The Dragons playmaker woes have continued with Jack Bird requiring surgery after the club missed out on Brodie Croft due to a transfer fee demand from his Super League club Salford.
It comes after regular No.6 Junior Amone was stood down under the NRL’s No Fault Stand Down policy, while another option Jayden Sullivan suffered a hamstring injury in pre-season.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported Bird suffered a knee injury at training that requires a minor clean-out of his meniscus on Friday.
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Luckily Bird revealed no damage to his ACL, which has twice required surgery in the past and ruled him own for extended periods.
“I got through training on Monday, and I was doing some extra kicking at the end when I felt a little ‘click’ in my knee,” Bird told the Herald.
“It didn’t buckle. I’ve done the left knee twice, but I spoke with the doctor, and he said the ACL was good – both ACLs are strong. The stitch that was holding down the meniscus has come loose.
“I’ll go in for an arthroscopy on Friday. It’s just a clean-out – I’ll be right to go [by round two]. Unfortunately with what has happened with ‘Junes’ [Amone], and ‘Bud’ [Sullivan] being injured with his hamstring, we don’t have a No.6 at the moment.
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“I started training at No.6 two weeks ago. I asked him [Griffin], ‘Is this a thing we’re going with in the future, or a quick fix?’ He said, ‘I just want you training there’, and I’ve been training there since’.”
Bird will now miss the Pre-season Challenge and will be racing the clock to return for the Dragons’ season opener against the Titans in Round 2, as they have the bye in Round 1.
It comes after the Dragons pulled out of their bid to lure Croft home from the Super League, with his current club Salford demanding a $250,000 transfer fee.
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Amone will appear in court on March 1 in relation to charges of causing reckless grievous bodily harm in company, damaging property and stalking during a November 15 incident where it was alleged he attacked a roofing contractor with a hammer.
Sullivan is expected back from his hamstring injury in the trials, but the club may opt to put him in cotton wool for the season, given their struggles to find a replacement for Amone to partner skipper Ben Hunt.
