Greg Bird has today announced that he will retire at the end of the 2019 season.

Bird, 34, came back at the club in 2017 after a first stint in 2009.

He made 76 appearances with the Catalans Dragons, scoring 13 tries.

World Champion in 2013, he also won the State of Origin series in 2014 and the Challenge Cup in 2018.

He played 235 NRL games with Cronulla and Gold Coast Titans, and represented Australia 17 times and played 18 State of Origin games with New South Wales.
 

“I'm honored to have played the game I love as a job for 18 years and I'd like to thank the Cronulla Sharks, the Gold Coast Titans and the Catalans Dragons for that chance. To all my team mates and coaches who have helped shape the person and player that I became through my career, thank you. Without your influence, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to reach the heights that I did and I've tried to pass on that knowledge the best I could over the years. I feel incredibly blessed to have shared the field with so many legends of our game.

It's such a strange feeling. Retirement wasn’t something I thought I'd consider while I was still comfortable in the way I was performing. I’m in no way finished in my aspirations for our current season and I have my goals firmly set on going out a winner with my Catalans Dragons brothers, but it's clicked for me and the time is definitely right.

I've always tried to play every game with all the intent and emotion that I possessed and do whatever it took to win. My style together with hard work has provided me the tools to achieve everything I could ever ask for, but brought with it a lot of criticism and suspension. I'd like to think considering everything, I've always stayed true to myself.

Now all my passion and focus will be directed at my greatest loves- my wife Becky and 2 girls Finley and Eve, and into our future. Thankyou the most for bringing balance to my life. The love and support you've shown I'm forever grateful and bring on the next adventure. 

Finally thanks to my fans and all the fans of our great game. You build the atmosphere in the stadiums and your support creates the platform in which we can go out and play the game we love for a living.”