On the big stage against Essendon at Etihad Stadium last Friday night, there was no denying the impact that Bird had on the contest.
The 25-year-old picked up 31 disposals at 77 per cent efficiency, had seven inside 50s, five clearances and laid seven tackles in a game that saw most pundits name him amongst the Swans best players.
Speaking to SwansTV in the rooms after the 50-point win, Bird said having everyone contribute to Friday night’s win was a positive sign heading into this weekend’s bye.
“Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve really stepped it up,” Bird said.
“We’re getting a really good, even contribution from everyone.
“We’re not just relying on one or two players, we’re getting a good spread of numbers … and hopefully we can keep going forward with that.”
The Swans flew out of the blocks against the Bombers, kicking seven of the eight first quarter goals, with just one errant Sam Reid snap on goal the only blemish on the scoreboard at quarter time.
Bird said getting off to a good start and applying early scoreboard pressure had been a focus for the team heading into the match.
“We wanted to finish the start of the season off well,” Bird said.
“We’ve been playing well the last four weeks, so it was a good performance tonight.
“The start of the game was excellent.
“The effort there has been awesome the last few weeks, and we wanted to bring that again tonight and I thought all the boys contributed well.
“We kicked straight and really hurt them on the scoreboard.”
The Swans players are currently in the middle of some time off from the club, before returning on Wednesday to prepare for next Thursday night’s round 11 blockbuster clash against Geelong which will kick off the AFL’s Indigenous Round.
