Alan Brogan goes long on division

There was no knee-jerk reaction with Alan Brogan yesterday when that old chestnut about splitting Dublin in two was put to him.

Talk to virtually anyone else with an allegiance to the county and their response to the theory is tangled up in their blind devotion to the blue, but Brogan’s was more considered even if he returned the same ‘no’ vote.

His reasoning was simple: Let’s not do anything hasty.

It is, after all, just six years since the Dublin footballers won a first All-Ireland senior title in 16 years and, though they could secure a fourth in seven seasons this month, he believes it will take another decade of such high returns to see if that is cyclical or not.

In the meantime, there is plenty others can do, starting with their underage structures.

“Why not use the Dublin blueprint? I’m sure it’s out there for everyone to see. Use that blueprint in other counties. Obviously the GAA have to resource other counties, but let’s do that and see if we can bring the overall level up rather than punishing Dublin for having their house in order for the last 10 or 15 years and having the talent coming through.

“Maybe in an O’Byrne Cup or a National League there might be merit for a second team but I’d hate in championship football to see two Dublin teams. At the end of the day, in Dublin we don’t make any difference between the northside and the southside lads. So, no, I don’t think so at the moment. It’s important to wait to see if it is cyclical.”

The reasons for Dublin’s dominance are clear to see but their place in order of importance is disputed: Money, population, structures, key personnel. Bringing it all together is Jim Gavin who is as successful as he is inscrutable.

“He was always a good coach. His attention to detail was second to none. He studies the game very hard. But he’s made mistakes along the way, like in 2014. We didn’t see it coming and Donegal wiped the floor with us. So he’s learned a lot since then.

“I watched the 2015 final last night. 2015 wasn’t our greatest performance by any means. We kind of crept over the line against Kerry. Against Mayo last year, maybe Mayo should have beaten us in the first game. We were much better in the second game.

“There have been games along the way where Dublin’s talent got them over the line rather than anything else. But teams playing against Dublin have kind of played into their hands by dropping a lot of men back and allowing Cian (O’Sullivan) or somebody to drop off as a sweeper.”

It’s why Brogan sees Mayo as such a threat on Sunday week.

Dublin have yet to be pushed once to the pin of their collar and Brogan believes Mayo, having played nine games this summer, have the muscle to ask serious questions.

“So there is a couple of little things that might just be simmering under the surface that nobody’s managed to expose yet and that’s what Stephen Rochford and Mayo will look to do... try to get guys one on one that maybe aren’t that comfortable being one on one.”

Two of Dublin’s four All-Ireland titles this decade have come on the back of wins against Mayo in the final. Last year’s required a replay and the aggregate score over the three games has been +2 for the Leinster side. Something similar this time and maybe talk of a split county will be put on pause a while longer.