By Cian O'Connell

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Towards the end of his inter-county career Alan Brogan adapted. Experience had been accumulated during his playing days, valuable lessons learned.

Bernard Brogan has been a substitute for Dublin’s last two Championship matches, but he still made a significant contribution when summoned into action.

A certain mindset is required according to Alan Brogan, who was used as an impact player to good effect in Dublin’s 2015 All Ireland winning campaign.

“I think when you get to that stage of your career you're experienced enough to know that you have to put the team before yourself,” Alan Brogan states.

“If that's the job the manager wants you to do then you have to do it for the team. Of course you'd be annoyed when the team is named and you're not in it, but you've got to put that setback behind you quickly and get yourself in the right frame of mind to make an impact off the bench.”

Having worked extremely hard, Bernard Brogan’s body composition has altered, something the Dublin attacker has recently acknowledged, and his brother agrees.

“He's definitely leaner than he was four or five years ago,” Alan Brogan says. “He's training very hard. He knows he's coming towards the end as well over the course of the next year or two.

“He's trying to get everything he can out of himself. In fairness I've been really impressed with him, really impressed with the shape he's in. Even with the club this year he was in really good nick.

“Probably as good nick as I've ever seen him. He was decent when he came in against Carlow so that's all you can do. It might end up being the same as my own situation where in my last year I came off the bench in every game.

“Of course, I wanted to be playing from the start, but it's just the way it worked out. If that's what happens to him, I think he'd be strong enough to make an impact off the bench. Hopefully we'll see him back in the starting team at some stage over the course of the summer.”

Alan Brogan was always struck by Bernard’s patience when operating in the full-forward line and doesn’t envisage a new deep role.

“I think he's an inside forward and that's his mindset,’ Alan Brogan remarks. “He has an amazing ability to stay close to the goal. If he doesn't get a ball for 20 minutes he doesn't panic.

“He knows he only needs one ball to get a score. If that's anyone else they start to drift out the pitch looking for an easy ball somewhere.

“He does have this ability to stay really close to the goal and he's just waiting for that one moment where he can make a different. There's not too many players like that around.”