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Man In The Middle: Laois whistler Maurice Deegan will take charge of the All-Ireland decider. INPHO/James Crombie
Match Officials

Deegan to take charge of All-Ireland football showdown

The referees have been announced for this year’s All-Ireland football finals.

MAURICE DEEGAN FROM Laois has been confirmed as the referee for this year’s All-Ireland senior football final between Donegal and Mayo on September 23rd.

The Stradbally native has got the nod to officiate in the biggest Gaelic football game of the 2012 calendar and will take charge of the decider for the second time, having previously officiated at the 2008 meeting of Tyrone and Kerry when the Red Hands prevailed by 1-15 to 0-14.

Deegan’s appointment had been widely predicted and he has already refereed five games in this year’s championship. He was the man in the middle for Roscommon’s 1-11 to 1-9 All-Ireland SFC qualifier round one win over Armagh on July 1st, Kerry’s 2-22 to 1-6 win over Clare in round four of the All-Ireland SFC on July 28th and Mayo’s 3-18 to 2-9 All-Ireland quarter-final win over Down on August 4th. In the provincial championships Deegan was at the helm for Sligo’s 2-14 to 0-15 Connacht semi-final win over Galway and Monaghan’s 1-12 to 1-9 Ulster quarter-final victory over Antrim in Clones.

Meath’s David Coldrick will be the standby referee for the senior showdown. The other linesman is Eddie Kinsella (Laois), while the sideline official will be Conor Lane (Cork). Deegan’s umpires on the day will be Kevin O’Brien (St Josephs, Laois), Sean Langton (St Josephs, Laois), Alan Abbey (Stradbally, Laois), Richard Oxley (Timahoe, Laois).

Meanwhile the All-Ireland minor football final between Dublin and Meath on September 23rd which will act as the curtain-raiser to that senior match will see Derry’s Barry Cassidy refereeing the tie. Cassidy, from the Wolfe Tones Bellaghy club, has already taken charge this season of the Leinster senior championship meeting of Carlow and Meath, and the All-Ireland qualifiers between Fermanagh and Cavan, Leitrim and Wicklow, and Kildare against Limerick.

The standby referee for the minor game is Fermanagh’s Martin Higgins with Longford’s Fergal Kelly the other linesman and Mayo’s Jerome Henry the sideline official. The umpires for the minor game will be Kevin Torner (Bellaghy Wolfe Tones, Derry), Anthony Campbell (O’Donovan Rossa, Magherafelt), Tom O’Kane (St Malachy’s Castledawson), Alan Nash (Derry Trasna, Derry)

Ever wonder where all the All-Ireland final tickets go to?

Club Call: Cork SHC, Waterford SHC and Wexford SHC