Cronulla Sharks NRL player Jack Bird allegedly defended Shaun Kenny-Dowall during an incident at a Sydney nightspot recently in order to prevent the Roosters player from winning a second consecutive Downlow Medal.
Bird is believed to have stood up for Kenny-Dowall during an altercation with a man who then went on a wild rampage at the famous Coogee Pavilion, in Sydney’s east.
Bird later explained why he confronted the intoxicated man in order to defend a player from a rival club.
“The Downlow’s just getting so hard to win” he stated.
“Guys are doing stuff with dogs and goannas and we’ve all gotta lift our game. So when I saw the defending champion almost getting into a dust up, I though, I’ve gotta stop Kenny from getting any points on the board early in the season.”
The Downlow Medal is awarded to the player whose off field demeanour epitomises the values of the modern day footballer and draws attention to the status of footballers as role models to young Australians. It covers Australia’s four major football codes; the NRL, Australian Football League (AFL), the A League (Football) and Rugby Union’s Super Rugby competition.
Bird was not sanctioned by his club or the NRL over the incident but did collect some points in the race for the 2016 Downlow Medal.
These points could prove valuable as Sharks team mate Valentine Holmes was also believed to have been involved in the incident. Holmes has already collected some points for the Downlow after breaking curfew rules during the Queensland emerging State of Origin camp earlier in the year.
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