Australian and NSW State of Origin back-rower Greg Bird’s NRL career is seemingly over, after he was released from the final year of his Gold Coast contract to join Catalans Dragons in the English Super League.
The Titans met the 32-year-old’s request for a release on Wednesday night, before the 235-game NRL veteran joined the French-based club on a five-year deal.
Bird played for the Dragons in 2009, after they resurrected his career following his sacking from Cronulla at the end of the 2008 season.
“I had always intended to return to the Dragons and promised (Catalans chairman) Bernard (Guasch) I would come back and win a premiership,” Bird said.
“They reached out to me and offered me a long-term deal this week which I was only too happy to agreed to.”
Bird’s exit from the Titans comes after he was believed to have found himself under the eye of NSW Police and the NRL’s intergrity unit last month, following an alleged incident at a Brunswick Heads pub where he was denied entry.
He later took to social media to deny any wrongdoing in the matter, where he claimed he ran in to break up a scuffle between a friend and security.
A co-captain with Nate Myles in 2013 and 2014, he was stripped of the position after he was caught urinating near an unmarked police car in late-2014, also in the Byron Bay region, leaving him on his last chance at the Titans.
He played 129 games for the club on his return from France and helped the Titans to the finals in his first and last seasons there in 2010 and 2016.
“No one can doubt the commitment Greg has played with throughout his career whether it be for his club, his state or his country,” Titans chief executive Graham Annesley said.
“He is a fierce competitor and always gives 100 per cent which is why his teammates at all levels love playing alongside him.”
Bird played 18 Origin games and 17 Tests, but was dropped from both Origin and Test sides this year.
Doogs
Guest
Sounds like an awesome experience
Doogs
Guest
Me too TB. Even watching him for NSW against us QLDers I always thought he gave it everything. Sure he could be a grub, no question. There are some grubs in the NRL, but quite a few - including Bird - give 100 percent every week and as a coach you would love them in your team. I hope he goes well in France
The Barry
Roar Guru
Is it?
Brian S
Guest
The way Aussies have been using Catalan as a revolving door lately i think there should be a book on how long he stays, i'll give him 2yrs max;)?
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
I have warned the gendarmes, to ensure their Ciitroens are kept well away from Catalan's ground.Pigeons are not the problem to contend with. The best move the Sharks made was to provide him(Bird) with a cheerio letter,as it was a with Carney. I have zero time for repeat offenders.If one cannot learn from an error of judgement or stupidity,one will never learn.
Oingo Boingo
Guest
Piiissing in the street is acceptable behaviour in frogsville , so Birdy should be in his element.
Oingo Boingo
Guest
Pissing in the street is acceptable behaviour in frog town , Birdy will be in his element.
Albo
Guest
Seems Todd Carney, Dave Taylor & Willie Mason too, enjoy this fine Catalan culture ! However , they'd probably be more into Beatrice Dalle than Salvadore Dali ?
The Barry
Roar Guru
Missed Kapow re-signing. Good news.
Magnus M. Østergaard
Roar Guru
Birdy was brilliant to watch, he was a grub and a fool but a loveable one who always put in 100% and expected a 100% ROI.
The Barry
Roar Guru
PS - I also loved the Catalan culture and the fact that they see themselves as a very distinct area. In France and close to Spain but not French or Spanish but with strong influences from both...
The Barry
Roar Guru
Each to their own I guess, Steve. But yeah, I loved it. I was there for a few days in 2005. I had a ball and had some great experiences there. Had some wonderful meals there and stumbled across a mediaeval festival that was pretty cool. But the best was a Saturday arvo. After a day of sightseeing my missus and I ducked into a local bar for refreshments. The front bar was pretty quiet and mostly filled with tourists but from a back room I could hear these continual roars going up - shouts of joy or bellows of disgust. I wandered in there and it turned out that the Perpignan rugby team's game was being televised (can't remember against who) and all the locals were out the back watching. I spent the next few hours in there drinking red wine and chain smoking cigarettes, roaring at the TV and cheering on the Perpignan team. I was the only tourist in there (you'd see tourists come in, take a sniff of the pea-soup thick, Gitanes heavy air and head straight back out). I think the locals respected me getting in and having a crack and once I showed that I had adopted the local team I was in. I spent the arvo talking rugby in my broken schoolboy French and their considerably better English. We were all arm in arm and jumping up and down cheering at full time. It was one of those unexpected, genuine moments that you get travelling that you never forget. Not sure what my missus did that afternoon. I was also intrigued by a quote from Salvador Dali about Perpignan train station. He said: “It all became clear in a flash: There, right before me, was the center of the universe.” We were travelling by train so I had the opportunity to get to La Gare de Perpignan but I must admit that I didn't see whetever it was that had inspired Dali. He was a pretty strange cat though so perhaps I shouldn't be surprised that I missed it.
Zedman
Roar Rookie
I think they have all moved out, Carney being the latest.
Albo
Guest
Yep ! One of the toughest pound for pound players to have ever played our game ! He was one you would always want in the trenches with you when the going was the toughest ! You don't play 17 origins if you are not one of the best in our game ! Good luck to him in France ! But not sure he will have the greatest influences around him to prolong his career there ???
Hard Yards
Roar Rookie
Tommo, you're better informed than me. Thank you for the correction. cheers.
MAX
Guest
Truly funny, Squid. Ranks with Scott Woodwards ... get Farm Ducked as best of month.
Jimmmy
Guest
Yeah he's a bit of a grub but the the difference between Bird and Some others who may or may not have been the Blues captain is that he gives it out for sure but he also expects it back and can take it on his stride. Bird is a player out of his era. If he played in the 70's he would have been regarded as a champion . Anyway my feelings on Bird as a player have mellowed. He was one of the Titans best this year and is as tough as teak. I for one will miss him.
eagleJack
Roar Guru
I'm sure there's a joke in there somewhere about his new pie business.....
Squidward
Roar Rookie
That's why Toddy signed with them
eagleJack
Roar Guru
Don't joke about these things TB :) Was Happy to see Taupau extend. Straight after the Trbojevic bros re-signed. But we do appear to be missing a backrower for 2017. Unless that's where they see Matagi playing? Particularly if they snare Matulino