A young fan will have his wish come true on Friday night when he runs onto the field with Taylor Walker and the rest of the Crows before their clash with Collingwood.

Ten-year-old Dale from Whyalla has been granted a Starlight Foundation Wish to meet Crows players and be one of the Bendigo Bank Mighty Mascots.

Born at only 26 weeks, Dale weighed less than 800 grams and suffers cerebral palsy.

With help from the Crows Children’s Foundation, Dale and his family attended training at Adelaide Oval on Thursday, where Dale got to chat with several players.

When Captain Walker told him that he would be running out with the team on Friday night, Dale was delighted.

Walker asked him who he specifically wanted to run out alongside, with Dale facing a tough decision between the Captain and another of his favourites, Rory Laird.

He joined in with some banter, with the team saying it would be easier for Dale to keep up with Laird because their legs are the same size.

However, Dale followed the number on the back of his guernsey and decided on Walker, saying he was very excited for the night.

Dale will be hosted in a special corporate box to view the game and will even visit the rooms to watch the team song if the Crows win.

This particular game was selected because Dale’s sister, Lucy, is a Collingwood supporter.

However, she promised Rory Sloane that if the Crows win, she will swap teams to Adelaide!

The family have been flown over from Whyalla by the Starlight Foundation and are enjoying a few nights holidaying in the city.

They will return by plane Saturday morning, where Dale will go on to play his very first football match with Whyalla team, Westies.

Thank you to Bendigo Bank for donating this mascot opportunity for the match and helping Dale’s wish come true.

Thank you to Variety for their support of our Crows Care program.