Ben Brosnan has been “wishing” for a crack at the Dubs for the past year after his injury nightmare in 2021.
Brosnan was the star of Wexford’s three-point win over Offaly in Sunday’s Leinster preliminary round tie, hitting 1-8 to set up a visit of Dessie Farrell’s side to Chadwicks Wexford Park for the second year running.
Last year’s clash was Dublin’s first away game in Leinster for 15 years and Wexford, despite being rooted in Division Four, gave a fine account of themselves before slipping to a 0-15 to 0-7 defeat.
It was a rare testing afternoon for the then All-Ireland champions in their own province and their grip on the title weakened from there, with Mayo eventually sending them packing at the semi-final stage.
Brosnan, a veteran of Wexford’s run to the 2008 All-Ireland semi-final and two Leinster final appearances against Dublin, missed last year’s clash with a hamstring injury but will be raring to go this Saturday evening.
And with Dublin having suffered relegation to Division Two in the meantime, he’s hopeful that they’ve come back to the pack in Leinster that bit more.
Brosnan said: “These are the type of days you play for. I am really looking forward to playing Dublin given the quality in their side.
“They may not be as good when compared to recent sides but they are still a formidable combination.
“I have been wishing for the past 12 months that I could get to play against them. Now we have them in Wexford Park.
“We have a serious bunch of young players coming through. There's tremendous talent in this side, look out there the way they fought back (against Offaly) after going four points down early in the second half.
“Last year was an excellent performance against Dublin.
“They may not be as good as they were, even last year, but we will be prepared to take them on. We will play with pride and passion and hopefully that can see us match them. We will train Tuesday and Thursday and then look forward to the game.”
Brosnan explained how he has worked hard to get on top of his hamstring issues.
“During lockdown I did lots of gym work. I put in the hours coming down from 80kg to 70kg, that helped my fitness. I have really been looking after myself, my fitness is excellent. That has all helped in a big way.”
Wexford’s win on Sunday wasn’t widely anticipated given that they finished third from bottom in Division Four while Offaly operated two divisions higher.
But John Maughan’s side were far from convincing at any stage during the League as they suffered relegation and Wexford’s rigid gameplan worked a treat, with Offaly unable to penetrate their defensive structure when playing with a strong first half breeze.
“We played brilliant,” said Brosnan. “I thought we were much better in the first half as well.
“There was a strong wind there and even from the stands that couldn't be seen, but no one was panicking at half-time, everyone knew their jobs.
Brosnan’s 54th minute goal effectively put the seal on the win and he added: “When I received the final pass, I could see the goalie advancing, so I decided to lob him into the far corner. It was amazing to see it enter the net. It was a crucial score for it set us up for the remainder of the game."
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