Bye-bye Birdy

Newcastle Herald

Saturday January 17, 2009

By JAMIE PANDARAM

GREG BIRD has been prevented from playing

in the NRL this year by Cronulla, who yesterday

terminated the representative back-rowers

contract.

Bird must now move to Britain to play for a

Super League club, which will also rule him out

of contention for State of Origin and Australian

duties for at least a year.

Bird has already rejected an offer from the

battling Wakefield Wildcats and it is believed

glamour sides Wigan, Bradford and Warrington

are locked in a three-way tussle to land the former

Australian five-eighth. It is believed the Wakefield

deal was worth #100,000 ($221,200) a season.

It came as no surprise Cronulla sacked Bird, after

suspending him indefinitely when he was charged

for allegedly wounding his girlfriend in August and

then signing Reni Maitua, regarded as a ready-made

replacement, from the Bulldogs last month.

The Sharks issued a statement yesterday which

said Birds departure was based on a mutual

agreement and it is not clear what amount, if any,

the club paid him to sever ties.

The two parties have today signed off on a

document [deed of release] which releases both

the Sharks and Greg Bird from their respective

contractual obligations and arrangements, the

statement said. While the terms of the release

are confidential, it can be confirmed that included

in the conditions Greg Bird will not register an

NRL contract for 2009 nor play for another NRL

club during the 2009 season.

Bird had fought to stay at Cronulla or be

allowed to play for another NRL club during the

negotiations but, as was the case with Canberras

wayward star Todd Carney, the league wants to

prevent rival teams capitalising when clubs sack

players for behavioural breaches.

Realising his chances were grim with the

NRL backing Cronulla, Bird recently sought a

payout from the Sharks believed to be less than

$100,000, despite earning $360,000 a year.

If Bird signs with a Super League club, he

would have to fly back to Sydney in April to face

charges of reckless wounding, public mischief

and making false accusations over the incident,

after which his girlfriend, Katie Milligan, required

surgery for a fractured eye socket.

Bird would also need to secure a British work

visa before he could play for a Super League club.

© 2009 Newcastle Herald

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