Brosnan's best is yet to come
On the Tuesday night before the All-Ireland final with Mayo Jack O'Connor called him aside and informed him he wouldn't be starting, that Declan O'Sullivan was in instead.
On the Saturday week before the game O'Connor had taken his Kerry squad to Pairc Ui Chaoimh for a final trial with a bit of edge.
Brosnan was sited at midfield with Darragh O Se confirming his suspicions that O'Sullivan had already commanded his No.11 shirt.
He didn't do enough, Tommy Griffin held on and, for the second national final that Kerry would play in 2006, following on from the league final against Galway in Limerick, Brosnan found himself on the sidelines.
The disappointment cut deep. He'd had them before. In 2001 Crokes forced the issue of captain and Brosnan, just a rookie with two starts (against Dublin) under his belt, supplanted Seamus Moynihan as team leader.
Kerry endured their most embarrassing Croke Park defeat in living memory against Meath, on Brosnan's watch as captain and he felt it, more so than subsequent defeats to Armagh and Tyrone. This was different though. He had banged in three goals against Longford, played well reasonably against Armagh and even if he dipped against Cork and was taken off there was still enough substance to pick him. That night he slipped out a side gate, missed the post training meal and as anger spilled across the road from Dr. Crokes, tales of discontent swept the county and beyond.
Bigger picture
Brosnan kept his head down for a couple of days and weighed it up. There were two ways it could go for him. The team became his bigger picture.
"Obviously it was very disappointing, everyone wants to play on the biggest occasion. There were two ways a person could react. Obviously there was the initial disappointment for the first couple of days. But you have to do your best for the team."
On the morning of the final O'Connor sought to reassure him. He'd be needed. By half-time he was in and by the end his goal had been the seal on a 34th All-Ireland title for Kerry.
Twelve months on and he feels more settled. He's a player more suited to the centre and relishes the freedom of the channels on either side of him. After the Monaghan game there were rumblings that he might find himself on the outside looking in again. Pat O'Shea showed loyalty though to his Crokes club-mate and Brosnan repaid it. Anxiety and disappointment won't be an issue this week.
Somewhere down the line, though, he'll appreciate a break. Between Crokes and Kerry it's been an uninterrupted 18-month spin. The All-Ireland club final earlier this year stretched into a replay and only the soft side of a Munster championship draw preserved him.
"Obviously you couldn't do that every year because it makes it essentially an 18 month season. We had a couple of months when we relaxed and went to Australia with the Kerry team but you couldn't do that (club and county) every year. Hopefully there will be a bit of a break and it will be factored into everyone's preparations for 2008."
Cork's arrival in an All-Ireland final hasn't surprised Brosnan. He sensed they had ulterior motives after this year's Munster final when Kerry squeezed home by a couple of points.
"Last year their goal was obviously winning the Munster title but this year I knew straight away after Killarney that their disappointment wasn't too profound and that it was a team with different goals on their agenda. They came through the qualifiers quietly and then exploded against Meath when they put in their best performance of the year. It was a 70 minute performance, something we haven't delivered all year.
"Someone asked me around April how would I rate the Cork side and I said that they were among the top three teams in the country along with ourselves and Tyrone. The person I said it to was a bit surprised and asked me about Dublin and Donegal who were flying at the time. It wasn't hindsight. They are a genuine quality side who will be around for a few years."
The lure of back-to-back titles is just a sideshow to the real event. "I don't think it really matters until a team actually goes and does it. I remember rooming with Marc O Se before a big Croke Park match back in 2004 and we talked about whether the elusive All-Ireland medal would ever come. Now we're preparing for a fourth consecutive final."
And Brosnan can feel the load lighten from 12 months ago.
WEEKEND FIXTURES
SATURDAY
O'Neill's All-Ireland football sevens tournament: Kilmacud Crokes.
Gala All Ireland Senior B C Camogie Semi Finals (McGrath Cup)
Templemore: Cork v Wexford, 1.30pm U Kearney (Armagh)
Templemore: Galway v Limerick, 3.15pm P Downey, (Cork)
All Ireland U16B Final Replay
Dublin venue TBC: Derry v Waterford, J Kennedy (Louth)
SUNDAY
ESB All-Ireland MFC Final
Croke Park: Galway v Derry, 1.30, Derek Fahy (Longford).
Bank of Ireland All-Ireland SFC Final
Croke Park: Cork v Kerry, 3.30, David Coldrick (Meath).
