Brogan keen to play role in league opener against Kerry

ALAN BROGAN is keen to play some role in Dublin’s All-Ireland rematch with Kerry on Saturday week – and also keen to play down the significance of it.

The footballer of the year has been nursing a minor knee injury since the Dubs Stars challenge on New Year’s Day, and although he played with his club St Oliver Plunketts last night, he has yet to return to training with the Dublin panel.

However Brogan hopes to be on the sidelines in Croke Park next Saturday week for the Allianz Football League opener against Kerry, and perhaps see action at some stage too.

“The knee feels grand, and I hope to get back at it next Tuesday, with Dublin,” says Brogan.

“I think I’ll be okay for Kerry, if I’m picked. I haven’t done a huge amount of training. We’ll have to wait and see.

“To be honest, I’m in the same position as this time last year. I think at this stage you have to earn your stripes with Pat Gilroy and have the work done, which is only fair because the lads have been training away in January, so I certainly wouldn’t want to be standing in the way of any of those lads getting their opportunity.

“I think it will probably be something similar this year in that it will be a slow start to the league because I have missed a lot of the training.

“But aside from anything else it will be a big occasion in Croke Park.

“The night matches are very enjoyable so I think any footballer would want to play in those type of matches. I’d be hoping I might get a few minutes off the bench anyway.”

Younger brother Bernard – who preceded Brogan as footballer of the year in 2010 – will almost certainly miss out on the game, as he’s just returned from an extended winter break in warmer climes.

Neither of them will feel too upset at missing out, given the bigger challenges certain to follow: indeed Alan Brogan added that having now won that elusive All-Ireland title the pressure is already mounting to win two.

“Not every player can be lucky enough to win an All-Ireland. It is great to finally do it and I suppose there is a sense of relief attached to it. All the talk for years was ‘would Dublin win an All-Ireland?’ Then you win one and people are talking, ‘well they have to win two now’.

“We just have to play it like we have done over the last few years, take each game as it comes, just try and get our performances right and hope that leads to where you want to go.

“I think that’s all the league will be about for us particularly. I don’t think the Kerry match bears a huge lot of relevance to the All-Ireland final last year.

“I think both teams, and both managers, will just be looking for a good performance, blooding a couple of new guys.”