A cruel blow.
Bernard Brogan’s season could be over already after the Oliver Plunkett’s club man suffered a cruciate knee Ligament injury in training last week.
The 33-year-old had started in Dublin’s opening game of this year’s League campaign against Kildare, scoring a point.
He didn’t feature in last week’s clash against Tyrone in Omagh, but was named on the starting fifteen for Saturday night’s third round meeting with Donegal.
At late notice, Brogan was replaced on the team by Paddy Andrews, and the Herald reports this morning that his exclusion was due to the injury, which was sustained in a training session last week.
After winning last year’s All-Ireland, the retirement question was inevitably asked of the 2010 Footballer of the Year, but Brogan was quick to ensure his willingness to continue in a statement made on the Dublin GAA website.
“I’ll play until I feel I’ve nothing extra to add and there’s others who can add more.”
“I still think I have something to add to the team. So no, I’m hanging around. I’m not going anywhere, unless Jim (Gavin) has other ideas.”
After this blow, and given that he’s in his 12th season as a Dublin senior, Brogan’s desire to continue will be tested like never before.
You’d have to feel for the four time All-Star, just like you would for any player who suffers a knee ligament injury.
If we’ve learned anything from previous cases, it’s that it’s often tough to come back to the level you were at prior to the blow. It takes a while to build that confidence again after a minimum of nine months on the sideline.
Often, the injury lingers on the mind of players with the fear of hurting it again always there.
We have seen many players come out the better side of it, however – like Cork’s Colm O’Neill and Brogan’s Dublin teammate Ciaran Kilkenny.
Here’s to hoping Brogan can also make it back to full fitness.
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