THE Ladies Gaelic Football Association has announced the match referees for the TG4 All-Ireland Intermediate and Senior Championship Finals, to be played at Croke Park on Sunday, September 5.
Shane Curley, from the Glinsk GAA club in Galway, will take charge of the All-Ireland Intermediate Final between Westmeath and Wexford.
For Curley, this will be his first experience of refereeing on TG4 All-Ireland Finals day but the Glinsk man has taken charge of National Finals in the past.
He refereed this year’s Lidl National League Division 3 Final between Laois and Kildare, and the 2019 Division 4 decider which featured Antrim and Fermanagh.
Curley's more recent assignments include the Dublin-Donegal TG4 Senior Championship quarter-final, while he was also involved in two games that were decided by free-kick shoot-outs – the Mayo-Monaghan TG4 Senior Championship group fixture, and the Kerry-Monaghan Lidl NFL Division 2 semi-final.
Curley commented: “I’m absolutely thrilled. It’s every referee’s dream to referee on All-Ireland Final day in Croke Park in September. It’s a dream come true.”
Down’s Brendan Rice will take charge of the Senior Final between Dublin and Meath (4.15pm).
This will be a third Senior Final for Rice, representing St Dallan’s PS in Warrenpoint, who was the man in the middle for the 2016 meeting between Dublin and Cork, and the 2019 Final meeting of Dublin and Galway.
Among Rice’s 2021 assignments were the recent TG4 All-Ireland Senior quarter-final between Armagh and Meath, the group fixture involving Armagh and Cavan, the Kildare-Westmeath Intermediate semi-final, and the Intermediate group match between Laois and Roscommon.
Commenting on the news, Rice admitted: “It’s not often that I find myself speechless or short of a few words.
“This was a surprise phone call to receive this morning but I’m absolutely ecstatic to be doing my third All-Ireland Final.”
The referee for the Junior decider will be confirmed following the weekend semi-finals, with Limerick, Wicklow, Antrim and Carlow aiming for the two Final slots on offer.
2021 TG4 All-Ireland Ladies Football Finals
Croke Park – Sunday, September 5
Junior – 11.45am – Antrim/Carlow v Limerick/Wicklow.
Referee: TBC.
Intermediate – 1.45pm – Westmeath v Wexford.
Referee: Shane Curley (Galway).
Senior – 4.15pm – Dublin v Meath.
Referee: Brendan Rice (Down).
