Quaden Bayles runs onto the field before the NRL match between the Indigenous All-Stars and the New Zealand Māori Kiwis All-Stars at Cbus Super Stadium. Photo / Getty Images
Quaden Bayles runs onto the field before the NRL match between the Indigenous All-Stars and the New Zealand Māori Kiwis All-Stars at Cbus Super Stadium. Photo / Getty Images
Earlier this week, 9-year-old Quaden Bayles was threatening to take his own life, his mother's heartbreaking video sending a shock wave through social media platforms.
However, the NRL community rallied together to help young Quaden, and the 9-year-old led the Indigenous All Stars team onto Cbus Super Stadium on the Gold Coast.
Quaden Bayles runs onto the field before the NRL match between the Indigenous All-Stars and the New Zealand Māori Kiwis All-Stars at Cbus Super Stadium. Photo / Getty Images
After giving every member of the Māori All Stars team a high five as they exited the changerooms, Quaden led his sporting heroes on to the field, holding hands with captain Joel Thompson.
He also carried with him the match ball, donning the team jersey and a set of headphones to dampen the crowd's roar.
NRL superstar Latrell Mitchell gave Quaden a quick hug before joining his teammates for the moment's silence.
The referee even gave Quaden the chance to get proceedings underway, waiting for the youngster to give a thumbs up from the sideline before blowing the whistle.
Indigenous All Stars second rower Wade Graham spoke about Quaden during the warm-ups before kick off.
"It was pretty confronting and awful that video that went around," Graham told Channel 9 reporter and NRL legend Johnathan Thurston.
"Hopefully the little fella's doing a bit better.
"It's really exciting for him … hopefully the stadium will be full by the time we get back out here."
Quaden Bayles had been distraught after suffering bullying at school. Photo / Supplied
Mitchell and the Indigenous All Stars extended an invitation to the bullying victim to lead the team onto Cbus Stadium for Saturday night's match.
The indigenous All Stars posted a video message to the nine-year-old that captured Australia's heart, inviting him to walk out with the other players before the annual showdown.
The team, coached by rugby league legend Laurie Daley, reached out to Quaden, who was diagnosed with achondroplasia — the most common form of dwarfism — after seeing the heartbreaking message posted by his mother.
It’s the type of news week to go home, lock your doors & hug your loved ones. But here is an uplifting story. The @NRL Indigenous All Stars have reached out to bullied 9-yr-old Quaden Bayles, inviting him to lead them out at Saturday night’s match at @CbusStadium@9NewsGoldCoastpic.twitter.com/NdAxuqtIuD
Messages of support started flooding in from around the world, including Hollywood actor Hugh Jackman, son of the US president Eric Trump and The Walking Dead actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan.
Much Love Quaden we are all behind ya my man - much love 💗💗💗
UK TV host Piers Morgan and American comedian Brad Williams started a GoFundMe page for Quaden to send the bullying victim to Disneyland. As of Saturday afternoon, the page had raised over AU$650,000.
On Friday, Ms Bayles told reporters Quaden had admitted the outpouring of support saw yesterday "go from the worst day of his life to the best day of his life".
"We've always had amazing community support, especially from the footy boys — they're all his uncles, related to most of them — so they've always been there but nowhere near the amount of support," she said.
"We could never have dreamt in our wildest dreams that it would have gone worldwide and created such a media frenzy. Just being contacted non-stop, people turning up at our house and contacting every single person, it's far exceeded anything we could have imagined."
Former rugby league player Johnathan Thurston poses with Quaden Bayles before the NRL match between the Indigenous All-Stars and the New Zealand Maori Kiwis All-Stars. Photo / Getty Images
Speaking on Channel 9's The Today Show, Daley spoke about the decision to invite Quaden to lead his side onto the field.
"It was heartbreaking seeing that video and I think we were all affected by it," Daley said on Saturday morning.
"A couple of the guys in the team actually know Quaden and his family, and when we saw it we decided that we needed to do something.
"We needed to stand up and make a statement and show that Quaden's got plenty of support.
"So we reached out to him and we want to make him feel a part of our team and for him to be able to spend some time with his heroes and get the opportunity to walk out with the team will be pretty special for him."
Cowboys legend Johnathan Thurston spoke to Nova about the situation on Friday morning, calling the viral video "heartbreaking".
"It doesn't matter if you have children or not, to see these images is heartbreaking," Thurston told Nova 96.9 Fitzy & Wippa.
"I commend the mother for filming this and raising awareness of what bulling does. We had Dolly from the NT a couple of years ago who committed suicide and now we've got a 9-year-old who's talking about the same thing.
"I think parents need to step up and start educating their kids on the effects of bullying."
WHERE TO GET HELP:
If you are worried about your or someone else's mental health, the best place to get help is your GP or local mental health provider. However, if you or someone else is in danger or endangering others, call police immediately on 111.
OR IF YOU NEED TO TALK TO SOMEONE ELSE:
• LIFELINE 0800 543 354 (0800 LIFELINE) or free text 4357 (HELP) (available 24/7) • SUICIDE CRISIS HELPLINE: 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO) (available 24/7) • YOUTHLINE: 0800 376 633 • NEED TO TALK? Free call or text 1737 (available 24/7) • KIDSLINE: 0800 543 754 (available 24/7) • WHATSUP: 0800 942 8787 (1pm to 11pm) • DEPRESSION HELPLINE: 0800 111 757 or TEXT 4202
