New St. George Illawarra centre Jack Bird has revealed that he succumbed under the pressure to live up to his $1 million price tag while in Brisbane, according to a report in The Daily Telegraph.
Bird left the Cronulla Sharks in 2018 to chase a big money contract at the Broncos, and since leaving Red Hill for the Dragons this off-season, he has revealed that the pressure of the contract negatively affected his play.
Speaking on 1170 SEN Breakfast, The Daily Telegraph’s David Riccio recalled a time when Bird was specifically warned by his former captain about that exact situation playing out.
“What was interesting about that article today in The Daily Telegraph, is that Jack said he felt the pressure to perform, due to his earning capacity at the Broncos, on about a million-dollar deal,” Riccio said.
“Back in 2018, I was writing Paul Gallen’s autobiography, and I specifically recall how Jack was torn on whether he wanted to leave the Sharks for the Broncos.
“Gallen went and met Jack at a Cronulla café to discuss the pros and cons of staying and going.
“The one thing that Gal said was, 'if you take the $1 million deal, I’ll support you the whole way, but what you need to know is, you immediately succumb to price tag pressure'.
“All the players want to earn the big money, but some can’t handle the pressure that comes along with it, and I think Jack was one of them at the Broncos.”
Bird is now back in his hometown in Woolongong with the Dragons, and is confident of regaining the form that once made him a NSW Origin player.