Tommy Bird
Collingwood
AFL career
9 games5 goals
- Debut
- R14 1925 v HAW22 Aug 1925
- Most recent
- R16 1928 v STK11 Aug 1928
Stats
Bio
Born into black-and-white royalty as the son of club pioneer Alexander Bird, Tommy Bird was a quick, clever midfielder and forward whose senior opportunities were severely limited by the strength of Collingwood's emerging "Machine" dynasty. While he struggled to permanently displace legendary rovers like Harry Collier and Bill Libbis, Bird was a standout performer in the reserves, where he captained the side and consistently hit the scoreboard. His brief VFL tenure—highlighted by a lively three-goal haul against Carlton in 1928—often took a backseat to his cricket career, where he thrived as a first-class wicketkeeper-batsman for Victoria and notably played against Don Bradman. Bird eventually stepped away from football to focus on summer sports, though his family remained synonymous with Victoria Park for generations to come.
Profile
- Born
- 31 Aug 1904
- Died
- 12 Apr 1979 (aged 74y 224d)
- Height
- 170 cm
- Weight
- 66 kg
Teams
Bio
1 revisionBorn into black-and-white royalty as the son of club pioneer Alexander Bird, Tommy Bird was a quick, clever midfielder and forward whose senior opportunities were severely limited by the strength of Collingwood's emerging "Machine" dynasty. While he struggled to permanently displace legendary rovers like Harry Collier and Bill Libbis, Bird was a standout performer in the reserves, where he captained the side and consistently hit the scoreboard. His brief VFL tenure—highlighted by a lively three-goal haul against Carlton in 1928—often took a backseat to his cricket career, where he thrived as a first-class wicketkeeper-batsman for Victoria and notably played against Don Bradman. Bird eventually stepped away from football to focus on summer sports, though his family remained synonymous with Victoria Park for generations to come.