We learned lessons from Leinster final: Bernard Brogan

Wed, 29th July 2015

Dublin forward Bernard Brogan says Jim Gavin's side have yet to deliver a “complete performance” this summer as they prepare for Sunday's All-Ireland SFC quarter-final against Fermanagh in Croke Park (4.0).

However, St Oliver Plunkett's/Eoghan Ruadh man thinks the test the Dubs got off a defensively orientated Westmeath in the Leinster decider should stand them in good stead for the All-Ireland Series.

While the Dubs overcame the midlanders by 13 points thanks largely to two quickfire second half goals from Bernard Brogan and Jack McCaffrey the quality of their display was questioned in many quarters.

“I can’t see winning the game by 13 points as a struggle,” says Bernard. “It’s not as high-scoring, people think we were struggling - but at the end of the day, our mantra is to win the game by one point or more and that’s any team’s mantra. So, when you win a game by 13 points it’s a good victory in my book.

“When a team plays that massed defence, obviously the scores aren’t going to be as high because there are so many bodies back on both sides … it’s never going to be a 20-30 point win.

“We went through Leinster before playing man-on-man and came through games by 15 or 20 points - and it hasn’t stood to us coming out.

“I think the game against Westmeath was a great challenge. We got over the line and there was huge learnings ... if we come up against that later on in the summer, we will have the learnings of that and we now have a video of us going up against it and how that worked.

“I think it’s great to be coming up against it; we got over the line and we will take confidence from that.”