**By William Dunne **

Saturday evening will see Carlow take on the daunting task of overcoming Jim Gavin’s Dublin in the Leinster SFC quarter-final.

Dublin's dominance of the game - six Leinster titles in a row and four All-Ireland titles in the last six years - has been founded on an abundant generation of gifted footballers. 

The competition within the extended squad has been key to Dublin's success in that time, and even picking a match-day 26 never mind the starting 15 must be a headache for Gavin.

That's why Saturday's match is such a Goliath v David contest. Not only do Carlow have a much smaller pick of players than Dublin, persuading the best footballers in the county to commit to the cause has never been straightforward either.

Some players may choose to play hurling - where Carlow have had more success in recent times - or opt to simply focus on club championship rather than make the considerable commitment to be part of a county team very unlikely to claim the sort of spoils of war Dublin do in any given year. 

But this year Carlow have bucked the trend. The best footballers in the county are wearing the jersey and they've been rewarded for their efforts with the county's first win in Leinster since 2011 when they defeated Wexford in the opening round. 

Paul Broderick was their star man that day as he was throughout a League campaign in Division 4 that fell just short of promotion, and says that the county’s turn in fortunes is down to the number and quality of players that have committed to the cause.

“Carlow being such a small county and it has hurling and football there is always going to be a couple of footballers that the hurlers would like to have and vice versa," Broderick told GAA.ie.

“Give or take one or two, we probably have everyone that we’d like to have in there so that’s probably the first year ever that I have been involved in that I can say that."

That win over neighbours Wexford who had won promotion from Division 4 of the Allianz Football League has sent a surge of electricity through Carlow football.

Broderick believes a lot of the plaudits must go in the direction of manager Turlough O'Brien who has used his knowledge of the local club scene to pull everything and everyone together. 

“Turlough is local he has a massive knowledge of Carlow football and Carlow players and lads have responded very well to him”, said Broderick, who scored 10 points in that win over Wexford.

“The mood in the camp is good at the moment and generally around Carlow the spirits are lifted because it doesn’t come around too often. It hasn’t come around too often for us so it’s been good.

“There has been no stone left unturned in Carlow to try and get the best team out and trying to get the best out of the lads who are there and I’d certainly say that it’s the best set-up that I’ve ever been involved in anyway.”

Carlow couldn't be bigger underdogs going in against Dublin, but Broderick is promising he and his team-mates will give it everything they've got rather than be overawed by the challenge.

“Look all we can do is try and really, really refine what we feel we’re good at, and stop what they’re good at," he says.

“Look, we’ll give it a go. I’m under no illusions as to how difficult a task it will be and how it may not happen but we’ll certainly give it a go and give it everything.

“We’ve a good management team there now. Like I said there was no stone unturned.”

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