Bernard Brogan back training in what must be record time after cruciate injury

Bernard Brogan was a victim of the dreaded cruciate at the beginning of this year.

He went under the knife less than six months ago and the obituaries were already being written for him.

'He's 34 years of age now. He'll struggle to come back from this one. Any pace he did have will be gone by now.'

On the Wednesday of the Leinster final, the Oliver Plunkett's club man was back in training. That's before Dublin's season even started getting serious. Brogan will be there for the serious part. The recommended rehab time from an ACL tear is nine months. If we've learned anything from previous cases, it's that it's often tough to come back to the level you were at prior to the blow. It takes a while to build that confidence again after what is usually a minimum of nine months on the sideline. Often, the injury lingers on the mind of players with the fear of hurting it again always there. The sounds coming from Brogan since the crushing blow have all been positive. He claimed in a recent interview that rugby player Josh van der Flier would be the barometer for his recovery. The Leinster flanker ruptured his ACL at a similar time to Brogan. He claimed would be testing himself to get back in action as quick if not quicker than the 25-year-old professional. Brogan is 34 years of age now but he's not defined by a number. He has five All-Irelands and four All-Stars to his name but he's still starving for more. You're only kidding yourself if you think this man doesn't have ambition to break his way back onto this team. Bernard Brogan is one of Gaelic football's most confident forwards.

"I still think I have something to add to the team. So no, I’m hanging around. I'm not going anywhere, unless Jim (Gavin) has other ideas," he said to the Dublin GAA website at the start of the year.

One wonders whether he's putting himself under too much pressure too soon, but there is surely plenty of expert advice backing his decision. In hot pursuit of an 8th successive Leinster title, Jim Gavin's all conquering Dubs were training up in Glasnevin in DCU's St. Clare's GAA Grounds on Wednesday evening. Dubs TV were present at the session and they recorded a short video of the session, with all the players looking in good spirits. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=54&v=R_3ZfnEeljE