Bernard Brogan has said he will sit down with Dublin manager Jim Gavin to see if there is a role for him in 2019, admitting it would be "tough" to walk away from the four-in-a-row champions.
The St Oliver Plunkett Eoghan Ruadh man suffered the second cruciate knee ligament injury of his career back in February and played a very minor role in Dublin’s latest Sam Maguire success.
The 34-year-old made a faster-than-expected recovery, but a brief cameo in the Super 8s win over Roscommon was his only involvement on the pitch.
Speculation has mounted that the forward may step away from the inter-county scene, but speaking The Nicky Byrne Show with Jenny Greene on RTÉ 2FM today, Brogan said the opportunity to be part of a five-in-a-row bid was a huge motivating factor to pull on the blue jersey again.
"It's a big carrot," he said. "I'm still working with the Dublin physios to get myself right and then it's about sitting down with Jim.
"As you know, these young lads keep on coming through the ranks. I'm definitely going to sit down with Jim and see is there a role and if they want me back.
"It's tough to walk away from, it's been an amazing journey. We've done so well and had such amazing times and even if I step away, it's been an amazing ride."
Brogan admitted that it was a "long and lonely" road to recovery, but was made easier by the presence of Leinster and Ireland flanker Josh van der Flier, who was rehabbing for a similar injury.
Having undergone surgery on the same day by Ray Moran, the pair provided company and advice on the same journey, and was delighted to watch him return for Leinster in recent weeks.
"He's a young guy, a professional athlete - it was good for me to bounce ideas off him. Josh was coming back and as we went along, we were dovetailing on where we were both at.
"He said last week that I got 1-0 up on him because I got back before him, but he's 2-1 up now because he has a man of the match performance and a try for Leinster in the last 2 weeks.
"It's great to see him doing so well - it just shows the character he is."
