His side may be regarded as one of Dublin's so-called 'Superclubs' but Michael Darragh Macauley insists they should still be regarded as underdogs in Sunday's AIB Leinster club football.

Portlaoise have won a record seventh Leinster titles and are gunning for victory after losing the 2012 and 2013 finals so he argues they should be favourites against first-time finalists Ballyboden St Enda's in Sunday's big showdown at Tullamore.

"This is unprecedented territory for us while Portlaoise are very experienced when it comes to Leinster. They are the Klitschko, we're like Fury coming into this," he joked, borrowing an analogy from last weekend's world heavyweight title fight.

Ballyboden's size and playing numbers may have earned them an unwanted 'Superclub' tag but their shock defeat of St Vincent's in this year's county SFC final was actually only their third county football title ever which underlines just how competitive Dublin club football is.

Hurling has actually brought them far more success, with six county SHC titles since 2007, which also means a lot of juggling for their dual stars.

"We have a very big catchment area but there's a lot of rugby schools in the area, soccer is huge and athletics too," Macauley said. "A lot of people are pulling from every direction.

"There are a lot of residential areas around us so we do have big numbers coming in to play underage which is a big plus but numbers aren't everything," he stressed. "I think it's structure and how a club is run. Having the right coaches in place, that is huge."

Whether a sprawling suburb or a tiny village, every GAA club's foundations are set by selfless juvenile coaches and two immediately sprang to MacAuley's mind when asked how he was first diverted from his initial sporting passion (basketball) to gaelic football.

"Eugene Kenny got me started. He was my best friend's dad and managed me from U11 up to minor," he recalled."He used to drag me up to training when I wouldn't have been a big fan of football.

"And Sheila Clear, a staunch Kerrywoman and also one of my primary school teacher. She was the one who sent me to a Dublin trial when I was U17.

"Not a lot of people would have sent me," he grinned wryly. "I thought I would have been a million miles out of my depth but I managed to have a good game and she showed great faith in me over the years.

"In terms of the 'Super-club' thing, every player bar two has come up right through our academy," he stressed. "Lads have been looking forward to playing with the seniors for a long time and are making the most of it."

Boden' may be their first Leinster final but given Dublin's dominance of the inter-county game they will travel burdened by expectations.

Yet personal experience - getting ambushed by Westmeath champions Garrycastle in the 2009 Leinster semi-finals - is keeping them grounded.

"Sometimes people expect a Dublin team to walk through Leinster, like Kilmacud and Ballymun and St Vincents who have all done well for themselves in Leinster and the All-Ireland series.

"We got a rude awakening in 2009, it definitely stuck with us. It's not easy to win the Dublin championship so it's important to take every advantage in Leinster when you can," Macauley noted.

After failing to nail down a starting place with Dublin last summer he is arguably fresher and hungrier than usual at this time of year and admits he was confident that his club, coached by ex-Meath minor boss Andy McEntee, could be Dublin's surprise package this season.

"A county title was definitely on my list of 'things to do' this year because I knew how good this team was.

"I'd been hearing for years about these young fellas winning at underage for Ballyboden, winning Feiles and coming up through minors. They're finally hitting 19 to 21 now and breaking into our team and really pushing for places.

"Then you have, well I won't put myself in the 'aul fellas' group yet," he laughed.

"I reckon I've another year to go but you have the likes of Conal Keaney, Stephen Hiney, Declan O'Mahony and Andrew Kerin who've been around for a long time and seen it all before.

"It's impossible to win a championship with too much experience or too much youth. We have a nice little balance at the moment. That's what we had in '09 when we won it (Leinster) and that's what we have again."

Boden' may have massive playing numbers but the Southside club, formed from an amalgamation in 1969, has managed to create and retain that tight-knit village feel that is magnified by historic occasions like this.

"There is a huge bit of hype around Rathfarnham and Ballyboden at the moment, it's brilliant," Macauley said.

"If you go up Firhouse Road there are flags as far as the eye can see, posters put up on every wall. You can't drive down any street without seeing some Ballyboden colours or posters somewhere so everyone has bought into it and there are more and more going to every game.

"And if you look at last weekend sometimes a Fury can beat the Klitschkos!" he quipped.

*The AIB Leinster SFC final between Portlaoise and Ballyboden takes place in Tullamore on Sunday (Dec 6) at 2pm.

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