WE KNOW Bernard Brogan is special. Even by Brogan standards. Kingdom dwellers even whisper their claim to him, and brother Alan, whenever the opportunity arises as the maternal bloodline flows from Listowel.
If last September’s breakthrough didn’t come to pass, he would still be a uniquely gifted footballer – still giving interviews as an Adidas ambassador – and 2010 footballer of the year.
But Bernard Brogan Jnr could so easily, he freely admits, be swanning around the square waiting for silver service. He could so easily be the finisher in a famous yet underachieving football county. The Filippo Inzaghi of Gaelic football, with occasional moments of brilliance, could have been his destiny.
Pat Gilroy altered all that. The current group of players embraced the blueprint for success after Kerry destroyed them in the 2009 All-Ireland quarter-final. By doing so Brogan changed the course of his career forever, shelving a loyalty to his individual gifts to become part of a collective magnificence, mainly because Gilroy was willing to discard those who didn’t work harder than they had ever done before.
That included the Brogans.
“It was unnatural for me. I was an out and out striker, a selfish full forward who would try and get on the ball and kick scores.
“Not track back.”
He reveals the genius of the Gilroy plan.
“When a full back sees a full forward going out and making a block – look at Diarmuid Connolly the other day [against Louth] it is hugely infectious and gives the whole team an energy boost.
“We always say our work rate starts in the full forward line. That’s a mantra Pat has brought in.”
Early in 2010, Gilroy gave Brogan a very simple choice, he chose correctly and put the head down. Those who didn’t are a fading memory now.
“In 2010 the emphasis he put on me changed my game. The days of a full forward swanning around and trying to kick a few scores and not doing any work are over. Well, they are in our book anyway.
“Pat used to pull me up in training for not working. The pressure he put on me was hard at the time and really developed me as a player.
“I always talk to him about developing my game. He is a great man manager, his vision for football is unbelievable and he’s not an old man – I played against him a few years ago – but his football brain is so good for a man of his years. He is a phenomenal coach. He has been huge for me.”
Last Sunday two goals and five points, one point from a free (the easy one he missed is what rankles) saw him finish 0-3 shy of his best return in blue, against Westmeath in 2009, but it meant he instantly atoned for last season’s goalless showing. Granted, in 2011 he shot off on countless decoy runs. For the cause.
Sunday was also about proving a spring devoid of league minutes had not stunted his enthusiasm and at 28 he is a player at the very peak of his powers.
One of his goals came off a remarkable foot pass by Alan.
“It was sublime. I went outside and I turned back inside and the ball was there at my chest. All I had to do was try and keep it low and put it in the corner.
“Alan has been doing it for 10, 11 years now for Dublin. And he is still showing the hunger. It would be easy enough for him now to be happy enough with an All-Ireland medal but it just shows the hunger he brought the last day and the work rate he put in along with the rest of the lads.
“I thought it showed pretty well for us, a lot of the same faces who were involved last year in the final, shows the intensity and it shows the hunger is still there.”
And what of the man who could be king? The coming dual kid is mentioned without any prompting. “Hopefully Ciarán Kilkenny will come in eventually after his Leaving Cert. These fresh faces and competition for places around the place is huge. Training is really good and there is a good mood in the camp and everyone is working really hard, so I think we are in a good place.”
Happy Dubs but not sated Dubs.
