He’s coming good now.
Tony Brosnan always had it. It takes a special talent to make it onto a Kerry minor team these days and Brosnan made it in 2013.
He was a sub that year but three years later he’d made the jump that every minor aspires to make. By 2016 he was on the Kingdom’s senior panel and he replaced James O’Donoghue when they defeated Clare in the 2016 All-Ireland quarter final.
But that was the last most of us had heard of Tony Brosnan. By the following year, he was coming on as a sub for his club Dr. Crokes in their All-Ireland club triumph over Slaughtneil, but you would have expected that a Kerry senior from the year previous would have made his club 15; albeit the best club 15 in the country at that time.
Listen, loads of players come and go. Just because you’ve made it on the county minor team doesn’t give you an instant pathway to the senior team, but there are always reasons for that lack of progression.
Former Kerry minor replaces Colm Cooper at last minute, scores 1-10 from play https://t.co/3171rv1Lnp
— GAA JOE (@GAA__JOE) September 17, 2018
Some lads don’t push on physically and that counts against them. This can often go hand-in-hand with a lack of interest – because if a lad doesn’t have the interest, they won’t be putting long and sometimes lonely hours into it in the gym or out on the training fields.
For some lads, it’s just too much too soon. The county minor status goes to their heads and they forget the things that made them good in the first place. The hard work and the bravery.
On Sunday, Tony Brosnan announced himself again. He lined out at corner forward for Dr Crokes against An Gaeltacht in the Kerry SFC, and with a place in the quarter finals at stake, he stood up and was counted.
He finished his Sunday 1-14 to his name, 1-11 of it from open play and with plenty of admirers. He led the An Gaeltacht defenders a merry-dance and he got the lads on Monday’s GAA Hour Show talking.
“This is a Lee Brennan situation,” said Wooly.
Tyrone forward kicks 3-14 in club game and he still can't make the team https://t.co/A91ZZJaaIv via @sportsjoedotie
— Liam Sloan (@LiamSloan5) April 16, 2017
“I’m fascinated by these fellas that are brilliant players, but for whatever reason they’re not on the county team and we all have different fellas down through the years like this.”
Colm Parkinson did some digging on the 23-year-old, and he found out that after losing focus for a while, Brosnan is now back on track and he’s one of the best in Kerry on his day.
“Tony Brosnan was a minor in 2013, by all accounts, he’s been fond of the good life since then.”
He’s flat out in the gym, he’s coming of age now.
“I was finding out about him, a top, top notch player. He’s seriously cleaned up his act, he’s in the gym, doing a load of strength and conditioning.
“He’s un-markable on his day and now this fella is back in the mix…There’s not too many lads in counties who can mark this fella on his day.
“The GAA Hour is going to follow Tony Brosnan’s career very closely this year,” joked the Laois man.
Conan Doherty made a good point when he noted that only good players can rack up such almighty totals in big games like these.
“No Joe-soap does that, the reason we got raving about Lee Brennan was because he scored so much. Only good players do that…Lee Brennan came into the Tyrone team and he was class,” said Conan Doherty.
If he keeps it up, he’ll be coming for the Kerry team next year.
You can listen to the Brosnan chat and much more from The GAA Hour podcast right here.
