Proud Murri boy Quaden Bayles will take centre stage on Saturday night when he walks out onto Gold Coast Stadium hand-in-hand alongside Indigenous All Stars captain Joel Thompson.
The 9-year-old said he has been looking forward to the moment after what has been a difficult week.
On Wednesday, Quaden was bullied at his Brisbane school when a fellow student made references about his height while "patting him on the head like a puppy".
Quaden was born with achondroplasia, the most common form of Dwarfism, and has had to deal with incidents such as this since he was three.
The aftermath of the incident was live streamed by his mother, Yarraka, and has since gone viral around the globe.
Yarraka has withdrawn Quaden from the school indefinitely.
Despite the emotional toll of the incident and some restless nights since, Quaden, who is now in camp with the NRL Indigenous All Stars on the Gold Coast, told NITV News that he's in good spirits.
"I am alright now. But It made me feel that I want to punch them in the head ... The parents should make them be nicer to kids with disabilities," said Quaden.
"If you get bullied stand up for yourself, and don't listen to what they say"
Quaden said he is thankful for the support he has received since the video was posted and that he has been inundated with Instagram messages from a lot of celebrities, including some of his "favorite rappers".
The keen Rugby League and Basketball fan, said he's been practicing his chip-and-chase just in case his skills are needed on Saturday.
Despite his uncle James Roberts playing for the Indigenous team, Quaden said his views on the match are impartial.
"The whole team are deadly. But It doesn't really matter who wins or who loses because it's just all about having fun," he said.
Yarraka Bayles, with son Quaden Source: Supplied
FIGHTING FOR CHANGE
Quaden's mother Yarraka, a staunch advocate for Indigenous rights and Dwarfism, told NITV News she is going to continue to push for more change within the education system to raise more awareness about children living with disability.
She said Quaden has been on the receiving end of a range of bullying actions since the school year started three weeks ago, which led to her withdrawing him from Carina State School.
"It's almost every single day, so we need to be doing something more. I want to be doing workshops, addressing the assemblies and each classroom and keep it age appropriate," she says.
"There's just no disability awareness or education."
Ms Bayles says that a number of local MPs have reached out but due to the volume of calls she has not yet been able to respond. She has also invited the Queensland Education department to meet with herself and Quaden.
Ms Bayles will also meet with the principal of Carina State School on Monday.
