regular season and played a part in Finals wins against Canberra and North Queensland before defeating Melbourne to lift their first Grand Final title. Heroically, Bird played most of the game with a hyper-extended elbow to ensure Cronulla defeated the Storm in front of a sell out crowd.

- In the same season, he progressed from featuring for NSW Country in May to pulling on a Blues jersey in the 2016 State of Origin series. Even though Queensland locked up the series in game two, Bird came off the bench in the second and third games for Laurie Daley.

- Back fully fit for the start of the 2017 season, Bird enjoyed another strong season as he was called up to represent the Indigenous in a 34-8 win over the NRL All Stars. After missing the Kangaroos trip to the UK for the Four Nations through injury, he was also part of the travelling party that took on Wigan Warriors in the World Club Challenge too.

- Back in Australia, Bird featured 17 times and scored three tries as Cronulla reached the Finals once again - only to lose out to the Cowboys in a thrilling 15-14 result. He also made appearances for the Blues, playing in all three Origin clashes against the Maroons.

- Brisbane confirmed the capture of Bird from the 2018 season, but the centre struggled to find regular game time due to injury. Shortly after joining up with Wayne Bennett's side, he was restricted to eight games in 2018 due to shoulder and sternum injuries, before a strong start to the 2019 season was ended prematurely in round nine by an ACL injury suffered against Manly. His 2020 season didn't see round one, as he reinjured the same knee in a training accident in March. In total, he played 17 games and scored two tries for the Broncos.

- Released from his Broncos contract earlier ahead of the 2021 season, Bird landed back at his former junior club St George Illawarra as Anthony Griffin's first piece of business. Back to his best with 22 games and four tries in his debut Dragons season, Bird improved to seven tries in 23 games a year later to earn himself an extended stay at the Dragons through to 2024. He also switched positions as Griffin utilised Bird in second row and loose forward.

- A disappointing 2023 campaign saw Bird play 14 times as the Dragons finished 16th, as well as represent the club's Reserves side twice as part of returning to play after a reaggravated knee injury. Shane Flanagan's arrival as St George's new head coach for the 2024 season saw Bird feature 14 times again as he was moved back out into the centres, taking his total for the club to 73 appearances and 17 tries.

- Wests Tigers won the NSW rep's signature for 2025 as Bird brought a host of experience to a young Tigers outfit. Utilised mostly off the bench during his 17 games under Benji Marshall, he helped the club to a 13th-place finish.

- With two years to go on his current deal with the Tigers, Bird makes the move to Leeds effective immediately to join the Rhinos on a two-year deal.