The Cronulla Sharks made the highest offer to any individual current player in history but could not match what the Brisbane Broncos were offering.

In a statement released on Thursday afternoon, a disappointed Sharks coach Shane Flanagan said they had done everything they could to make Bird into a representative star.

“On behalf of the Coaching staff and players I am terribly disappointed that Jack has decided to move on considering he made his NRL debut at our Club, was the NRL Rookie of the Year, made his debut for Origin and won a premiership all within the space of just over two years” Flanagan said.

“Since debuting for us in 2015, our Club has played a major role in developing Jack into a State of Origin level player which is a testament to the talent identification and player development systems we have in place. We look forward to steering many more of our talented young players along a similar journey in the years to come.

“While we wish Jack well in his future endeavours, he is a professional and we have no doubt he will continue to give his full focus to his Club and his teammates on and off the field and play a major role throughout 2017.”

Fairfax is reporting that the deal is worth $4 million over four years.