Gut-wrenching incident leaves Bronco 'absolutely distraught'
Brisbane's Jack Bird has suffered another “shocking” injury setback two days before he was set to begin life as the NRL club's new fullback.
It has been conformed that the luckless fullback has again torn his ACL.
Bird was gutted as he limped off the training paddock on Wednesday after hurting the same knee that was operated on following an ACL tear last year.
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It’s not clear at this stage what the extent of the damage is, with Bird likely to have scans on the knee.
The 24-year-old will miss Friday night’s grudge match against state rivals the North Queensland Cowboys.
“He looked absolutely distraught,” Fox Sports reporter Mark Gottlieb said during a live TV cross.
He described Bird's injury as a “shocking incident”.
“Bird was absolutely filthy ... he was in absolute agony, he was disgusted with what happened.
“Devastating news for Jack Bird and Brisbane fans.”
Channel 7 reporter Chris Garry added that the Broncos star was “screaming expletives” as he limped from the training paddock.
BREAKING: Huge drama at @brisbanebroncos with fullback Jack Bird going down with what looked like a serious knee injury. He was in a lot of pain and absolutely filthy. Left the field screaming expletives #NRL @FOXSportsNews
— Mark Gottlieb (@MarkGottliebFOX) March 11, 2020
This sucks so much for Jack, one of the nicest footy players you could meet... but also extremely talented. When North Melbourne cross trained with @brisbanebroncos - Bird was the best at AFL drills. He’s a natural footy player and we are missing out on seeing him flourish.
— Chris Garry (@ChrisGarry7) March 11, 2020
Incredibly sad. Guess the only upside is he’s sign a major deal this last one that hopefully looks after him and sets him up.
— ReadingThePlay (@ReadingThePlay) March 11, 2020
Damn that guy is so unlucky
— ÐξЯ†УÐØĠ (@Dertydog_Games) March 11, 2020
Incident the latest in Bird’s unfortunate run of injuries
It continues a disastrous run of injuries for Bird, who has played just 17 matches since moving from Cronulla ahead of the 2018 season.
The 24-year-old had also been troubled by shoulder and sternum injuries but had entered the 2020 season fit and flourishing after being offered a shot in the No.1 jersey.
The seriousness of the injury is yet to be confirmed, but Bird will miss Friday's clash with North Queensland and likely be replaced at the back by Jamayne Isaako.
Former NSW State of Origin centre Bird had won his berth at fullback ahead of Isaako, who was set to come off the bench against the Cowboys.
It's another blow to Brisbane's stocks following a knee injury to key forward Matt Lodge, while new captain Alex Glenn (hamstring) will also miss Friday's clash with the Cowboys.
It has left 22-year-old pair Patrick Carrigan and Brodie Croft as co-captains - Carrigan set to be the NRL's least-experienced skipper and Croft offered the role in what will be his club debut.
With Yahoo Sports Staff
