Having played during the Super 8s, and trained with the squad for the second half of the summer, the Dublin forward is in line for his sixth winners' medal.
With Dublin only announcing their All-Ireland final starting 15 on Saturday morning, it was unclear whether Bernard Brogan would be involved or not.
Just after 1pm, the match programmes were in circulation, it was confirmed that Brogan would be missing out on his sixth final for the Dubs. At 3pm, RTE confirmed the news - Dublin were unchanged and would go as named. A rarity but it spelt bad news for Brogan.
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After battling back from a dreadful knee injury (cruciate ligament) that threatened to blight his entire championship season, Brogan had returned to the Dublin squad for the Super 8s.
He was named No.18 for the home tie against Roscommon and
got off the bench for the final five minutes of another comprehensive win. The reception he received when making his official comeback was the highlight of the game and had fans up on their feet, applauding.
23 weeks of hard slog and tireless graft and it was all worthwhile.
The 34-year-old would have hoped for more involvement but it was not to be. Jim Gavin opted to go with the forwards, starting and on the bench, that had soldiered for most of the season. The starting 15 may have changed for most games, through the league and championship, but the matchday 26 was pretty much set.
Still, given the leadership role he has within the squad, Brogan was asked to join his other 26 teammates on the Croke Park pitch before the game for the team photo.
It reminded us of the
Limerick hurlers inviting injured vice-captain Paul Browne out to the pitch to pose with the entire 36-man squad for a whopper pre-match photo, earlier this month, before they beat Galway.
Wearing No.27, Brogan joined his teammates on the bench and was there cheering them on throughout.
At the end, with Jonny Cooper and Paul Flynn by his side, Brogan was out on the pitch and soaking up
his side's sixth Sam Maguire triumph since 2018.
One wonders if Gavin and the Dublin squad made the gesture as this was the last hurrah for Brogan? Time will tell but Brogan will surely give it time to reflect and consider if he will go on to his 14th season as a senior inter-county player.
If this was it for Bernard Brogan - surrounded by friends and family and his Dublin brothers - it was a good way to go.
- 11 Leinster titles
- 6 All-Irelands
- 5 national leagues
- 4 All-Stars
- 1 Footballer of the Year
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At the end, when all was said and done, Brogan stood and soaked it all in. Days like this don't come around often, even if you're a dub.
A mark of respect for a modern-day footballing legend.
