BIRD INJURY ADDS TO SHARKS WOES
15.07.07 18:25 Age: 20 min
Sharks State of Origin five eighth Greg Bird has broken his thumb and is set to add his name to the club's mounting injury toll.
Bird will visit a specialist on Monday, with x-rays expected to reveal a break to his left thumb, with the injury in all likelihood set to rule him out for the remainder of the season.
The injury to Bird comes at the worst possible time for the Sharks who are currently without star playmakers Brett Kimmorley and Adam Dykes.
The Sharks are now in something of an injury crisis, with Kimmorley out for up to eight weeks, Brett Kearney continues to battle a quad muslce problem, while Adam Dykes could also be missing for another couple of weeks with an injury similar to Kearney's.
Added to that, improving front rower Jacob Selmes dislocated his knee in the loss to the Roosters last night and faces an extended peroid out of the game, while Luke Covell, Ben Ross, Cameron Ciraldo and Dustin Cooper were all unavailable for the Sharks on Saturday night. Ross and Ciraldo were suspended, Cooper suffered a foot injury which cut short his season dramtically short back in round three, while Covell is hopeful of a return in round 20 when the Sharks face the Broncos.
Coach Ricky Stuart will assess his troops on Monday morning as he attempts to put a side on the field for the important clash with Manly on Friday night.