GAA: When I was in that dressing room in 1995 I was thinking I wanted to be like those guys; ALL-IRELAND QUARTER-FINAL: Tyrone v Dublin, Croke Park today 3.30pm.

Byline: By PAUL KEANE 

ALAN Brogan and his cousin James thought they'd died and gone to blue heaven.

It was September 1995 and they were living every Dublin kid's dream after being invited into the dressing-room of the newly crowned All-Ireland champions.

There, in one corner, were young bucks Dessie Farrell and Jason Sherlock. Elsewhere, Brogan recognised familiar faces like captain John O'Leary.

To a man they all looked euphoric and two young boys gaped in disbelief at their luck.

Fast forward almost exactly 10 years and Brogan will have no problem gaining access to the Dublin dressing-room today.

For the first time since that '95 All-Ireland final they face Tyrone again in the championship - and these days Brogan is Dublin's top attacker.

"It's a complete turnaround for me personally because I was just a kid and my uncle, Mick, was a selector with Dublin back in 1995," said Brogan.

"I was at the game myself up in the old Hogan Stand with my cousin, Mick's son, James.

"We used to go to all the games and we'd sit together. It was an unbelievable day for two young lads like ourselves, we were over the moon.

"Afterwards Mick brought the two of us into the changing room. We couldn't keep the smiles off our faces."

Life inevitably moves on. In the wake of that victory Dublin legend Tommy Drumm expressed his hope that it wouldn't be another 12 years before their next All-Ireland, given they'd had to wait for that win since 1983.

It's 10 years now and counting. Young heads are now young adults.

Consider the following. It's Monday morning at the St Oliver Plunkett's/Eoghan Ruadh club grounds in west Dublin and 130 excited kids clamour around Brogan for advice and tips.

He's directing affairs at one of the GAA's Summer Camps and lending dreams to a new era of young Dubs.

"Kids love nothing better than to see a successful team, so hopefully these young guys will take some heart from what Dublin are doing at the moment," said Brogan.

"I know that when I was back in that dressing-room in 1995 I was thinking to myself 'I want to be these guys'.

"It was always a great motivating thing for me, having seen how successful a Dublin team could be.

"Now that I'm actually here and playing for Dublin, and doing well, I feel very privileged, very honoured."

Former uonder-21 winning skipper Brogan, like his father Bernard and his uncle Mick before him, has assumed an integral role in the fortunes of the senior county team.

He burst onto the scene in 2002 in Tommy Lyons' first year in charge of Dublin as a roving corner-forward, and came within a point of a place in the All-Ireland final.

Three years on and there's a new manager in the shape of Paul Caffrey, Lyons' trusty lieutenant, and a new position at half-forward for Brogan.

"It's freed me up a bit more to take on defenders," said Brogan. "It's a new position and a fresh challenge for me, and I'm very happy with it.

"I've got more space to work with now and I can carry the ball much more than I used to.

"When you're inside at corner- forward there's not much space to work with. It's kind of like get the ball, turn and shoot. When you're out further you can be a bit more creative."

Some of Brogan's more memorable 'creations' this season include his brilliant solo goal against Meath when he ran from deep, beat David Crimmins for pace and rifled home to the net.

He envisages things being tighter at the back today. The availability of Ryan McMenamin is a boost to Tyrone and he has great respect for the likes of Gavin Devlin and Philip Jordan at half-back.

"I rate McMenamin as their best defender," admitted Brogan. "All around their defence they have lads with All-Ireland medals so we know it's going to be tough.

"But we've been going well enough ourselves. It should be another huge crowd at Croke Park and, if we can get them on our side and get a bit of luck, we won't be too far off."

It's at the other end, however, where most neutrals believe the game will be won and lost.

Tyrone's Stephen O'Neill has already hit 3-32 this year and is an early contender for Player of the Year with 2-6 alone against Monaghan last weekend.

Opinion is divided on which Dublin defender will pair up against him with Paddy Christie and Stephen O'Shaughnessy both mooted.

"If Paddy marks him then it'll be a great battle," said Brogan. "Paddy is one of the best defenders in Ireland and he'll do his best to limit O'Neill.

"We've been saying it's very important not to allow quality ball go into him.

"It's all about working hard as far out as our half-forwards and not allowing ball after ball into their forwards."

It's a tough task but Brogan believes they can do it. If they do it might just inspire another like him.

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CAPTION(S):

MEMORIES: Paul Curran and captain John O'Leary in 95; MAKING A REAL FIST OF IT: Alan Brogan is relishing his half-forward role for Dubs