They're things the 25-year-old is embracing in his second coming with the Dragons - his junior club - after three tumultuous seasons with the Broncos that ended in his early departure.

The shift north of the border was supposed to continue a meteoric rise that saw him win a premiership and play for his state, all before his 22nd birthday. Then, the wheels fell off, more specifically the left wheel - twice.

The back-to-back ACL tears, and other injuries, kept him to just 17 games in three seasons with the Broncos, bringing closer scrutiny to the $900,000 price tag attached to the move.

Read more: Tigerlillies Harvey Norman Premiership push

The shift north of the border was supposed to continue a meteoric rise that saw him win a premiership and play for his state, all before his 22nd birthday. Then, the wheels fell off, more specifically the left wheel - twice.

The back-to-back ACL tears, and other injuries, kept him to just 17 games in three seasons with the Broncos, bringing closer scrutiny to the $900,000 price tag attached to the move.

Read more: Tigerlillies Harvey Norman Premiership push

Having enjoyed a dream run, on the field and off it, through the first three years of his career with Cronulla, Bird admits life in the Brisbane fish bowl was a reality check.

"It was pretty much the first time I'd been criticised like that publicly," Bird said.

"It was kind of hard to deal with because it's in the paper every day up there, you're always getting blasted for something that's out of your control. It's not like I went up there and just played shit or didn't put a hundred per cent into it when I did play footy, I've just been unlucky.

"It was pretty tough because, when you go up there with all the pressure on your shoulders, you want to go out there and show everyone what you can do. When you're injured, you can't, and that gets frustrating at times.

"You try to push yourself a little bit too hard to get back out there then you get injured again and all of a sudden you're the shittest (sic) person in the world because you can't play footy. I can't help that, it's in the past, I can't control what anyone says about me.

"You learn from those things, you can't dwell on them. You've got to let it slide and just keep moving forward."

There are still plenty who question whether he can but Bird insists he's fought tougher battles, having suffered his first ACL tear as 16-year-old. It was also when he started experiencing the agony of crippling rheumatoid arthritis.

He didn't listen then when people told him his career was over, and he's not about to start listening to them now.

"I did my ACL when I was 16 here at the Dragons and I got rheumatoid arthritis during that time as well and it put me out of the game for 19 months," he said.

"I've dealt with my fair share [of setbacks] and demons, I've been through it all before, I know how to bounce back from it. The last few years in particular have been pretty tough mentally but there's no doubt in my mind I can get back to being a hundred per cent fit. I've just got to put all my concentration on [rehabbing] my knee and nothing outside of footy.

"I'm here to make myself happy and my family happy. I've just got to concentrate on myself, not anything other people say about me. I've always been doubted in my life, it's nothing new to me. I'm not here to prove anyone wrong, I'm here to prove myself right."

There's something poetic about the fact he's looking to do it at the Dragons, the club he backed himself to leave as a teenager for an earlier taste of the top grade. He doesn't regret it, and why would he? But he's grateful for the chance to pull on a Dragons jumper.

"They were some of my best times in footy, going up to Cronulla, I made a lot of great mates and it's a great cub, a bond I'll never forget," he said.

"I'll definitely never regret going up there, it changed my life and it changed my footy career, but I was pretty sad leaving the Dragons. It was a decision I had to make but I'm excited to come back and put the red v back on and my focus is just getting one hundred per cent fit for the Dragons."

The shift back to his childhood home also offers up the chance to help out the Berkeley Eagles - where he first kicked a footy - as an under 18s coach.

"I've got some good mates there, Corey Honan and Ray Barnes have talked me into getting back there and helping out which I've always wanted to do," Bird said.

"I love Berkeley, I've got such good mates I grew up with, a lot of them are playing there again, all my family's from there. Berkeley hasn't had an 18s team for a long time so to get the opportunity to go back there and help coach my junior team is something I'm looking forward to.

"It'll be great but to get back and help some boys come through the ranks, to grow up from nothing and try and make the NRL. It's something I'm really excited to help them do because it's what I did."