A day after officially announcing his retirement from inter-county football, Dublin legend Bernard Brogan explained his decision and reflected on his storied career on The Late Late Show.
The 35-year forward called it a day after a highly-decorated Dublin career in which he amassed seven All-Ireland senior medals, while he was named Footballer of the Year in 2010.
"I held on as long as I could, but at 35 it was time to let go," he admitted.
"I kind of knew throughout the year that this was a bit of a bonus year for me.
"At the start of the year I had a bit of a chat with Jim (Gavin, Dublin manager) to see if I could offer something.
"I always said that I'll stay until I feel I can offer something or until the management team feel I can offer something that another lad can’t.
"I still feel I had the energy and I had the spark.
"I got a bad injury last year. I was moving really well and it took me out the whole year, more or less."
A day after officially announcing his retirement from inter-county football, Dublin legend Bernard Brogan explained his decision and reflected on his storied career on @RTELateLateShow. pic.twitter.com/Rk4b8jydoL
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) October 25, 2019
The obituaries were written for Brogan's career when he suffered that anterior cruciate injury early in 2018.
By now almost 34, he underwent surgery and returned in time to play a part in the 2018 championship, albeit only appearing in Dublin's dead rubber Super 8s victory over Roscommon in August.
His involvement was similarly minimal from a playing perspective in 2019 as Dublin pushed for an unprecedented fifth All-Ireland senior title in a row.
But there was some surprise when he was omitted entirely from the match-day squad for the 2019 final against Kerry on the first weekend of September.
He did, however, return to the match-day 26 for the replay in which Dublin saw off Kerry by six-points, completing the legendary five-in-a-row.
Brogan added: "As much as I would have loved to have got on at the end and got a few minutes, and it would have been a lovely send-off to play a few minutes, I’ve done so much with Dublin and had so many amazing days that even just getting back on the bus and being with the lads on that historic day, was enough for me."
