Greg Bird has joined the undesirable ranks of the NRL's most suspended players, after copping an eight-game ban at the judiciary.
The NSW and Gold Coast enforcer was suspended until mid-July for his lifting tackle on Kiwis winger Jason Nightingale in the Kangaroos' 12-26 test loss last Sunday.
The ban means he will miss the entire State of Origin series.
Bird pleaded guilty to a dangerous throw but went to the judiciary to challenge the grade two grading, but it was upheld by the judiciary panel.
Since his NRL debut in 2002, Bird has now been outed for a total of 29 matches, making him the fourth most suspended player behind John Hopoate (45 matches), Luke O'Donnell and Craig Smith (32) since the NRL was formed in 1998.
