The Cronulla Sharks are just days away from sacking Greg Bird and lobbying the NRL to ban him - but Bird's manager, Gavin Orr, may just have the defence to save his fallen star.
News Ltd reports today suggest Bird could be sacked by his club on Thursday, and reveal the push from Sharks officials to have him banned from playing in the NRL for the 2009 and 2010 seasons.
The reports arrive nearly four months after Bird was stood down by the club after being charged by police over the alleged glassing of his girlfriend.
Bird and Orr are expected to meet with Sharks officials on Thursday, but Orr has called for the NRL to lend its support.
Orr insists Bird's axing would be a clear case of double standards - and while not citing the case directly - could lean upon the example of Roosters centre Setaimata Sa who is also facing charges of grievous bodily harm.
Sa has not been stood down by the Roosters, nor will he be deregistered from the NRL.
"The NRL, somewhere along the line, have to actually make a decision," Orr told Fairfax.
"I'm just dealing with facts. A couple of people have been charged with different things. Greg was charged with a similar thing, and it's been dropped to a lesser charge. And he's still out."
But Sharks boss Tony Zappia was dismissive.
"I don't know the ins and outs of this [Sa's] case, and I'm sure he [Orr] doesn't either," Zappia on Orr's comments [cited by Fairfax].
Orr insists the Sharks have no legal grounds to punt Bird, and the NRL will have no basis to ban him from joining another team for the 2009 season.
"I don't think the NRL have grounds to deregister Greg Bird if he hasn't been found guilty of anything," said Orr.
"Let's start basing things on facts, because at the moment the facts aren't out there … Why should there be judgments made on speculation?
"The facts are he's been charged with something he says he hasn't done, and he's been stood down by the club based on no facts. They cannot act without knowing all the facts. And we're not going to know all the facts until the court case is decided."
But NRL CEO David Gallop looks to be siding with the Sharks.
"Our position is if the Sharks terminate him, and another club looks to sign him in 2009, we'd be likely to refuse to register him for the 2009 season," said Gallop.
Should Bird be deregistered from the NRL, it's expected he'll head to the UK Super League where Warrington are believed to be frontrunners for his signature.
