WITH only 11 first grade games under his belt, young gun Jack Bird doesn’t have a lot of experience at the top level yet.
But he has enough experience to know never to write off Manly.
Cronulla’s star five-eighth has been a standout for the Sharks as they have won their last three games in a row and surged into the top eight for the first time this season.
Cronulla face a desperate Manly team at Brookvale Oval on Sunday, with the last-placed Sea Eagles staring down the barrel of having their season ended in early July after making the finals for the last 10 years in a row.
Despite languishing in 16th on the table, Bird said Manly had earned plenty of respect.
‘‘They’re a good team, obviously they’re coming last but they’ve won premierships,’’ he said.
‘‘We can’t take them lightly with players like Cherry-Evans and Foran and Stewart.
‘‘Against them we need to stick to our plan.
‘‘We stuck to it in the second half against the Cowboys and came away with the win. I think if we do that against Manly we’ll win.’’
The Sharks have shown determination and a will to win more than most teams so far in 2015.
Gutsy come-from-behind victories over the Sydney Roosters, Newcastle, North Queensland and a golden point win over the Titans have given Cronulla the reputation as this season’s comeback kings.
Bird, 20, acknowledged the ‘‘never say die’’ attitude within the squad was a positive. (He also dropped in this week to the Junior Jaws school holiday clinic).
‘‘We were down 4-0 against the Roosters, down 18-0 against the Cowboys, 20-10 against the Knights, we just don’t give up,’’ he said.
‘‘We’re coming out in the second half, sticking to our plans and getting the wins.’’
Cronulla will be without captain Paul Gallen on Origin duty and could also lose hooker Michael Ennis for the clash with the Sea Eagles.
If unsuccessful he would be suspended for the trip to Brookvale.
If he beats the charge, it’s possible he will be called up for NSW with Blues hooker Robbie Farah in doubt with a broken hand.
Bird said he was confident the Sharks had the depth to cover for two of their veterans.
‘‘Mick is a good player and a credit to our team,’’ he said.
‘‘He brings a lot of energy to our team as well. (But) we’ve got some good players there that can fill in for Mick. We’ve got Pat Politoni who could come in.
‘‘Benny Barba could have a stint there if need be. We’ve got a good team all round so if we miss Mick we can make up for it.’’
The teams will play for the Steve Rogers Trophy.
SHARKS
Michael Gordon, Sosaia Feki, Gerard Beale, Ricky Leutele, Valentine Holmes, Jack Bird, Jeff Robson, Andrew Fifita, Michael Ennis, Matt Prior, Luke Lewis, Wade Graham (c), Chris Heighington; interchange: Jayson Bukuya, Ben Barba, David Fifita, Sam Tagataese.
Will the Sharkes win again this weekend?
