Greg Bird - Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks

Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks

Bird made his NRL debut for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks on 28 April 2002, Round 7 v Bulldogs at Toyota Park. Bird played regular first grade for the Sharks in 2003.

Bird obtained notoriety in 2004 after kneeing Souths winger Shane Marteene in the head during their round four clash, which resulted in him not only being sent off by the referee but also in a 10 week suspension from the judiciary. According to his agent, Gavin Orr, Bird had "said he copped a couple of blows to the face during the match and he got an elbow from Shane Marteene in the tackle and just lost it." Chief executive of the club, Steve Rogers claimed that Bird had "been made an example of" and was angered that there "wasn't much consideration given to Greg's youth and his previous record". But the judiciary stated that it took Bird's remorse and good record into account, but decided upon the lengthy suspension due to the severity of the offence. After the game Bird apologised to Marteene in the dressing rooms and also wrote letters to the player and the Souths club. Greg Bird was charged with two assaults including girlfriend in 2008

Bird had a strong year in 2006 and was voted as the Sharks' Player of the Year despite missing seven games of the season through injury. He suffered a serious rib injury in a Round 21 game against the Newcastle Knights which ended his season. Also during 2006, he posed for the Naked Rugby League 2007-08 charity calendar, which was produced to raise money for the National Breast Cancer Foundation of Australia. In March, 2006 he was alleged to have sent model Lara Bingle inappropriate text messages, although Bird denied this, Sharks spokesman Rob Willis saying "Greg's thrown up his hands... He says he's done nothing inappropriate. There's been nothing obscene written. There's been no harassment.".

Following outstanding club form, Bird made his debut for Country Origin and the NSW Blues in game II. His performance earned him a recall for game III of the series, this time in the position of five-eighth where he played most of his early football. He was also awarded Man of the Match. Bird made his Australian Test debut in 2007 and was named the Player's Player in the one-off test match between Australia and New Zealand.

Bird made a strong start to the 2008 season and was selected for Australia for May's Centenary Test, retaining his five-eighth jersey in place of an injured Darren Lockyer. Following the Test, Bird was again named in the NSW Blues side, controversially chosen again in the five-eighth position. In the 2008 State of Origin game one Bird was named Man of the Match.

Following NSW's loss in Game II, Bird claimed he was "jokingly" arrested and handcuffed outside a Brisbane nightclub as part of a practical joke by Queensland Police. Queensland Police responded in a press release stating Bird was arrested after he failed to follow police instructions. He was released after five minutes without charge.

In August, 2008, Bird was named in the preliminary 46-man Kangaroos squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup.