Davy Fitzgerald has explained the reasoning behind a very late change in Clare’s National Hurling League Final replay win over Waterford nineteen days ago.
Clonlara’s Oisin O’Brien was named to start at corner back but was replaced by Jack Browne after it was noticed that he was struggling in the warm-up.
Manager Fitzgerald admits that he cannot pinpoint when O’Brien sustained a punctured lung. He said: “He was putting on his jersey. There was a bit of panic inside because he couldn’t breathe. And being Oisín, he tried to come out on the field and he couldn’t breathe. I had to walk him in out of the field that day. He was on his knees inside in the dressing-room. He was taken to hospital in Clonmel.”
The corner-back was released following tests in Clonmel but a subsequent medical report obtained by the Clare setup indicated far worrying results. When this was discovered O’Brien was en route to Austria to visit his girlfriend. As soon as the severity of his injured was released, frantic attempts were made to contact the LIT student.
“He was actually out in Austria when we got the results back from the hospital. He probably shouldn’t have gone but he did. He had about ten missed calls the next day so he had to go straight to hospital there and get it done” the Sixmilebridge man revealed.
Flying by plane is incredibly dangerous with a punctured lung and Oisin had to return home via train and boat according to Davy Fitzgerald. “It took us a bit of time to get him back, he was in hospital for four days out there, getting a procedure done.”
Oisin made his first start for the Clare Seniors in the crucial four point March 20th win over Limerick. He held his place and was assigned to Kilkenny’s Richie Hogan in the League semi-final. He returned to training this week and is now determined to regain his place for the June 5th Munster semi-final against Waterford.