Head to head
 By David
Thorpe
Eoin Brosnan finds himself in the unfamiliar role of elder statesman
on the Dr. Crokes team which will visit Ruislip on Sunday and that’s
just how the qualified solicitor likes it.
Brosnan may have two All-Ireland winners medals on his mantlepiece but
he admits success with Dr. Crokes is his main driving force.
He said: “For a player the club is a permanent thing in your life.
You are involved as a player from the time you are a child and long after
the boots have been hung up I will still be there coaching teams and watching
teams. The club is where you start out and anything after that including
inter-county football is a bonus.”
Brosnan believes that the success enjoyed by Dr. Crokes in 2006 is the
culmination of years of progress at the Killarney club.
He said: “People like myself and Colm Cooper have been around for
years but added to that have been a couple of minors and U-21s who have
really come through and freshened things up this year.
“That has made the difference between the years in which we have
been knocking at the door and actually winning something this year. I
think the appointment of Pat O’Shea as manager at the start of the
year helped move us onto another level as well.”
Brosnan is aware that the level of expectation surrounding Crokes is massive
this season but he refuses to look beyond this weekend’s clash with
the London champions.
He said: “When you are playing football as long as me you realise
that the expectations will always be high in Kerry.
“No matter what team you play on, people don’t like coming
second-best. That matches the players’ attitude and we have not
given any thought to any team we might face after this weekend’s
game.”
Eoin says that having watched a video of London champions St. Brendans
in action no-one in Kerry will be taking the opposition lightly.
He said: “From what I have seen the London lads are an extremely
fit team, quite young and energetic and above all a good footballing side.
“Crokes will be going over there and approaching the match in a
professional manner. We have a job to do and while we would be confident
of doing it we are taking nothing for granted.”
As Brosnan moves from young turk to elder statesman for club and county
he becomes an ever more valuable asset to all of the teams on which he
has played.
His hat-trick for Kerry against Longford in the All-Ireland quarter-final
last year displayed the full range of his footballing skills.
Temperament has never been a problem for the young solicitor making him
an ideal role model for the next generation of Dr. Crokes stars —
many of whom will be cheering him on at Ruislip on Sunday.
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