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See the heartwarming moment footy great turned coach Sam Burgess makes an incredible gesture to a player with Down syndrome Burgess is a rookie coach in Super League Has steered the Wolves to the finals Made the day of super fan who also plays for the club By Josh Alston For Daily Mail Australia Published: 07:49, 20 September 2024 | Updated: 07:51, 20 September 2024 e-mail View comments Sometimes the biggest words come from unexpected voices, as former NRL star turned coach Sam Burgess has learned during his time at the Warrington Wolves . The South Sydney Rabbitohs premiership hero and Clive Churchill Medal winner has steered the Wolves to third on the Super League ladder heading into their final-round clash with the London Broncos this weekend. That included running the cleaners through Huddersfield to the tune 66-0 in their last outing.
So ahead of their final regular season match against the Broncos, Burgess turned to the shortest member of their squad, who also has the biggest heart, to deliver a pre-game address. Oliver Thomason has Down syndrome, a genetic disorder that results in intellectual disability and developmental delays. His brother Craig runs The Warrington Wolves Charitable Foundation, which has worked closely with the club to establish a wheelchair competition and a newly formed league for players like Oliver with intellectual impairments.
He had been invited to the club's final training session to meet the players, where received the kind offer made by Burgess. Oliver is more than just a super fan of the Wolves - he gets to pull on the playing strip in the Learning Disability Super League and is regarded as part of the squad by the first graders. He was also named as the Official Inclusion Ambassador for the Rugby League World Cup 2021.
So it's no wonder Sam threw his large arms around Oliver and let him make a speech to the team ahead of the big clash. Sam Burgess, coach of the Warrington Wolves, handed the ball to Oliver Thomason during the final team huddle and let him address the team ahead of their clash against London Broncos Oliver got his chance to play for Warrington in the Community Integrated Care Learning Disability Super League A big thank you to @WarringtonRLFC for inviting @ComIntCare 's Katie, Oliver & Matt to their training session this morning!🙌 Continuing her photography journey, Katie captured the players in action, while Oliver & Matt led media activities with Ben & Danny! 📸 Great work!🤩 pic.twitter.
com/excGBdbnE2 — Learning Disability Super League (@LDSuperLeague) September 19, 2024 'Big game tomorrow at this stadium, so guys, make sure that no-one can get past you,' Oliver said to the team. 'Formations, this guy, big Sam, always get these guys powered up, Danny Walker and also you, lad,' he said to raucous laughter, as he appeared to stitch up one of the players with an in joke. 'And also, make it our year, and listen, don't let the London Broncos run your pitch,' he continued.
'We are the Wolves and we are going to win to the next, next season. All we need to do is to come on the Wolves!' It was an emotional address that had the players roaring in approval and left fans praising Burgess for letting Oliver have his moment in the sun. 'Love it, great team talk Oliver that should fire the team up,' one posted.
'[Former Derby County and Nottingham Forest manager] Brian Clough couldn't have done it better,' added another. 'Awww we love you Oli as do the boys and the boss,' posted another fan. Burgess (pictured with partner Lucy Graham and their daughter Robbie) is a rookie coach with Warrington but has steered the club to finals in his first year Craig Thomason (left) has been a champion for his brother Oliver (right) as he helped create the Learning Disability Super League so he could play the game he loves Oliver, 32, has recently spoken about the emotion he felt getting to not only be part of his beloved club behind the scenes, but on the pitch as well - thanks to his brother.
'Between playing at school to now there was a big gap,' he told BBC . 'When I was young, all I wanted was to be on a team, a rugby team so that I could score, pass and do what I'm going to do. Now I'm that person.
'I'm passing good, I get the crowd following us. I can see what I have achieved from when I was young to now. 'Craig is more than a brother, he's my mate and my coach.
I love him to pieces.' But Craig doesn't think he has inspired his brother, he believes that Oliver has inspired him - and plenty of others in Warrington. 'Looking back on those football days and Oliver being there and involved has probably shaped why I'm doing what I'm doing now,' Craig told BBC Sport.
'For the 90s it was really forward-thinking. For my team-mates, it was second nature having Oliver join in. 'There is very little of my life that I can remember before Oliver, but I can remember my mum and dad first coming in and telling me about Oliver and saying how he was going to be a little different than us but that he would just need a bit of extra time to learn things.
'I just thought, 'OK'. This is Oliver and this is what he's like. He does need a little time, but get him involved.
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