The renowned Blues hard man, who will miss the entire series after he was slapped with an eight-game suspension for a dangerous tackle on Jason Nightingale, was invited into the Coffs Harbour camp by NSW coach Laurie Daley and his assistant Matt Parish.

Bird has been called in to help the young players in the squad settle into camp, but to also add some steel to the team's opposed sessions this weekend.

Daley has rounded up a mix of Holden Cup players and Group 3 players, who include rising Manly young gun Tom Trbojevic and Roosters duo Joey Lussick and Charlie Taylor, as well as Bird, to square off against his Blues in the physical opposed sessions this weekend.

Bird joked about playing the role of Johnathan Thurston in the opposed session, but given he isn't schedule to play another game for six weeks, he won't be holding back when he helps prepare the young NSW players for battle at ANZ Stadium.

"I'm here just to be a familiar face around the guys, have a chat to a few of the younger guys, run a bit of opposed against them over the weekend," Bird said. "[I'll be] Thursto. I might put on the seven."

Bird joined the squad in Coffs Harbour with Titans teammate Ryan James on Wednesday.

But the veteran forward admits he had reservations about joining his teammates knowing he wouldn't be running out with them in game one of the series.

"It's a different feeling, but I came to grips with it a couple of weeks ago that I wasn't going to be playing Origin," Bird said.

"I'm very happy I can still be a part of it. When Laurie and Matty Parish invited me down there were some thoughts whether it would be too hard for me being around the guys. Once I'm here now I'm enjoying it and hopefully have a positive influence on the guys and help out where I can."

Despite NSW stalwarts Anthony Watmough and Luke Lewis being overlooked for selection, Bird was a certainty to be picked in Daley's team had he not been suspended for the tackle on the Dragons winger.

While he was surprised Daley couldn't find room in his team for Lewis in particularly, he doesn't believe it's the end of their representative careers.

"I thought Lewy would've been picked," Bird said. "I'd spoken with Laurie and Matty briefly over the phone, I didn't know they weren't going with him. I'm sure they [Lewis and Watmough] aren't bitter about it at all. They'll go back to their club footy and who is to say that next year or even in the next two games that there's not an injury, there's not poor form and they  play out of their skin, they might get recalled.

"There's every possibility of it happening, but if it doesn't happen I'm sure those guys will survive without it."

Blues legend Andrew Johns floated the idea of playing Bird a month out from the start of the series because of the slow start to the year from the incumbents.

While Josh Reynolds was axed from the side, Bird said Daley made the correct decision with the squad he named.

"I couldn't be happier with the whole team," Bird said.

"If I had the opportunity to pick the team, I would have picked the exact same players. I think Pearcey, ever since he was shunned from the  series last year, his game has gone up another level and the form he's showed at the start of this season, he definitely deserves a spot in this side.

"Their [Hodkinson and Pearce] two games will complement  each other. Pearcey has got a sharp step and Hodko will direct the team around and give them what they need. The two halves for Queensland have been effective for them and there's no reason why our boys can't do the same thing. I hope those guys can work up a combination that is going to last in the NSW side, not just this series but moving forward into the future.  They're both young kids and I'm sure they've got big futures in the game."