The emergence of a new breed of Dublin forwards – led by Ciaran Kilkenny and Paul Mannion – has had the effect of occasionally casting a harsh spotlight on the efforts of Dublin’s more senior servants, with criticism coming the way of Bernard Brogan in particular. Brogan has failed to reach the heights of recent years and his scoring levels have fallen behind his younger teammates.

Jim Gavin came to Brogan’s defence last week and again yesterday evening, as he told Newstalk he feels Brogan has performed exceptionally this year and that was highlighted by his play in yesterday’s win, despite not scoring from open play.

“He’s been outstanding for us all season. I know some people might have been questioning his form but not the management team,” Gavin said.

Brogan won more than his share of high balls in yesterday’s opening 20 minutes and, although he failed to get points on the board from open play, he played intelligent balls around the pitch and created scoring chances for his teammates.

“He did show so hard again and made some great angled runs and, you know, won those balls that were probably sixty-forty against him and he could still win them. He’s really a leader now in the squad and giving a great example to the younger players coming up so we’re very happy with his return,” said Gavin.