Referee Lyons a familiar face in the middle for Munster final
Clash At Pearse In Between Pic: Galway Dublin Leinster Brennan/sportsfile During Lyons Colm Stadium Daire And The Galway Referee
Nemo Rangers’ Colm Lyons will be the man in the middle for Sunday’s Munster SHC final between Clare and Limerick in FBD Semple Stadium (4pm throw-in).
Waterford’s Thomas Walsh (Modeligo) is in charge of the previous evening’s Dublin-Kilkenny Leinster SHC decider in Croke Park (6pm). In the curtain-raiser Colm McDonald (St Gall’s, Antrim) referees the Laois-Offaly Joe McDonagh Cup showdown (3.30pm).
Lyons previously supervised the 2020 Munster final when Limerick took down Waterford. He has taken charge of the last three Clare-Limerick round-robin games.
Lyons, the 2022 All-Ireland SHC final referee, oversaw Limerick’s win in Ennis in April as he did Clare’s victory in TUS Gaelic Grounds last April. He was also appointed to the Round 4 draw in 2022 when he sent off Gearóid Hegarty and referred the counties’ heated 2015 Munster quarter-final.
Walsh was the referee for last year’s Joe McDonagh Cup final between Carlow and Offaly. This year, he officiated the Galway-Kilkenny group drawn match in Salthill and Cork’s heavy win over Tipperary in the Munster SHC.
Meanwhile, Limerick and Tipperary’s Tailteann Cup preliminary quarter-final will take place in Rathkeale’s Mick Neville Park on Saturday (4pm throw-in). The clash between Leitrim and Wicklow in Glennon Brothers Pearse Park, which begins at 7pm and is being shown by GAAGO.
The following day, the other last 12 matches took place starting with the meeting of Laois and New York in Laois Hire O’Moore Park at 12.30pm, which is also streamed on GAAGO. After that, Antrim and London face off in Corrigan Park at 2pm.
Elsewhere, Armagh are facing an anxious wait to find out if Connaire Mackin has been handed down a retrospective ban for an unpunished incident in Sunday’s All-Ireland SFC Group 1, Round 2 win over Derry in Celtic Park.
Mackin’s foot made contact with Conor Glass’ head as he lay on the ground. Armagh face Galway the weekend after next where a draw will be enough for Kieran McGeeney’s side to automatically qualify for the All-Ireland quarter-final for the second year running.
Details of the Sam Maguire Cup final round games are expected to be finalised and released by the Central Competitions Control Committee on Tuesday. Portlaoise would appear the favoured venue for the Kerry-Louth game seeing as it also hosted the counties’ final round fixture last year.
Parnell Park could be in the running for the Cork-Tyrone match. Carrick-on-Shannon hosted Galway-Armagh in 2023 but is not available and Mullingar appears to be a possibility. Cusack Park, Kingspan Breffni and Dr Hyde Park are potential venues for the Dublin-Mayo meeting.