Hurler faces up to his biggest challenge

He has an All-Ireland final in Croke Park tonight, and a wedding date with his fiancée in little over a month. But Charleville hurler Des Fitzgerald has already proved there is no challenge he can’t confront.

A freak collision in a club game in October left the hurler temporarily paralysed from the neck down, with a bleed in the spinal chord. It was a one in a million incident but left Des with a life-changing challenge that he’s met head on every day at the National Rehabilitation Centre in Dun Laoghaire.

His Charleville club mates are hoping he’ll be the inspiration that can catapult them to All-Ireland success in tonight’s Junior Hurling decider at Croke Park against St Patrick’s from Kilkenny. They can’t help but be inspired.