Cricket Column: Although it is still only June, Ireland's international season is actually beginning to wind down, with just one game left in the C&G Trophy (this Sunday against Somerset at Stormont).
The players will then return to their long-suffering clubs for July before reassembling in time for the European Championships in Glasgow in early August, followed by a four-day InterContinental Cup match against Scotland in Aberdeen later that month.
So the question has to be asked: has 2006 been a success so far? The knee-jerk answer is, of course, no. One win, one narrow defeat, five heavy losses and a rain-affected draw against county opposition falls far below the national coach's pre-season goal of four or five victories.
The performances have been patchy at best; the failure to get off to good starts with either bat or ball are a genuine concern and the competition has shown the Ireland team are not yet capable of being competitive at this level.
The first-ever one-day international against England last week was a wonderful event and although they put in a fine performance the Irish never really looked like they'd win it.
But the very fact that Ireland are taking part in the C&G - and will be for at least another two seasons - should be enough to get the Irish Cricket Union around a table to discuss a sustainable plan to turn that one victory from eight into the coach's goal of five from nine, by 2008.
The only way that will be achieved is by setting up central contracts with players, paying them and removing them from the club system for the duration of the tournament at least.
The ICU's honorary treasurer will of course want to know where the money will come from but that is not the point: just get the money - beg, borrow and steal it if you have to.
It is an investment. Not a risk-free one, of course, but if it brings results then the likes of team sponsors Bank of Ireland will have to stump up more cash to stay on board and it will end up being self-sustaining in the medium term. Not many sponsors are prepared to get in on the ground floor; they want to support teams that are already successful, and while Ireland have done well to get to next year's World Cup finals, sponsors need a constant flow of high-profile and competitive events, not just a single, big showcase every four years.
It is a little like a first-time house buyer. Sometimes you have to mortgage yourself to the hilt in the belief that the value of your home will continue to rise. The ICU need to invest in their players believing the value of the team will appreciate in the eyes of their sponsors and other stakeholders, such as sports councils and Government bodies.
The biggest difference between Ireland and the counties that defeated them in the C&G Trophy this year was not talent, application or will to win. It was a certain belief and professionalism that comes from being, well, professional.
It's time for the ICU to take a punt on their players and work hard to make the most of the success that investment brings.
Otherwise, one win from eight or nine will be the best they can hope for until the England and Wales Cricket Board get tired of the whipping boys, cancel the experiment and exclude Ireland from their competitions.
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