Bird was off contract at the end of 2016 and had a three-year extension on the table, but he opted to commit to just one more season.

Jack Bird will be laughing all the way to the bank after he triggers a A$100,000 (NZ$104,980) payday when he makes his State of Origin debut on Wednesday night.

Bird will have to add Josh Morris to his Christmas card list given it is the Canterbury centre's withdrawal through injury that will mean the 21-year-old will be rewarded with a six-figure bonus when he runs onto Suncorp Stadium for game two.

The New South Wales utility will receive the A$30,000 match payment each player gets for representing their state, but also has close to A$70,000 worth of incentives in his contract at Cronulla.

The St George Illawarra junior, who was called into the Blues on Saturday following Morris' withdrawal with a groin injury, will receive a lump sum bonus payment as part of his contract with the Sharks.

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His Origin debut will also trigger a clause in his deal that will see his contract increase significantly in 2017, which is the final year of his current deal.

Bird was off contract at the end of 2016 and had a three-year extension on the table, but he opted to commit to just one more season.

Bird backed himself to perform at a high enough level that would ensure his value would rise even further after a breakout debut season last year.

It appears his faith in his own ability has paid off after earning his first NSW jersey, which is likely to see him demand big dollars when he begins negotiating a new deal at the end of this year for the 2018 season and beyond.

Sharks skipper Paul Gallen couldn't be any prouder of his young Sharks teammate but he might be slightly short-changed as a result of Bird's success.

Gallen is off contract at the end of this year and is expected to sign a one-year extension to finish his career in 2017, but another little chunk of available salary cap space at Cronulla has been taken up by one of the club's rising stars.

The NSW skipper has been one of Bird's biggest supporters since he joined the Sharks, continuing his mentoring role at the Blues.

Gallen believes having Cronulla teammates Andrew Fifita and James Maloney in camp will only help Bird as he makes the adjustment to the representative arena.

"Without a doubt [it helps]. I made my debut on my own in a team that had been together three or four years and I felt like a real outsider," Gallen said.

"But he's got us boys to hang around and bounce things off – he's pretty calm, cool and collected anyway. I think it's really good for him to play in this environment and also when we're going really well at club level. Everyone knows how tough he is – he will be fine."

Bird and Tyson Frizell will join Adam Reynolds, Dylan Walker, Josh Mansour and Matt Moylan as players to make their Origin debut for NSW this series.

"No one is intimidated by the Maroons. But these young guys do offer something we haven't had before," Gallen said.

"They could be a bit of a surprise factor for the Queenslanders. We know guys like Dylan Walker and Jack Bird can pull things out of nothing. Everyone has seen them do that at club level lots and lots of times. It would be great if they could do it on the bigger stage."