Brogan content as Dublin start with ‘a clean slate’

FORMER All Star, Alan Brogan, does not believe that there will be a major “cull” of players when Pat Gilroy settles on his final Dublin squad for 2010.

Change was inevitable after last summer when the Leinster champions crashed to a 17-point defeat to a Kerry side which struggled through the qualifiers.

“Something had to change,” agreed Brogan. “We’ve taken a couple of beatings over the last few years. I’m saying now for a number of years that we learn from our mistakes from last year but the same things have happened a couple of times. Pat’s aware of that. He knows he has to change something. It’s very difficult to put your finger on what you have to change. If it was that easy, we’d have won an All-Ireland by now. It’s not easy to find out what that X-factor is or whatever it is that we’re missing. Pat’s leaving no stone uncovered.

“He’s starting with a clean slate to make sure everyone puts their shoulder to the wheel.”

Dublin’s new leaf was apparent at Parnell Park on Sunday when their team to face Wexford in the O’Byrne Cup was made up of just two regulars, numerous fringe panellists from last season and new faces.

As was the case in the previous off-season, Gilroy has utilised regional tournaments to identify new talent but the extent of the sweep this time around has dwarfed anything Dublin have experienced since 2002 under Tommy Lyons.

“It has been a problem in the past that we haven’t had enough freshness coming onto the panel. This year, we have. You have the likes of Dean Rock and Kevin McManamon coming into the panel. We just need three or four of these guys to come in to lift the whole group. That’s what Pat is trying to find, is a number of guys to come in.”

Of course, for every player drafted on to the panel, one must make way and Dublin’s squad is littered with players who have been afforded numerous occasions to showcase their worth. Household names like Ciaran Whelan, Shane Ryan and Bryan Cullen found themselves warming the bench for most of the 2009 season but Brogan believes evolution rather than revolution will be the order of the day.

“All this talk about a big cull or whatever – I don’t see it going that way. He’s just looking for three or four guys to come in. He’s obviously trying to put pressure on the established guys on the panel and then he’ll look for three or four guys to give the panel a lift. It’s a difficult job to do but hopefully he can find them.”

Gilroy’s hand has been forced to some extent with Brogan one of a number of familiar names who will be unavailable for selection until the middle of February at the very least. Brogan’s sick leave is down to a scaphoid injury which has, at least, excused him from Gilroy’s punishing 6.30am sessions which all agree are being held to test the mental rather than physical toughness of the recruits.

“That’s what he has done. He’s made that quite clear. He’s made that quite clear to ye (the media) and he’s made it clear to the players that everyone’s on a clean slate. In fairness to the guys – obviously, I’ve been injured for the last couple of weeks – they’re training early in the morning and they’re training late at night. They’re putting in a huge effort. Unless guys are willing to do that ... that’s probably what Pat is trying to find out: who are the guys that are willing to go that extra bit for the cause?”