Bernard Brogan Snr, Dublin legend of the 1970s and the most well-known Dad in Gaelic football, appeared on today's edition of the Hard Shoulder, Balls.ie's weekly GAA podcast.
In a wide-ranging interview, Bernard talked about the attitude to football in Dublin pre-Heffo, the Heffo years themselves, and the physicality that was tolerated back in his time.
In our day, there's no question the game was more physical... Television has changed it now. In our day, there was television but it was just following the ball. Whereas, now in Croke Park, they've got plenty of cameras, so if you've get away with something you're lucky. Whereas in our day, you were unlucky if you were caught.
Host Anthony Moyles is particularly mesmerised by the foul that felled Mickey Ned O'Sullivan in the early stages of the 1975 All-Ireland final. Mickey Ned captained Kerry that day but only got wind that they won Sam when he came to in the Mater hospital that evening. Bernard admits that, even by 1975 standards, this was rough stuff.
Everybody that he passed tried to give him a dig. Five or six of out guys tried to get their hands on him. And no names were taken. I mean, should there have been a name taken? Or should someone have been sent off? Probably. Even in our day, that was... pretty tough.
On the pod, he also discussed.
- How he had no interest in playing for Dublin before 1974
- The tactical innovations that dazzled people back in the 1970s (the roving corner forward...)
- How Bernard doesn't send all his own tweets - shocking disclosure
Listen below:
Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher.
Here is the infamous challenge. Watch as Alan Larkin, Paddy Reilly, and Georgie Wilson try and take him out before Sean 'the Doc' Doherty finally halts his gallop. He might have been through for a three-pointer but he was running into a fast disappearing gap.
Micheal O'Hehir was rather chirpy about the whole thing. He seemed mainly concerned as to whether it was a free or a penalty.
Paddy Reilly's after him. Georgie Wilson's after him. Everybody's after him... He's well and truly looked after there.
Bernard was speaking on the fourth episode of this year's Hard Shoulder podcast, a weekly GAA podcast hosted by Meath legends Anthony Moyles and Niall Kelly. The podcast will run for the rest of the season and will feature many more special guests, and scientists [citation needed] believe it will improve your life by somewhere in the region of 84%.
In addition to the big interview, we quiz our guests and discuss some of the big stories to arise from the past week.
Previous interviewees include his son Bernard, Kildare forward Johnny Doyle and Wexford's Matty Forde. Listen here.
You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher.
