Despite the hype, neat sound bites and the inevitable queue of people wanting to step up and say 'I told you so', Ireland have a fantastic opportunity on Tuesday.
Ireland are one performance away from qualifying for the Super 8 stages of a World Cup and in the process, eliminating local rivals and pincher of some of our best talent, England, in the process. What a fantastic position to be in.
What would, for example, Scotland give to be in that position?
Yet after Friday's disappointment the sense of deflation is almost tangible.
It shouldn't be.
In top level sport there is a fine line between success and failure. So much depends on momentum. Ireland had West Indies on the ropes for the first half of the game on Friday but they made the mistake of letting the West Indies off the hook and back into the match. We're still learning the game at this level. It takes time.
Once Roach and Rampaul had their tails up, sensing blood and in their own back yard, they were always going to be difficult to stop. You only had to look at how the Windies celebrated their victory to see how much it meant to them.
And then there is hype. I was fortunate enough to be in the Camp Nou on 6th April when Barcelona memorably beat Arsenal 4-1 in the Champions League. Hailed as possibly the greatest football team ever, the Catalans, who had made Arsenal look so clumsy that night, were themselves made to look inept in the very next round against an ordinary enough looking Inter Milan side. The promoters of the view of the 'greatest football side ever' have suddenly gone quiet.
Ignore the hype and paper talk. It's yesterday's news.
What does matter hugely is self-belief.
It is time for Ireland supporters to rally and support their team. We have the capacity to beat England on Tuesday and we need to believe it.
In addition to self-belief we also need leaders - exactly 11 of them on Tuesday.
While the likes of Niall O'Brien, Andre Botha and Trent have done it for us in the past perhaps it is time for a new hero to emerge? Time for the likes of a Kevin O'Brien or a Gary Wilson to step up and turn those nice cameos into match winning performances?
Time to get behind the Irish team. A fantastic opportunity awaits us.
Liam Rooney
Copyright: Cover Point
