Craig Bird

Craig Bird
Personal information
Full name Craig Bird (AKA 'Premiership Bird')
Date of birth (1989-01-21) 21 January 1989
Original team(s) NSW/ACT Rams (TAC Cup)
Nelson Bay (BDAFL)
Draft No. 59, 2007 National Draft, Sydney
Height 180 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Weight 85 kg (187 lb)
Position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current club Essendon
Number 24
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2008–2015 Sydney 137 (56)
2016– Essendon 019 0(3)
Total 156 (59)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2016.
Career highlights
  • AFL premiership player: 2012
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Craig Bird also known as "'Premiership Bird'" (born 21 January 1989) is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

He was drafted to the Swans with the 59th pick in the 2007 AFL Draft after previously being part of the NSW AFL Scholarship Program. He was recruited from Nelson Bay and made his debut in round one of 2008 season, wearing the number 14 guernsey, previously worn by club legends Paul Kelly and Bob Skilton.[1] At the end of the 2008 season he was named as the Sydney Swans Rising Star of 2008 tied with Kieren Jack.[2]

His 2010 season was delayed due to a stress fracture of the toe.[3]

Bird enjoyed his best year at the Swans in 2011, managing to play 22 out of 24 games for the season. Bird was given a tagging role for much of the year and played the role exceptionally well for the most part. He played on some of the best midfielders in the league over the course of the season. However his best performance of the year came against the Western Bulldogs in round 18 when he kicked 4 goals as a defensive forward having been given the job of limiting the influence of dangerous rebounding defender, Rob Murphy.

Bird continued his consistent run of form in 2012 as he played on the competition's best midfielders and running defenders. Bird took his place in the Swans' 22 for the 2012 AFL Grand Final victory and went on to finish 9th in the 2012 Bob Skilton Medal, the highest placing of his career to date. After the 2012 AFL Premiership, Craig Bird has been regularly referred to in popular culture by the nicknames "Premiership Bird" and "PB", owing to his significant contribution during the Sydney Swans Premiership victory.

By 2015, however he had lost a regular spot in the side, as talent such as Tom Mitchell and Jake Lloyd cemented their spots. This left Bird struggling for opportunities.

In October 2015, Bird was traded to the Essendon Football Club as part of a three way deal that saw Jake Carlisle become a Saint. [4]

Statistics

Statistics are correct to the end of round 5, 2015[5]
Legend
 G  Goals  B  Behinds  K  Kicks  H  Handballs  D  Disposals  M  Marks  T  Tackles
Season Team # Games G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
Totals Averages (per game)
2008 Sydney 14 21 8 3 144 144 288 62 47 0.4 0.1 6.9 6.9 13.7 3.0 2.2
2009 Sydney 14 15 5 3 108 130 238 41 48 0.3 0.2 7.2 8.7 15.9 2.7 3.2
2010 Sydney 14 4 1 0 35 34 69 14 11 0.3 0.0 8.8 8.5 17.3 3.5 2.8
2011 Sydney 14 22 11 9 184 170 354 43 113 0.5 0.4 8.4 7.7 16.1 2.0 5.1
2012 Sydney 14 25 12 12 220 207 427 69 105 0.5 0.5 8.8 8.3 17.1 2.8 4.2
2013 Sydney 14 23 10 5 269 152 421 53 84 0.4 0.2 11.7 6.6 18.3 2.3 3.7
2014 Sydney 14 21 6 5 206 209 415 58 105 0.3 0.2 9.8 10.0 19.8 2.8 5.0
2015 Sydney 14 5 3 1 48 49 97 15 19 0.6 0.2 9.6 9.8 19.4 3.0 3.8
Career 136 56 38 1214 1095 2309 355 532 0.4 0.3 8.9 8.1 17.0 2.6 3.9

References

  1. ↑ Buckle, Greg (20 March 2008) Bird gets early chance with Swans
  2. ↑ Warren, Adrian (3 October 2008) McVeigh judged as the best Swan
  3. ↑ Toe injury grounds Bird
  4. ↑ Ryan, Peter (21 October 2015). "Carlisle becomes a Saint, Dons get another top pick". Australian Football League. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  5. ↑ Craig Bird's player profile at AFL Tables


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