IF you want to look at the impact Jack Bird has had on the Dragons since re-joining his junior club, you can probably start with the footwear.
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Head down to WIN Stadium and Birkenstock sandals are widespread enough to think it was club-issue attire. Given a google search reveals you won't get much change out of $200, you quickly learn it's not the case; not amid COVID belt-tightening.
They are a sharp look though, and comfy, with Bird quick to point out who his teammates have to thank.
"I brought Birkies in bro," he says.
"They used to tease me and now look at them, they've all got them."
He was the only one to pair the suave German sandals with a pre-season rat's tail, but you know what they say about taking the boy out of Berkeley.
Certainly - Birkenstocks or not - the 25-year-old has never forgotten where he comes from. These days it's impossible given he's back living there - at his mum's place to boot.
"I'm still living at mum's while my partner's up in Brisbane," Bird said.
"It's good being back home looking after mum, it's just me and her there now. My dad lives in Port Kembla so I get to see them every day. It's good just enjoying their company, having fights, just all the stuff you do with parents.
"They gave me everything growing up. We never had much but they've done everything to get me into this position. You never know how long they've got left on this planet so it's great being back with them."
Moving back in with the folks sounds like a nightmare for some, but in Bird's case, it's helped him wake from one, specifically a horror injury run that kept him to just 17 games in three seasons with Brisbane.
Shoulder and sternum injuries were the main culprits in 2018, but it was back to back ACL tears that really slammed the brakes on his career. The second came just a week out from round one last season, leaving him in a dark place compounded by the distance from family and friends.
When he wasn't in the rehab room, he was mostly in his loungeroom or in the Brisbane newspapers being labeled a salary cap bust. Since returning home, he's made a habit of avoiding all three.
"When I was in Brisbane I was just thinking about footy 24-7," he said.
"I was injured, sitting at home thinking I'd let everyone down. I'd just sit there playing playstation and get in my own thoughts. It wasn't good for me.
"Here, I leave training I don't even think about footy at all. I just think about hanging out with my mates, going to the beach, going fishing, do whatever... it's just completely different.
"I love Berkeley, it's where I grew up, I've got a lot of mates still living there and playing for Berkeley. I just love being back there and love being back in Wollongong in general.
"People I don't know know me through my family, they come up and chat to you, it's really good. I've got all my family and friends here so I'm just enjoying life again and happy to be back."
It's an off-field return he always planned to make, but he wasn't so sure he'd do so in the NRL sense after making the tough call to depart for arch-rivals Cronulla at the end of 2014. The move paid off handsomely. He was NSW Origin player and NRL premiership-winner within two years
Having been a standout among an exciting crop of youngsters that included Euan Aitken, Drew Hutchison, Matt Dufty, Jackson Hastings and Jai Field, the departure left some Dragons fans devastated.
Others considered it brash, cocky even, that a kid yet to play an NRL game wanted a 'guaranteed NRL spot'. In reality, there were no guarantees at all and Bird won't ever apologise for backing himself.
"When I first left I wanted to have a crack at first grade and I felt I wasn't going to get that at the Dragons," he said.
"They offered me one year, Cronulla offered me two. I think they'd come last the year before so I looked at their squad and thought I could play first grade. I did and it turned out to be a pretty good, successful team up there. There's definitely no regrets.
"I did think that was it [with the Dragons]. I had maybe an inkling I might come back towards the back end of my career because this is where I grew up and where I want to settle down when I'm a bit older.
"It's come a little bit earlier than I probably thought but it's good to be back and I can't wait to get out there this weekend and pull the Red V on. It's been a while."
He'll do so with many questioning if he'll ever reach the same heights he did so early in his career, even for a guy who'll turn just 26 in a fortnight. It's nothing new but, while it may have been the case in the past, he insists he's not being driven by doubters.
"I've been doubted pretty much my whole life and throughout my footy career," he said.
"Everyone's doubted me but I'm not out there trying to prove anyone wrong. I just want to go out there and enjoy playing footy like I did when I was a young kid. If I play good footy that'll do the talking.
"I know what I'm capable of. You can want to shut people up but if you try too hard, and I've probably tried too hard over the last few seasons... look where I ended up.
"I think I've learned to back away from it a bit and just know everyone's got their opinion and everyone's entitled to that, right or wrong. You just don't read into it."
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On that score, new coach Anthony Griffin has been a Godsend. He'll start Bird in the centres against Cronulla this weekend but, beyond that, all doors are open.
"When I first got here that was his main focus, to get me back on the field at a hundred per cent," Bird said.
"I feel like he's done that. He's given me time to rejuvenate and get my knee right and he's been good with my headspace.
"At the start of the season I was looking at playing in the middle and back row but now I'm back in the centres and that's something I'm comfortable with and have been throughout my career.
"He's been really good for my state of my mind and my confidence."
The latter remains sky-high despite his recent run of hard knocks. With so many years still in front of him, he's adamant he can again reach the heights he touched so early in his career.
"I've been though hell and back and, at a young age, it's probably good because you learn resilience," he said.
"That's something I've definitely done over the last few years. I've been down at the bottom and I've been at the top at the Sharkies. I'm making my way back there and it's slowly building.
"I'm building confidence every day. I've definitely endured the lows and definitely got to the highs. There's no doubt in my mind I can get back to the highs.
"I've just got to keep doing what I'm doing and I'll be all right."
Mitch Jennings
Sports writer. Sport is my passion, rugby league my first love.
Sports writer. Sport is my passion, rugby league my first love.
