Every sport has their pinnacle of perfection, the epitome of excellent that encapsulates everything loved and revered about the game. For soccer, it may be the moment Diego Maradona passed through half of the English 1986 World Cup squad to score his second goal in the space of four minutes; in boxing it may be when Katie Taylor won gold for Ireland or in tennis when Venus Williams won her fifth Wimbledon. But for GAA fans there is perhaps no disparity when it comes to awarding Gaelic’s greatest goal. And for a man who has not only devoted his life to the sport but contributed three sons to the current Dublin team, it should come as no surprise that Bernard Brogan Senior still holds that prodigious title.
As a key member of Heffo’s Army in the 1970’s era of the Super Dubs, Bernard was initially reluctant to join the burgeoning squad. When Kevin Heffernan took over the team in 1973, Brogan turned down his offer of a spot in the midfield, citing his decision as a disinterest in a team that had gone out of the previous year’s championship in the first round against Louth. But Heffo’s vision for Dublin’s future soon won Brogan over, the reward for his commitment being his first All Ireland medal in 1976 and a taste of bettering GAA stalwarts Kerry. Dublin obliterated the reigning champs in a 3-8 to 0-10 final, their intensity fuelled by the unexpected defeat at the hands of an inexperienced Kerry team the previous year.
But it was to be on the next occasion when the Kingdom and Capital once more drew swords that Bernard would exhibit the extent of his skills. In the 1977 semi final, with a ball passed to him by Dublin’s Tony Hanahoe, Bernard raced the pitch and buried the ball past Kerry keeper Paudie O’Mahoney, helping the team on its way to a third All Ireland victory in four years and securing legendary status for the Dubliner.
And although a healthy rivalry with Kerry has been the backbone of Bernard’s career, the love of a Kerry woman has been his fortitude throughout it all; his wife of 36 years Maria hailing from the enemy camp. Now it is their sons Alan, Paul and Bernard Junior who have taken on the mantle of representing the Dubs in the age old contention. And as part of the winning side that brought the Sam Maguire back to Dublin in 2011 after a sixteen year drought, the Brogan brothers may well be looking to their father for inspiration ahead of yet another clash with the Kerry titans.
Listen to the Bernard's full interview with Off The Ball on the Ford Sporting Moments podcast:
But when it comes to seeking out his own stimulus, Bernard Senior lays all acclaim for his football career at the feet of the revered Heffo. Speaking to Hogan Stand Magazine he said, ‘Kevin Heffernan deserves high praise. Of course, you can’t have one without the other – a great team without a great manager and vice versa. He developed a team which for seven or eight years was capable of beating everyone. If that Kerry side wasn’t around we might have won more but I don’t think they were much better than us.’
Whether or not his progeny will echo such sentiment in the wake of next weeks All Ireland Final remains to be seen.
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