Rugby league great Paul Vautin believes NRL clubs will be rolling the dice if they sign Brisbane’s Jack Bird, saying it will be a gamble to recruit the ex-NSW star due to his horror injury run.
The player cleanout in the wake of the Broncos’ embarrassing NRL finals exit appears to have begun with Bird granted permission to leave the embattled club a year before his contract expires.
Canterbury, Penrith and Wests Tigers have already been identified as future homes for Bird.
But Vautin warned Bird was a risky signing considering his fitness history.
Bird only played 17 games in his two seasons with Brisbane after arriving at Red Hill with an existing shoulder problem.
He recovered only to be limited to eight games in his debut 2018 Broncos year due to a sternum complaint.
Bird’s 2019 campaign was cut short in round nine when he suffered a season-ending knee injury against Manly.
“He has played 17 games in two years, so there is obviously an injury cloud over him still,” Vautin told Wide World of Sports.
“It’s going to be a gamble for a club to take him on.”
Manly great and former Queensland coach Vautin even suggested that Bird would have to lower his price tag after his disastrous Broncos stint.
Bird was reportedly on an $800,000 a season deal at Red Hill.
“At his best he was very, very good,” Vautin said.
“But he’s not going to be on $800,000 like he is at the Broncos (at a future club).”
While the jury is out on Bird’s future, league greats were still scratching their heads over his best position.
Besides Bird, the future of Brisbane captain Darius Boyd, veteran hooker Andrew McCullough, fullback Anthony Milford and winger Corey Oates is also up in the air after they were told they were no guarantee of first grade action in 2020 in a brutally honest end of season review on Wednesday.
Brisbane coach Anthony Seibold is set to make a presentation about his future plans for the player roster to the Broncos board on Friday although no one at the club is set to speak to media.