The canvas of this Sunday’s Leinster senior club final is still blank.
But at 2pm on Sunday afternoon Ballyboden St Enda’s and Portlaoise will look to decorate O’Connor Park in Tullamore with their contrast in styles.
The winners will have time to draw up plans for an All-Ireland club semi-final in early 2016, which we hope will be better than the penmanship shown by Macauley and Cahillane in our special AIB challenge ahead of Sunday’s 2pm throw in.
Both men may be artists on the pitch, but their efforts at drawing their club crests, from memory, perhaps will need to some more work.
Portlaoise have suffered two losses to Dublin opposition in recent times at this stage, but the manner of their march through Leinster this term would suggest they will do everything possible to avoid another provincial defeat.
But it it could have been so much different for the Laois side, who almost lost out in their local county final to Emo thanks to the heroics of Laois legend Mick Lawlor
However once they secured a win in the replay they marched through to the provincial final at the expense of Palatine and Emmet Óg Killoe.
Dublin teams have dominated the Leinster club series in recent years with Ballyboden making it six final appearances in a row for clubs from the capital.
The south side outfit caused a shock in their county final by dethroning champions St Vincent’s and they will be looking to try and keep momentum up after successive wins over St Patrick’s and St Loman’s in the provincial series.
They’ve never won Leinster in their two trips outside of the capital, but after the beating the 2013 All-Ireland champions Vincent’s they have to be considered favourites for the game.
Crucially they can count on the experience of Michael Darragh Macauley at midfield, which is complimented with Paul Durkan in goals and the accuracy of Colm Basquel.
In the plus column for Portlaoise are players who have experience Ballyboden could only dream of in the form of Paul Cahillane, Craig Rodgers and the always dangerous Brian McCormack.
