CHAMPIONSHIP 2008:ONE OF the things said about Alan Brogan when he took over the Dublin captaincy in January was that maybe he'd bring the position some luck. As well as being a gifted footballer Brogan always had that happy-go-lucky feel about him, already turning the fortunes of Dublin under-21 football when he captained the county's first All-Ireland win, in 2003.

For his three immediate predecessors - Colin Moran, Paddy Christie and Ciarán Whelan - their captaincy did not exactly coincide with an era of rich pickings for Dublin. Moran and Christie lifted Leinster titles during their captaincy yet also endured plenty of troubles and woes.

Brogan certainly got off to a lucky start when he captained Dublin in the O'Byrne Cup final in February, where two late, late goals from Jason Sherlock secured a win over Longford. Brogan could hardly conceal a cheeky smile on lifting the cup, as if saying, "I can't help it if I'm lucky."

Then the luck started to turn. He missed a couple of National League games and in the showdown with Armagh got himself sent off shortly after his second-half introduction. So he watched from the stands as all hell broke loose in the final league match against Meath (resulting in eight players getting suspensions, including his younger brother Bernard) and also as Dublin lost the Division Two final to Westmeath.

So, as he prepares to lead Dublin out onto Croke Park on Sunday for their Leinster quarter-final against Louth the excitement is a little more contained than expected. Also, at 26, Brogan is no longer the boy wonder of the team. His youthful features have been replaced by the more chiselled look of a seasoned footballer, and, although he is still laid back, there is clearly some added pressure on his shoulders this summer.

"There's an extra little bit of responsibility as captain all right," he says. "But over the years, since I've been involved anyway, the Dublin captain hasn't had a huge amount to do. Not with tactics, or anything like that. That's obviously all the manager's decision.

"Maybe there is an extra bit of communication between myself and the management, but it's not a huge burden, and my approach to this first game is similar to what it was over the last number of years. It's actually a nice time of year for an intercounty footballer. The hard training is done at this stage, and we're just looking forward now to getting back to Croke Park. It's all about playing football over the next few weeks."

Naturally, he'll be hoping Dublin's recent fortunes will turn again: "It's been a strange few weeks," he says, with obvious understatement. "All the suspensions after the Meath game, then losing the league final. But we trained hard over the weeks since, and most people are in the right place now. Minds are focused, the same as any other year. Our aim is to win the Leinster championship, then the All-Ireland. But of course there are hurdles along the way so we'll be taking it one step at a time, and first step is Louth."

Winning a fourth successive Leinster title would be no mean feat, and while they're favourites for that, and also for Sunday, there is no complacency.

"No, before any game we play, the management take a close look at the opposition. It won't be any different with Louth. And they'll have their notes done on us as well. And they're coming to Croke Park with no pressure on them.

"If they lose by 15 points nothing much will be said about it. So they can come and have a right crack at us. All the pressure is on us to perform, so from that point of view they're in a nice place. And any team coming to Croke Park to play the Dubs doesn't need any more motivation than that. So I think they'll be a good challenge for us."

Since making his championship debut against Wexford in 2002 Brogan has become an increasingly central component of the Dublin attack, scoring 9-66 in his 31 championship games to date. After Sherlock - the last link with the 1995 All-Ireland win - he's probably the most pivotal forward.

"Well the panel has changed a good bit. A few guys have moved on, like Dessie Farrell, Senan Connell. New guys have come in and done well . . . even Bernard had been around a couple of years before he played. Also the likes of Paul Flynn and Diarmuid Connolly have put pressure on guys who have been there over the past few years, so from a squad point of view that kind of competitiveness is very good.

"And Jason still has a huge say - of course he does - and is very well respected in the dressingroom. But he doesn't bring up his All-Ireland medal too often, because he wants to win another one, both for himself and the group of players he's with at the moment."