Brian Gavin: Colm Lyons was the safe pair of hands needed in Munster hurling final 

It was his fourth time in three championships, his second in this one, and his knowledge of what he was facing came in so handy. 

PRIOR KNOWLEDGE: Referee Colm Lyons during the Munster GAA Hurling Senior Championship final match between Clare and Limerick at FBD Semple Stadium. Pic: Ray McManus, Sportsfile

Supporters might wonder at times why the same referees are appointed to the same games.

For a few years there, the name of Joe McQuillan, for example, would have been the first name down on the sheet for a Donegal-Tyrone championship match before any player.