Brogan: “We’ll be gung-ho to go back training”

The 2014 intercounty chapter has just closed but already Dublin footballer Bernard Brogan has set his sights on 2015.

The Dubs defended their NFL Division 1 league title, progressed undefeated through Leinster before eventually falling to Donegal in the All-Ireland semi-final - leaving the St Oliver Plunkett's/Eoghan Ruadh man with a huge sense of regret.

Speaking of team, Brogan already senses that Dublin are champing at the bit to right the wrongs of their shock semi-final exit to Donegal.

“The learnings you get from losses like that are massive, and that’s the reason I suppose why it’s hard to win back-to-backs,” says Bernard.

“If you go two years and you haven’t really been beaten; we had a really good run up until that game (Donegal), and sometimes when I look back on it I say ‘Jesus, we should have been clued into this’ … you kind of take your eye off it a tiny bit.

"Someone was telling me that Jackie Tyrrell said when Kilkenny were beaten by Tipp, the hunger you get when you lose is much stronger than the hunger you have when you win, so I really bought into what that said and it stuck with me.

“Like, the hunger that I have now ... December is the time when we go back and you’d be mad to go back.

“Last year I had the (groin) operation, I said I’d be okay, come back in the middle of the league and be grand and get going.

“But now, come December, we’ll be gung-ho and everyone on the pitch will be ‘milling’ the training, the morning sessions, doing it all," adds Bernard.

Turning his mind back to the Donegal defeat Bernard adds: "The Donegal game was probably the biggest hurt that I’ve had in football, because we would have thought we had enough to get over the line. So, coming back to training that Wednesday, it was great to have a new focus.

“I think it hurts more when you feel like you’ve left something behind. When you give it everything and you get beaten on the day, or you don’t get the bounce of the ball, that’s grand.

“But when we went out against Donegal, I would have felt we left a lot behind. My own personal game, I would have been disappointed; I felt I missed a couple of kicks. I just felt we just didn’t ask them enough questions at the end ... it kind of petered off a bit at the end of the game, we never really pushed them.”

Bernard Brogan joined Sky Sports ‘Living For Sport’ Athlete this week to launch an exclusive schools competition to win a GAA masterclass with Sky Sports Living For Sport. Schools must sign up at www.skysports.com/livingforsport to be in with a chance to win. Sky Sports Living For Sport is a free secondary school initiative that uses sport stars and the skills learned through sport to help young people build confidence and develop life skills.