NSW/ACT Player of the Week: Craig Bird
By Alison Zell
Craig Bird was 8 years-old when his Dad put a Sherrin in his hand instead of a Steeden. And his Dad was the main reason Bird continued to play AFL even when all his friends were playing other codes.
“I got into AFL through my Dad,” Bird said this week.
“He grew up in Sydney playing AFL and he coached a fair bit and coached a few teams in Sydney so he introduced me to AFL.
“I played a number of other sports like Rugby League and soccer but he’s probably the main reason I kept playing up there otherwise I would have ended up playing Rugby League I think.
“I copped a fair bit of stick playing AFL up there and a lot of my friends played Rugby League so they were always trying to convince me to come over to League and play with them.
“But I really enjoyed AFL and I guess I’ve got to thank my Dad for keeping me playing, it’s paid off in the long run.”
Bird was a talented junior footballer in his home town of Nelson Bay, north-east of Newcastle on the NSW east coast.
He was a member of the NSW/ACT Rams talent system, but it was the introduction of the NSW Scholarship scheme that really set Bird up for a successful AFL career.
“I was already in the Under-18s program so I went in the draft when I was 17 but I didn’t get picked up and I was sort of unsure what I was going to do,” Bird said.
“Sydney came to me with a scholarship and I moved down from Nelson Bay to Sydney and played reserves and I think that helped my footy a lot.
“It got me drafted a year later so really thankful for the scholarship and I think it went a long way to me getting on an AFL list.
“I played Rams and reserves the same year but I was able to train full-time with the Swans which was a massive benefit for me, coming from Nelson Bay where I probably wasn’t getting the training needed to make the AFL.”
Bird spent 2007 living in Sydney, playing with the Swans’ reserves side and for the NSW/ACT Under-18 representative side, alongside a few other now well-known names.
“My first year (of representative football) we struggled a bit, we didn’t win too many games but my second year of 18s we went through undefeated and there was myself, Taylor Walker, Luke Breust, Tony Armstrong …” Bird said.
“I think we have five or six drafted and a few on the rookie list so it was a pretty successful campaign.”
With the Swans having first access to Bird, they pre-selected him at the 2007 NAB AFL National Draft, officially picking him with selection 59.
With a year at the Swans already under his belt, the midfielder was selected for his first senior game in Round 1, 2008 and went on to play 21 games in his debut season.
“They (the Swans) just said to me that they thought I could play senior football that year but they weren’t going to hand me a game so I still had to work hard,” Bird said.
“Having that year beforehand really helped me, being able to train with the team and know all the structures and stuff like that I think really helped me a lot with playing as many games as I did in the first season.”
The Swans certainly had some faith in Bird, handing him the famed number 14 guernsey, previously worn by club legends Bob Skilton and Paul Kelly.
“Obviously with the number that was a real privilege as well,” Bird said.
“I really didn’t expect that at all but I was very lucky to be given the chance to wear 14 and still enjoy wearing it.”
Bird began his career as a role-player, often playing as a tagger which helped him to cement a spot in the side.
A foot injury in 2010 interrupted two consistent years and he was only able to play four games that season.
“There’s been a few tough moments, I missed a whole season with injury and sort of questioned myself a little bit, whether I could get back, but the last couple of years have been great,” he said.
From that year Bird became an automatic-selection for the Swans, playing 20 games in 2011 and 22 in 2012, the year the boy from Nelson Bay would become a Premiership player with his local team.
“I always knew we were a pretty good team but obviously it happened really quickly last year and the team improved out of sight,” Bird said.
“Winning the Grand Final was beyond any expectations and I was just really happy to be a part of it.
“It happened so quickly and I didn’t really know what to expect.”
After a late start to pre-season for the entire club, Bird wasn’t selected in Round 1 but fought his way into the Round 2 side and had an equal career-high 27 disposals in last week’s match against Essendon.
“I played a little bit as a role-player at the start of the year and I played a few jobs as a defensive forward and stuff like that but I was a little bit disappointed with my form at the start of the year,” Bird said.
“I was looking to bounce back and the last couple of weeks have been a step forward and (I’m) playing a bit more consistent footy and hopefully I can keep that going the rest of the year.”
Coming up to almost 100 games in the AFL, the 24-year-old is proud of what he has achieved, but doesn’t want it to end here.
“Growing up in NSW there’s not too many players who go on to play 100 games so I’m pretty happy to be able to reach that milestone and hopefully I can keep playing the next couple of weeks and make it,” he said.
“Hopefully I can continue for a few more years.”