Regrets? We've had a few!

Where to start this week and more importantly, where to finish? Do I turn my gaze to Qatar and the bizarrely captivating if morally questionable World Cup that seems to have the entire planet in its thrall right now?

As a self-confessed and almost certainly completely alone Germany fan, the opening week and a half has been both frustrating and uplifting as the four time winners dug their heels in as all German teams seem to do and fought out a draw with a Spanish team who are just wonderful to watch.

Pitch battles and a missed opportunity

THE LAST POINT

I'll admit the Germans are normally nobody's favourite team but growing up in the early 70s, the enormous mitts of keeper Sepp Maier and the elegance and brilliance of Franz  Beckenbauer, rated up there with Pelé and Cruyff, left its mark but what really impressed me was that the Germans never, ever gave up!

They mightn't have had the best players, they might have been functional rather than inspirational and a couple of them might have moonlighted as assassins (check out Harald Schumacher's  ridiculously and dangerous flying tackle on France's Patrick Battiston) but they never gave up - that 1982 World Cup Semi-Final is remembered for Schumacher's flying assault but the Germans, or West Germans as they were then, came from two down to force extra-time before winning the shootout to reach the final.

Two down in the '86 Final against Diego Maradona's Argentina, an injured Karl-Heinz Rummenigge inspired another comeback to get the game to 2-2 before another piece of Maradona magic led to the winner - they simply never gave up and that's what got me cheering for them.

I've been enthralled by the Canadians and their boundless energy, amazed that the Japanese couldn't follow up  their victory over Germany when losing to Costa Rica, while Brazil are labouring a good bit more than you'd expect.

I'll admit I'd love to see Lionel Messi win it all - has there been a more inspiring player than the wee Argentinian genius and while he definitely is not the player he once was, the romantic in me would love to see Leo win it all. Unfortunately, I've a feeling it will all end in tears for Messi & Argentina. 

Given that in a week's time, these predictions could fall flat on their face, the stand out teams for me have been the Spanish and the French but you never know who will catch fire as the tournament progresses but what I do know. My preferences are split between Germany and Argentina with Spain just behind them but there is a lot of football to be played yet. 

If I'm not writing about the World Cup, what about a piece on the structures of Leitrim GAA club competitions as the season comes to an end - there's a possible lengthy tome in that subject  alone but it seems that little change in the offing from the few little snippets I've heard.

You don't always get what you deserve

THE LAST POINT

Aughnasheelin were the final Leitrim team to exit the Provincial  championship last Saturday, St Dominic's perhaps   illustrating a big gap at this level in Connacht but this is the time of year for looking ahead to the future with deliberate contemplation and wondering what might be done to improve things.

The new system, championed as it turned  out by Aughnasheelin, was extremely popular, entertaining and kept every club fighting right up until the final group games. That's more to do with the reduction in the number of teams qualifying for the knockout stages and I've got to say that if there were eight teams in each of the three major championships, I'd hail  it as the best system ever.

But with ten teams at Senior and Intermediate level, there is just too much of a gap in standard - it wasn't so bad at Intermediate level but drawing a Mohill team weakened by tougher restrictions on player eligibility still gave some teams an unfair advantage over others - the starting point for any competition has got to be it must be fair for everyone.

Reduce the number of teams and raise the standard - seems simple enough for it will be much tougher to progress or to win but with  clubs holding AGMs and the County Convention on the horizon, it seems everyone is happy enough with this year's structures so rather than shouting against the wind, I'll hold fire on that topic.

Eventually I came round to the idea of regrets and what might have been, a feeling I'm sure both the male and female footballers of St Mary's Kiltoghert are feeling right now. This is not a dig at anyone because I'm sure the footballers in Mohill and Fenagh St Caillin's Senior men's teams and Kiltubrid Ladies are living with those self same regrets right now.

For St Mary's ladies, the sight of Salthill Knocknacarra beating Dublin side O'Dwyers by a point must be a kick in the teeth - the Leitrim team missed a penalty, threw away a breakaway goal chance in the dying minutes and then missed a late free to win it in normal time before succumbing to the Galway side in extra-time.

To see Salthill book a date in Croke Park for the All-Ireland Finals must  leave them wondering what might have been - a feeling I'm sure their Kiltubrid counterparts can empathise with after their Connacht Intermediate Final loss to Charlestown. That the Mayo side lost to Longford Slashers in the All-Ireland Semi-Final doesn't lessen the regret in the Kiltubrid camp that they didn't perform as they could.

Next Sunday is going to be a tough day for St Mary's men as they look at Tourlestrane taking part in a Connacht Final - that the Sligo men deserve their spot in the limelight isn't in doubt, particularly after a few near misses but even now, more than ten days later, it's hard to escape the feeling that the Carrick men let a wonderful chance slip through their fingers.

Mohill and Fenagh St Caillins, who both lost to St Mary's, know exactly how they feel - Mohill losing composure in the final minutes when a draw was there to be had and Fenagh missing out thanks to a spot kick shootout.

The question for these teams is how do they react? Do they wallow in pity and allow the missed opportunity to define them or do they learn from it, absorb it and use the experience to drive them to greater and better things in the years ahead?

For a team like Mohill, after losing two Finals in a row in dramatic fashion, that might be a little harder with their age profile compared to the younger St Mary's and Fenagh outfits. Experience is key in high level sport but some experiences leave scars and you never know when your chance will come around again as suddenly months and years slip by and the promise of youth becomes the unfulfilled dreams of retirement.

Opportunity exits under pressure - you've just got to embrace it

THE LAST POINT

The hard thing is to hold onto those lessons - some teams may never get the same opportunity again and the championship seems a long way away right now. It is definitely not like Costa Rica rebounding from a hammering at the hands of Spain to beat Japan three days later! 

But like Costa Rica, if you can learn from the harsh  lessons and put in the required work far away from the gaze of the public, chances are you'll have a greater chance of succeeding in the future. Otherwise, all you'll be left with is regrets and that will be something to regret!