Christy O'Connor: Clare were in danger of bleeding out. Then their world went from red to blue

They had to face down deep, residual fears from the past, chasing lingering ghosts from deep within the recesses of their mind. But adversity has shaped this Banner group. 

REFUSE TO LOSE: Clare midfielder Cathal Malone gets personal with Eoin Cody at Croke Park. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

AT half-time in the Clare dressing-room on Saturday, the medical team spent an age trying to treat Shane O’Donnell. A nasty finger injury with a deep cut made it difficult to stop the bleeding. Clare needed to get O’Donnell back on the pitch but they also needed to stem the onslaught, to arrest Kilkenny’s momentum and create their own. 

But first, Clare needed to stop the bleeding. Could they? Or was this it? Was that the story of the day? Had all the lacerations of the last three years been just one cut too many? Kilkenny had already spent the previous 35 minutes ripping at old scars, tearing at old wounds. Was the psychological trauma of the past, especially against Kilkenny, too debilitating for Clare to work their way through the distress? Were Clare in danger of bleeding out?