THE LAST POINT: Dealing with great expectations

Ballinamore and Kiltoom were the venues I found myself at over the weekend and while I witnessed three games with vastly different stakes on the line, what struck me was the great expectations all six teams took to the field with  - some meeting them, one or two exceeding them maybe, and some just  falling flat.

That's the nature of sport - we start out hoping or maybe even demanding success but at times, it is beyond our control. Sometimes we dream of promotion, winning a championship and sometimes, the dream is a little more prosaic, putting up a good show or just holding back the inevitable tide.

First of all, we start off by congratulating Leitrim Ladies on lifting the TG4 Connacht Intermediate  title, a triumph that while not unexpected given the Green & Gold's track record against the Rossies, it was still a case of exceeding expectations if we're going by the form book.

By many people's estimation, Louth exceeded all expectations by pushing the Dubs all the way to the line in the Leinster Final. The expectation level was low, below the basement low, but the men from the Wee County defended with ferocious intensity and hit on the break with wonderful ambition so neutrals and Louth fans were more than satisfied that they had exceeded their great expectations.

If that's the case, how does one read what transpired in Ballinamore on Saturday in the Tailteann Cup? Leitrim got their expected win but probably not the scale of win that many of us had  hoped for as Waterford exceeded their expectations against a team who hammered them in the opening round of the  League.

THE LAST POINT: LEITRIM'S WIDE WORLD OF SPORT

We think we have it hard here in Leitrim following our footballing heroes but imagine being a big ball fan down in Waterford - I got chatting to one such fan, perhaps the only one other than family members to make the long trek to Ballinamore, and he spoke with a burning passion for Waterford football, telling me of a club football scene every bit as competitive as other counties but one that hasn't translated to the county scene.

With what he figured was about seven or eight quality footballers sitting on extended hurling panels without ever seeing game time, this Deise fan reckoned Waterford could be much more competitive in an instant if they were prepared to commit to the big ball game - he wasn't talking of winning Munster or becoming a superpower  but rather  reflecting the actual footballing talent  in the county.

But that's the thing with expectations - sitting on a  hurling panel that might taste glory seems preferable to most to battling with no hope of reward with the footballers so expectations are much more modest, a good showing here and there and trying to retain players to build momentum year on year is the challenge Paul Shankey and his team face right now.

Differing expectations were very much on show last Friday evening in Ballinamore when a Galway team struggling to make the Electric Ireland Connacht Minor Championship Semi Finals came to town to take on a Leitrim team struggling for confidence.

The expectations in Galway would be to contest for a Connacht title each and every year so trying to avoid the Shield Final against a Leitrim team with nothing on the line must have felt like an ignominy to the Tribesmen. Yet they set about their task with intensity and belief and it was soon reflected on the scoreboard  against a Leitrim team maybe lacking in self-belief but certainly not in talent.

That's again where expectations come in - Leitrim went down to 14 players with a red card and conceded a second goal in the space of a minute, going 11 points down against a Galway team seemingly in cruise control. But not for the first time, when all was lost and the situation was dire, a Leitrim team threw off the shackles and roared back into the game with a fierce abandon.

The Tribesmen may have contributed to their own struggles but six Leitrim points suddenly had Galway in danger of missing out on the semi-final. So it is not ability that is holding back the Minors, maybe just a culmination of three successive defeats playing on the minds of the players.

There is a theory that the Minors haven't recovered from the trauma of Sligo's late winner in the opening round and I'd certainly go along with that. They get a chance to right that wrong next Friday in the Shield Final against the Yeatsmen in Ballinamore, a chance to rise above the expectations and win a piece of silverware.

I wrote a few weeks ago about our attitude to 'B' Finals and Shield competitions but with a new All Ireland Minor series, winning next Friday in Ballinamore is not only worthwhile, it is imperative. There have been flashes against Sligo, Roscommon, Galway and even Mayo of what this team can achieve but what happens next is up to what this Leitrim team expects of themselves.

Perhaps they should talk to their counterparts on the Ladies Senior team because if there is a team that continues to confound expectations, it is Jonny Garrity's side. It hasn't been all plain sailing - the traumatic League semi-final defeat to Limerick was calamitous but the Ladies side have a history of upsetting the odds when it comes to our Roscommon neighbours.

On paper, Leitrim shouldn't have been anywhere near the Rossies, a Division 2 bound team defending their provincial title up against a team who couldn't get out of Division 4 yet the longer the game went on, you'd have sworn those positions were reversed.

Roscommon  scored 19 points, more than enough to win most games with the exceptional Aimee O'Connor hitting ten, but in spite of that, the sense of the Rossies becoming more and more frustrated radiated from the pitch as a ferocious Leitrim defence never gave them the slightest sniff of a goal, let alone a shot on target.

The contrast between the teams was palpable - Roscommon growing more unsure as the game went on in the face of a  disciplined defensive unit, Leitrim playing with sure footed confidence and a game plan obviously well rehearsed on the training grounds - swift counter attacks, intricate passing and deadly finishing decisive factors in a compelling and tight contest.

THE LAST POINT: TO 'B' OR NOT TO 'B' IS THE QUESTION

Most importantly, it was obvious that Leitrim expected to win the game, no matter what the League form might say and that is a priceless commodity. They had ropey moments, Roscommon are a formidable outfit  but Leitrim started Sunday’s Final believing they could win and they played like it throughout the game.

It is a lesson that might serve our men's team well  next weekend - the Minors against Sligo and the Seniors against Longford. Our neighbours have the hoodoo over us at Glennon Brothers Pearse Park and the memory of the League meeting earlier this year is still fresh in the mind.

Longford will raise themselves after their Kildare trauma but if Leitrim expect  to perform next Sunday rather than worrying about struggles against Waterford, it could lead to something special!