I don't actually care if he was to come, just find it interesting the argument against him that's all.
He would be an absolute upgrade on our roster, hands down however reliability must be banked into the conversation around our roster.
His last 12mths have actually been stable. He has played 29 games & his performances have been on an upward trend.
JTJ, BJ, Packer and Mats all were seeking a retirement package & signed with declining form/games guides. Bird form/game guide is on the upward trend.
At this point we will struggle to name a starting 17 that is comparable to what we have today which is actually scary.
We have a bigger issue the year after. The shelf is bare on what is available.
Some quote we have Blore who is in worse shape than Bird + impact on a game far less
Others who say no thanks yet say AD must be 5/8th when he comes back despite his ACL which often takes a good 12-18mths to get back into some form guide
Others want us to pay more for Nikora, which apparently our offer is already 200k over what the Sharks have offered and an extra year yet no other club is in the hunt + anymore and it would cost us more than Papa which is dumb.
Others prefer to keep Garner who it's clear Madge doesn't rate as a backrower at all - he got punted for a rookie who signed for another club before the season started + moved to the centres adhoc because of how bad a shape we are in. We could keep Garner and still have 6 spots on the roster to fill for next year.
Others will say what about our development players who are being carved up in NSW Cup or Injured with limited game time over the last 2yrs.
I have no issues with the argument that we need something better or more reliable, issue is who is better out there because right now as the cupboard is very bare + our kids are miles away from NRL week in week out footy.
Depends which Jack Bird we're buying I guess...
The one last year for the Dragons - Sure
The one for the Broncos - Not for any money.
The only real argument I have seen on it - Is that he's injury prone - Which he is - And he has Arthritis - Which he does.
I'd be certain that's why the management are looking for length of contract more so than dollars.
He's a class player.. He does things others just don't do - He'd be an addition to our squad. It's risk v reward and I don't know at top dollar Back Rower money the risk is worth it.
I'd rather have put 200k on top of what Bird wants and kept Luc...
or a deal of that nature...