Latest News Greg Bird says he's glad to be back
| Greg Bird says he's glad to be back |
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| Monday, 08 February 2010 05:32 |
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By Steve Ricketts - Australia's 2008 Centenary Test five-eighth Greg Bird has vowed to make the most of his return to representative football in Saturday night's All Stars match at Skilled Park after the heartbreak of his football exile to France.
Bird, who was compared to rugby league immortal Wally Lewis when he broke into Origin football with NSW in 2007, said yesterday he was embarrassed by that assessment and still regarded Broncos veteran Darren Lockyer the game's No. 1 five-eighth. Drafted into the injury-hit Indigenous All Stars team on Friday night, Bird is likely to be used at lock against the NRL All Stars but will be able to give free rein to his creative urges playing out wide against the Lockyer-led NRL outfit. Bird had little choice but to play for Catalans Dragons in France last year after he was sacked by Cronulla and snubbed by the other 15 NRL clubs and English Super League clubs as he waged court battles over several violence-related charges. He has since been cleared of any wrongdoing and Gold Coast Titans have given him a chance. "You want to be playing in the best competition in the world and I think the NRL is just that," Bird said. "I was happy to be compared to Wally Lewis but he's one of the game's great and I wouldn't go as far as to put me up there. Locky is a great player, the best of the best." |