THE annual trip of Burleigh sponsors and supporters to NRL grand final day will go to a whole new level on Sunday, with their beloved Bears taking centre stage to fight it out for a national title at ANZ Stadium in Sydney.

The Bears routinely take a select group of about 20 sponsors, supporters and others to Sydney for the code’s big day.

This year that group will expand well into triple figures with the Bears featuring in the interstate challenge clash against NSW Cup winners Illawarra, after Burleigh won last Sunday’s Queensland Cup grand final in Brisbane.

The 2.50pm kick-off will act as the curtain-raiser to the NRL decider between Melbourne and Cronulla.

At least 140 people additional to Burleigh’s playing and coaching staff will make the trek south, at roughly $2000 a couple.

Club official Tom Marzella will lead a group of 46, including the likes of Gold Coast Tweed Rugby League chairman Peter Daley.

Others include Shane Coburn, the boss of co-captain Jamal Fogarty’s junior club Beaudesert Kingfishers, as well as Bears life members.

“Over the last 20 years I’ve been taking a group of people down to grand final weekend every year and it’s just fortunate that Burleigh are playing,” Marzella said.

Bears chief executive Damian Driscoll is leading about 20 representatives from key sponsors, while a group of 75 partners or family members of players is also making the journey, along with fans who have made their own arrangements.

“The group that I’m taking down, they’ve all paid their own way,” Marzella said.

Bears chairman Paul Khan praised fans for investing in seeing their local side on the big stage. “As soon as we made the (Queensland Cup) grand final, we put together a package through another company,” Khan said.

“We put some flights on hold to see if we made it (to Sydney) and once we made it, people were more than willing to dip into their own pockets to watch the guys.”

Back home, fans will have the Burleigh Leagues Club “packed to the rafters” to watch from afar.

A win over the Cutters and the subsequent title of national champions would be sure to kickstart another series of jubilant celebrations.

Queensland teams Northern Pride (2014) and Ipswich (2015) took victory in the first two years of the interstate ­initiative.