Primed to make the difference
ALAN BROGAN cl ai ms he hasn’t given up hope of starting this Sunday’s All-Ireland final but deep down, the 33-yearold knows that his role for this Dublin team is now as an impact substitute. And in each Championship game this summer, he has managed to make an impact.
Brogan’s contribution i n the replay against Mayo may not have generated the headlines that Kevin McManamon and Michael Darragh Macauley did, but when Jim Gavin needed a calming presence to bring composure to his half-forward line, he sprung the veteran from the bench. And it worked. Brogan steadied everything as Dublin struck for home.
‘You’d love to be starting but whether i t happens or not is another thing,’ Brogan smiled at Dublin’s recent press day at Parnell Park. ‘The role that I play when I come in is to steady guys down and be a calming presence. Mick Macauley has a different role with his energy, and Kevin has another role, he’s a real goal threat. It’s about playing to your strengths to help the team get back into the game or close out a game.’
Brogan admitted it took time to get his head around the idea of being a substitute. However, he acknowledges the return a team get from its bench can be the decisive factor.
‘In the first four games, before Mayo, the games I was coming into were practically over. The replay was the first game when the subs had to come in and make a difference, get us back into the game.
‘Obviously we have a system of play and you have to try to fit into that and make sure that you’re not weakening the team from a defensive point of view.’
Preparing for Dublin’s third final in five years, he wants to savour every moment of the occasion.
‘I’ve often said to the guys that it was 10 years before I managed to feature in a final. They look like they are coming quick and fast at the moment, but it hasn’t always been that way.
‘It’s important while we are at top that we make the most of it and put medals in the back pocket.’
‘For a long time, it looked like we would never get to a final. And in 2011, it was probably just a sense of relief that we managed to get there, particularly for the older guys on the panel.
Brogan had to digest a couple of harsh lessons from Kerry early in his career, including the crushing defeat in the 2009 All-Ireland quarter-final when former boss Pat Gilroy described them as ‘startled earwigs’.
However, Dublin have had the upper hand recently, winning the last two Championship meetings (2011 final and 2013 semi-final).
‘I think compared to 2013 game, it will be more cagey,’ Brogan suggests. ‘Both teams have learned harsh lessons over the last couple of years that they had to shore up the back. We saw Kerry against Donegal after Donegal beat us last year that they were more conservative than we would have expected and I think we’ll see more of that the next day.
‘The same with ourselves, after we conceded the three goals last year we knew we had to shore up the back. We’re still trying to play expansive football, it’s just a bit more structured at the back because if we concede three goals on Sunday it’s more than likely that we’ll be on the losing side.’
The forward has admitted he will once again consider his future in the winter.
For now though, he’s preparing to be unleashed from the substitutes’ bench at a critical point during Sunday’s All-Ireland decider.
‘In 2011, it was a relief just to get to the final’