Banteer man to ref All-Ireland final
THE Banteer club in Duhallow will supply the referee for this year’s All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final with the appointment of Conor Lane as the man in black.
Lane was contacted by Croke Park on Wednesday afternoon with the news that he will officiate the game between Dublin and Mayo on September 18.
The Banteer club man has been on the inter-county referees panel since 2011 and has taken charge of several high profile fixtures, but this will be his biggest assignment by some distance.
“I’m delighted to get it,” Lane told The Corkman on Wednesday afternoon. “It’s a great honour for me, my family, my club, and to represent Cork.”
The 38-year old has already taken charge of the drawn Connacht Final this year between Galway and Roscommon in Salthill, before officiating the All-Ireland quarter-final between Tipperary and Galway in Croke Park last month.
He was also on the whistle for the Ulster Championship meeting between Monaghan and Down, and the Conacht SFC match between Mayo and Galway, when the defending provincial champions were unexpectedly beaten by Galway.
Back in March he was the man in the middle for the All-Ireland Club SFC Final between Ballyboden St Endas and Castlebar Micthels on St Patrick’s Day.
The one All-Ireland inter-county final he took charge of was the 2013 All-Ireland Minor final between Tyrone and Mayo, which the latter won.
Lane will bring his trusted quartet of umpires with him on September 18, which include his father John Joe and close neighbour DJ O’Sullivan, both members of Banteer club, his brother-in-law Pat Kelly from the Kilshannig club, and Ray Hegarty from Rathcormac.
“They’re my regular four umpires and we’ve build up a great relationship on the field. Croke Park will appoint the two linesmen and the fourth official and inform me in their own time.
“As for the job itself I’ll try to be as anonymous as I can and let the game flow as best I can. The day is all about the players so if I can stay anonymous and if people afterwards are only taking about the great play and the great scores and looking at All Star teams and the likes then I’ll have done a good job,” he says.
“It’s the players’ day so I’ll let them get on with it. If you see a foul you blow for it and if you don’t see a foul you can’t blow for it, simple as that.
“I won’t be worrying beforehand about the two teams or looking into particular players or anything like that. The rules are the same no matter what game it is. If it’s a junior game in Rockchapel or an All-Ireland Final in Croke Park, the same rules apply.
“For the next couple of weeks I’ll touch up on my fitness. We (referees) have fitness guidelines from Dr Niall Moyna from DCU. I’ll get the fitness up to full speed, get a couple of local matches in, and keep it low key until the final itself,” he added.