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St George Illawarra recruit Jack Bird denied he is injury prone as he aims to get back to his best in 2021.
Jack Bird has struggled with injury and health setbacks for most of his NRL career but as he prepares for a comeback with St George Illawarra he insisted he's not injury prone.
Still in rehab from second ACL injury in 10 months, the 25-year-old spoke honestly about feeling like a burden on big money at Brisbane and his plan to return to his best for the Dragons.
The former NSW Origin star had the world at his feet when he signed with the Broncos but managed just 17 games in three seasons as he battled shoulder and sternum injuries and then double ACL ruptures.
Bird also suffers from rheumatoid arthritis - a condition for which he has regular injections to live a normal life.
However, on Thursday, a confident Bird blamed bad luck, not a physical propensity for injury for his troubles.
"I went to the Sharks after an ACL injury, played three seasons there," he said.
"People will say I'm injury prone or whatever.
"But I've gone through arthritis, an ACL injury, and I went up to Cronulla and I didn't get injured until probably my last few games, until I went to Brisbane and then it all went south.
"I was on top of the world at the Sharks, winning the comp at a young age and playing Origin, it's everyone's dream as a young kid.
"You can't take things for granted because in the blink of an eye it could all be gone.
"I'm pretty dedicated to get back to where I was and that comes with hard work and I'm willing to put the hard work in."
Still overcoming his latest injury setback, Bird is aiming to begin training with the main Dragons group in mid January.
His return to the club on a lifeline marks a full circle moment for a player once considered the best prospect in the Dragons' junior system.
His move to Cronulla where he made his NRL debut in 2015 was seen as a huge loss for the Dragons to their close rivals.
After winning a premiership with the Sharks in 2016 Bird was one of the most exciting players in the competition, but he doesn't regret his fateful move to Brisbane.
"You can't live life with regrets," he said.
"It obviously didn't go to plan but it changed me to the person I am today.
"There's no regrets there, I loved living in Brisbane, I loved the boys up there, it just didn't turn out the way we all hoped."