Arena with Maurice Brosnan

This week on Arena, we preview the NBA finals and talk about how basketball is influencing other sports with Ballincollig coach Ciaran O’Sullivan.Ciaran was recently awarded coach of the year after a super season where Ballincollig won the National Cup and Super League title. They discuss how the NBA finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs should have something for everyone, how to defend the 7-foot-4 alien that is Victor Wembanyama and the coaching concepts likely to shape the series.The conversation also delves into the challenges of coaching modern athletes and the importance of effective communication. How does a coach deal with the constant tension between idealism and pragmatism in high-performance sport? Arena, from the Irish Examiner, is a weekly feature-style reflection on Irish sport. Listen free on the Irish Examiner website or wherever you get your podcasts.You can read some of Ciaran’s recent columns here:Ciarán O'Sullivan on coaching: Sport thrives in turbulence, where problems solve themselves through movementCoaching's quiet theft: every time we name the threat, we pickpocket tomorrow's intuition

On this week’s show, we’re joined by Galway footballer Robert Finnerty, Kildare Sports Performance coach Neil Welch, and Monaghan Sports Performance coach Paul Talty to discuss how the two-pointer has changed Gaelic football.What has the two-pointer done to the way teams attack or defend? How will it evolve? Can Rob kick a two-pointer with his right foot? We answer these questions and more during a roundtable discussion.Arena, from the Irish Examiner, is a weekly feature-style reflection on Irish sport. Listen for free on the Irish Examiner website or wherever you get your podcasts.The lads were talking on behalf of RYPT, the official player management software partner of the GAA.RYPT is an Irish athletic development platform built to solve the problems sports coaches experience on a daily basis. Its user base includes All-Ireland Champions Kerry GAA, Munster Rugby, Kilkenny GAA, Shelbourne FC and many more.From June 2026, coaches and players can sign up to RYPT and access the Two Point Club training programme via the RYPT library, developed by intercounty performance coaches to help athletes build the physical qualities needed to score two pointers.Get in touch with Maurice on Maurice.brosnan@examiner.ie

This week on Arena, we explore the growing influence of Irish players in the AFLW and ask whether the rise of Irish talent could one day lead to an Irish-based AFLW team. From the league’s early years, when Irish women helped fill a relatively shallow talent pool, to today’s competition where they are among the standout performers in a fully professional environment, the Irish impact on the AFLW has been remarkable. Talent ID and skills coach Mike Currane joins the podcast to discuss the future of Irish players Down Under, why they have adapted so successfully to the game and what their success means for the GAA and LGFA at home. Arena, from the Irish Examiner, is a weekly feature-style reflection on Irish sport. Listen free on the Irish Examiner website or wherever you get your podcasts.

On this week’s episode, we are joined by Leinster Schools Head Coach, MSc Sports Performance Analysis lecturer, and The Currency columnist Brett Igoe to preview the final round of the United Rugby Championship regular season and assess the current state of Irish rugby.Maurice and Brett discuss Ireland’s depth chart, Leinster’s Champions Cup ambitions, Munster’s ongoing issues, the job Stuart Lancaster is doing at Connacht, and the next step for Ulster under Richie Murphy.Arena, a new podcast from the Irish Examiner, offers weekly deep dives into Irish sport. Listen for free on the Irish Examiner website or wherever you get your podcasts. Get in touch with Maurice at maurice.brosnan@examiner.ieFollow Brett on X @brettruganalyst.

This week, we’re joined by Colin Sheridan to talk about the price of tickets for the Ryder Cup and other big sporting events currently.Ryder Cup tickets made exclusively available to Irish fans, priced at €499 each, sold out in under an hour last Friday, while practice day (€89) and weekly tickets (€1,999) sold out in under four hours.Colin explores the evolving relationship between fans and elite sporting events. As prices continue to rise, what alternatives exist for supporters who are priced out? And what does this shift mean for a younger generation’s connection to live sport?Arena, a new podcast from the Irish Examiner, offers weekly deep dives into Irish sport. Listen for free on the Irish Examiner website or wherever you get your podcasts. Get in touch with Maurice on maurice.brosnan@examiner.ie.

This week, we’re talking funding for athletics. Gerard O’Donnell is a coach with Dublin sprint who knows what it is like as an athlete having won nine national titles in the short hurdles too. He joins us to talk about how the model currently works and where it could improve.This week, a record €28.5 million in funding was confirmed for Sport Ireland's High Performance Unit for this year. We ask which athletes would benefit most from that support?Arena, a new podcast from the Irish Examiner, offers weekly deep dives into Irish sport. Listen for free on the Irish Examiner website or wherever you get your podcasts.Get in touch with Maurice on maurice.brosnan@examiner.ie

Rory McIlroy is now a back-to-back Masters champion and a six-time major winner. This week, we look back on his remarkable triumph at Augusta National and what it was like to witness it on the ground.What McIlroy means to the sport, and to Ireland, are questions we try to answer. In a modern era where golf is competing for attention and searching for a post-Tiger Woods figurehead, McIlroy’s success feels more significant than ever.Arena, a new podcast from the Irish Examiner, offers weekly deep dives into Irish sport. Listen for free on the Irish Examiner website or wherever you get your podcasts. Get in touch with Maurice on maurice.brosnan@examiner.ie.

This week, we’re reporting from Augusta National for the 90th Masters. The first of the four Majors gets underway on Thursday.What is it about August National? What makes this tournament? We hear from Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy before sitting down with Reach plc US Sports Editor Thomas Bristow.Arena, a new podcast from the Irish Examiner, is a weekly feature-style reflection on Irish sport. Listen for free on the Irish Examiner website or wherever you get your podcasts.