Why would it have been?

Prior to this year, most of the Shellharbour product's representative resume was primarily made up of games for Illawarra South Coast at country championships level with a sprinkling of Steelers games at the end of last season.

A fullback-five-eighth coming through the grades, a shift to the centres this season unlocked a breakout SG Ball campaign with the Steelers that netted eight tries in as many games and grabbed the attention of the new Dolphins franchise; and Bennett.

It's certainly been a whirlwind rise for a self-described "late bloomer" who spent most of the preceding years watching teammates inking NRL deals and getting representative call-ups.

It's something that's hit home this week as he prepares to don a Blues jumper for the first time in Thursday's Under 19s Origin clash at Leichhardt Oval - with Steelers teammates Toby Couchman and Jacob Webster also in the NSW 17.

"When I was younger I'd see all the other boys getting into those teams and I thought 'that'd be really cool'," Bostock said.

"I played Andrew Johns [Cup] in the under 16s and in under 18s I didn't play anything. Last year I had a few [Steelers] games just filling in where I could with injuries so this year was my first full season of SG Ball.

"I was playing in the halves and fullback all my juniors coming through and then I just got moved to the centres this year. I wasn't too sure how I'd go, I'd never really played there before, maybe one or two games just filling in.

"It was my first full season there this year and I've loved it. I was obviously a really late bloomer so I just had to bide my time and keep working hard. It's pretty cool to be here [in Blues camp] now. It's really different, you feel one step closer to the real thing which is really good.

"We've got Bobcat (coach Andrew Ryan), Mark O'Meley, Timmo (Shaun Timmins), Brett Morris so rubbing shoulders with all those boys gives you some extra confidence as well heading into Thursday."

While he struggled to pinpoint the exact cause of his surge into 2020, a fair growth spurt and shift to the centres can take at least some of the credit. Remarkably, so can COVID-19. That's the view of Dragons pathways manager Shaun Timmins, also a member of Ryan's Blues coaching staff.

"Through COVID [shutdown] last year we noticed a lot of kids came back from that either spiralled upwards or some spiralled down, but he was one who really applied himself," Timmins said.

"He shot up about a foot in height I reckon and, with his attitude, he trained really well, he matured into a really good leader. He'd probably admit he wasn't the best trainer [before] but he really turned up with a great attitude this year.

"He's always had a bit of talent but he wasn't one those kids that played all the rep footy at school or made all the rep sides like you see with some guys. Jack didn't do all that as a kid and I think that might've spurred him on a little bit this year as well."

He'll wear No. 5 on Thursday, but Timmins feels his future lies in the centres.

"He was in our [Steelers] SG Ball squad last year but he was a year young and he was floating in and out of the team. He was playing a bit of fullback, a bit of half, a bit of wing, but he wasn't getting picked every week and we weren't really sure what his position was.

"We just thought he's a ball-runner. We wanted to take the organisation off him of thinking in the halves. He's big, he's tall and he's only going to get bigger and we thought that made a good centre. It suited him, it suited the team and from there on he had a bit of a breakout year."

Which is where - to the chagrin of the Red V faithful - Bennett and the Dolphins came in, offering up a three-year deal, the first on a development contract and the subsequent two on a top-30 deal.

The people who've told the mastercoach 'no' over 30-odd years can be counted on one hand. His digits flashing up on Bostock's phone was something surreal

"I've spoken to him, he's a legend, I was pinching myself really," Bostock said.

"It's pretty crazy, it's just all happening so fast. I was just playing through SG Ball trying to have a good year there. My manager had some talks with [the Dolphins] and everything fell into place. I'm headed up there and I'm pretty excited.

"I really like what they're doing up there, I think they're building a good team. It's great opportunity to go up there under Wayne Bennett who's one of the best coaches to ever do it. I'm still over the moon about it and I'm just excited to rip in."

He may be Queensland-bound, but the fact Redcliffe will be home for the next three years does nothing to change his feelings toward the Maroon jumper ahead of Thursday's stoush.

"I don't think you have to be taught much there," he said.

"Everyone already has that hate when you're from NSW. You don't like them and that's how it'll be on Thursday.

"I think it'll be the toughest game of footy I've ever played. Everyone's going to turn up, they're playing for their state. It's going to be a big game and I'm excited for it."

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