Dean Clark reveals his journey from one-punch victim to finding his purpose in life with the Gold Coast Titans

Gold Coast Titans Leagueability star Dean Clark reveals how close he came to ending his own life following a one-punch attack in Sydney and how the club helped turn his life around.

The Titans leagueability stalwart Dean Clark is finally hanging up the boots this weekend. Picture Glenn Hampson

As he prepares to take to the field for the Gold Coast Titans Leagueability team for the last time before hanging up the boots, Dean Clark is eternally grateful to have found a home and a family.

He knows if it was not for his ‘brain snapping’ at the 11th hour he would not be here today.

Clark was the victim of a one-punch attack which was the beginning of a downward spiral that nearly cost him his life.

“Back in Sydney, I got one-punched and ended up getting epilepsy, I’ve lost my front lobe and had memory loss,” he said.

“I was in a really bad way for a really long time.

“I suffered, I didn’t get out of the house in Sydney for two and a half years, I didn’t want to see friends, I didn’t want to socialise, I was having epileptic fits a lot.

“One day I was just in Sydney, and I said ‘my life, I’m gonna end it’.

“So I go to Bondi Beach, had my phone, threw the phone in the water, I was about to jump and the next minute my brain just snapped.

The Titans leagueability stalwart Dean Clark. Picture Glenn Hampson

“I went ‘what am I doing? If I jump, I’m not going to hurt myself, I’m going to hurt the people I leave behind’.

“So I went back and I got help and then I had to leave Sydney where it all happened, so I came to Gold Coast.

“I made that decision and went ‘life’s too good to do things like that’.”

He may not have known it at the time, but the decision to move to the Coast was the beginning of a second chance at life.

Clark joined the Gold Coast Titans Leagueability program, which allows people of all abilities to don the famous Titans colours and play rugby league at Cbus Super Stadium.

“I’ve played footy in the past. I enjoy it because there’s blokes that never got the opportunity to play and they did and that’s why I stayed. It (helped) me mentally,” he said.

“The Titans saved my life, without the Titans, I don’t know where I’d be.

“Now I’m happy and enjoying everything, coming down to training and seeing the first grade boys around.”

The Titans leagueability stalwart Dean Clark. Picture Glenn Hampson

Along with finding a purpose in his day-to-day life, Clark has changed his mindset following the one-punch attack in Sydney.

“I always say to people or I say to myself, I’m the lucky one, I get to tell my stories,” he said.

“There’s people out there who have been hit before that died, I’m the lucky one, I’ve got to tell my story, I’m grateful of that but more grateful for the Titans.

“The Titans are family, it’s a family club, it’s a community, it’s not just the first grade, it’s the women’s, it’s the disability and now we’ve got wheelchairs, it’s just a real great community. “It’s my safe space where I come.”

Clark excelled on the football field after he joined Leagueability seven years ago and has since represented Queensland and Australia.

The Titans leagueability stalwart Dean Clark 54 is finally hanging up the boots this weekend. Picture Glenn Hampson

“(The) highlight is we played New South Wales and we beat them 28-0,” he said.

“I have represented Australia, I just finished that up in November.

“Playing with them, going over to England for two and a half weeks and being with them was brilliant.”

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