Martin O’Neill gets chance to experiment

Martin O’Neill is an avid consumer, a voracious reader. Forever aware and always interested in the topics of the day. At Ireland training on Tuesday afternoon, he was heard enquiring on the rolling updates of Tiger Woods’ latest sorry episode.

It’s likely then that, while upwards of 40,000 fans will cross the Hudson River from New York into New Jersey for the friendly meeting of his Ireland side and Mexico, O’Neill is keenly aware that for Stateside sports, there is only one show in town tonight.

Thursday night marks the beginning of an NBA Finals series between the two most exhilarating teams in basketball, LeBron James’ reigning champion Cleveland Cavaliers and the star-studded, Steph Curry-inspired Golden State Warriors.