North Tamworth's determined bid to find an under-18 competition to play in this season has been successful, with the Bears welcomed into the Newcastle comp.
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Group 4's reigning premiers will travel for all their matches - game one this weekend.
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Norths coach and ex-Blues star Tom Learoyd-Lahrs - the driving force behind his side getting footy action this season - was waiting to learn who the Bears would met first up when he spoke to the Leader on Wednesday.
The Group 4 season was cancelled because of the COVID-19 crisis.
It is understood the under-18 Bears are the only Group 4 side to have found a competition to play in this year, although the Learoyd-Lahrs-coached Farrer under-14s will also play in the Newcastle comp.
The former Australian and Raiders enforcer said: "It's gonna be a big commitment from everyone, because it's gonna be eight weeks of continual travel."
He added: "We're pretty committed as a club. We'll just make it work, however we have to."
The Bears will use a bus to make the 568-kilometre round trip to Newcastle.
"It's gonna be a bit of a juggling act," Learoyd-Lahrs said, adding that it would be a big club effort to get the side through the season.
He continued: "It's a bit of an unknown for us. It will be a good challenge, because we're playing against a bunch of young man we don't see all time, and we don't necessarily know how they play their footy."
NSW Rugby League, he said, would help with the travel costs.
"We're pretty grateful for the support from NSWRL to allow this, just because young man, if they go off and play something else, sometimes they don't come back."
Last month Learoyd-Lahrs told the Leader that priority should be given to getting the under-18s action in 2020, given it was a pivotal year in the development of players.
