A year on from sustaining horrific head injuries in an assault in Birmingham, Ryan O'Dwyer will tog out in the Dublin SHC final this weekend.

The Tipperary native, who suffered bleeding to the brain, a fractured skull and a broken jaw in the unprovoked assault, has completed a remarkable recovery and is grateful to those around him as he prepares to represent Kilmacud Crokes against Cuala in Saturday's Dublin hurling decider:

"If we do win, I'll look back and see the road I've travelled and say 'Jeez, I'm a lucky man'," he told The Irish Daily Mirror.

"I have no sense of smell whatsoever. And forgetfulness - if I'm having a chat with someone I could forget what I'm talking about. It's a simple thing.

"I eat salmon now, whereas I didn't eat salmon before. If you gave me fish before I would have said 'No, horrible'. I was born in an inland county - we don't have fish!

"I've already said I'm very lucky with the people around me - Chris Thompson, my family and my team-mates - they are the three that got me back to where I am. I do appreciate it, even though some of them will be playing with Cuala, but I do appreciate them.

"Where I am today is all down to the people surrounding me."

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