A Heartfelt Message from Wests Tigers Coach to a Devastated Young Fan
Wests Tigers coach Benji Marshall has taken the time to reach out to a young fan who was seen in tears during his team’s heavy defeat by the Sharks on Sunday. The emotional moment, captured on camera, has since become a heartwarming story of support and encouragement.
During the final moments of the Tigers’ 52-10 loss at Shark Park, five-year-old Noah Deguara was shown crying while being teased by his older sister Olivia, a Sharks supporter. The clip was broadcast on Nine and Fox Sports, as well as on the big screen at the stadium. It quickly gained attention on social media, prompting Marshall to respond with a personal message and an invitation for Noah to meet the team.
In a video message, Marshall addressed Noah directly: “First of all, I just want to send you a quick message to say it broke my heart seeing you cry at the game the other day.” He expressed regret over the team’s performance but praised Noah’s passion and dedication to the Tigers.
“I loved how much you cared about us playing well, and we’ll do our best to make up for it this week,” Marshall said. “A little birdie did tell me that we’re going to bring you to one of our home games soon, where you can meet myself and all the players, and I’m going to give you something special that no one’s got.”
Marshall concluded with a heartfelt farewell: “I look forward to meeting you, mate, and we’ll see you there. Go the Tigers.”
Olivia, who is 20 years old, shared her thoughts on the interview with Today. She mentioned that Noah, who didn’t speak much during the segment, was still stunned by the loss. “He was still stunned from the loss,” she said. “In true big sister style, I said his tears were ‘sad at first,’ but the feeling soon wore off.”
She added that while she wanted the Tigers to win for Noah, the situation turned out to be amusing. “It was just great either way,” Olivia said.
Noah revealed that his favorite players are Jarome Luai and Adam Doueihi. In a separate interview with The Sydney Morning Herald, Noah’s father, Cori, admitted he felt responsible for Noah’s heartbreak. He explained that he had been raised on re-runs of the Tigers’ 2005 grand final victory over the Cowboys, which led Noah to believe the team was invincible.
“I didn’t have the heart to show him some of their other games,” Cori said. “Now he’s old enough to understand the Tigers don’t always win. You saw that on Sunday. At least he’s had a bit more to cheer this season.”
Sharks star Nicho Hynes also reached out to Noah, recording a video to console him. Hynes tried to persuade Noah to switch his allegiance to the Sharks, jokingly saying, “It’s never too late to become a Sharkie, if you want to switch over to the good side.”
Noah might have to wait a while before meeting his heroes. The Tigers will travel to Melbourne to face the Storm on Sunday, then head to Brisbane for Magic Round where they will play the Sea Eagles. They will have a bye during Origin I before hosting the Bulldogs at CommBank Stadium in round 13 on May 30.
