THE GAA has announced that Cork referee Conor Lane will take charge of next month's All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final between Dublin and Mayo.
Lane, a member of the Banteer/Lyre club, previously refereed the All-Ireland Minor final in 2013 between Mayo and Tyrone, the Connacht Final in 2013 and 2016, as well as this year’s All-Ireland Senior Club Final.
In this year’s Championship he has refereed the All-Ireland quarter-final between Galway and Tipperary and the drawn Connacht Final between Galway and Roscommon.
He also took charge of the Connacht meeting of Mayo and Galway, and the Ulster semi-final between Monaghan and Down.
?Maurice Deegan (Laois) will be the stand-by referee for the All-Ireland final, Joe McQuillan (Cavan) will be Linesman, and Derek O’Mahony (Tipperary) will be the sideline official.
“I'm delighted to get the call, absolutely over the moon,” said Lane shortly after being told of his appointment today.
“I’m shocked and delighted. Once you get a Quarter-Final your hat is in the ring and it could go with any of the four referees, it was just my year this year. I'm just delighted for myself and my family, the umpires and club to represent them.
“You’ve to keep your feet on the ground, to do the best you can, to be as anonymous as you can be on the day. It is the players' day out, you apply the rules, I don't want to be seen or heard after if I can at all possible.”
The Minor All-Ireland Final will be refereed Clonduff and Down's Ciaran Branagan.
In this year’s football championship he has already refereed the Connacht Senior Final Replay between Galway and Roscommon, the All-Ireland SFC Quarter-Final between Dublin and Donegal, the Round 2B Qualifier between Monaghan and Longford and the Leinster SFC Quarter-Final between Dublin and Laois.