Despite using 37 players in this year's league, the most in Division 1, Dublin manager Jim Gavin still only introduced Brogan briefly as a sub against Cavan in round 7.

The 35-year-old was then left out of the match day 26 entirely for last Saturday evening's 26-point Leinster quarter-final win over Louth, Dublin's first game in their bid for the five-in-a-row.

Brogan said that instead of holding a grudge or being inclined to quit, he is doubling down and doing his best to convince Gavin that he deserves to play.

"Last year, the way it went, I could have easily retired," said Brogan, who was praised for the speed of his return to action when he appeared as a sub against Roscommon in the Super 8s in August.

I could have gone off and I would have been fine, and no-one would have questioned you. For me, it's a very personal journey now and I'm trying to see can I get back up to the (top) level, to add value.

"I've had a lot of chats to management about, 'Where's my value? Do you still believe that I can offer something to the group?' The answer was, 'Yes', and that's my motivation to go again. I still believe I have the football and the guile and the bit of experience that I can add something different to the group that's there.

"If I didn't think that, I would have retired or Jim would have said, 'We don't need you anymore, we have enough there'. And we've had a lot of honest conversations so, for me, it's just about trying to get back."

Speaking at a SuperValu event to launch their 10th year as football Championship sponsors, Brogan admitted that he would have liked to play more in the league.

"The way things fell, the way the league went, and the actual competitive nature of it, I just didn't get as much game time as I would have liked," he said. "I got five minutes at the end of the league. Even that would have helped me in my own head and competition wise, for the team. But I'm training really well since."