All-Ireland football final referee Maurice Deegan has admitted he has had to make of hardest calls in his career in telling one of his umpires that they would not be needed to officiate in the decider between Kerry and Tyrone on September 21. The Laois referee has had five umpires with him since he began officiating back in 2000, but he will have one who will miss out on the biggest Sunday of the year in GAA terms - Richard Oxley. "That is the hardest thing I've had to do," said Deegan. "It really was very hard. In fairness to Richard he took it well, even though it must have been hard for him. It's the side of the appointment that people would never think of. "It is of course a great honour for myself to have been picked, for the county, my family and my umpires. I know it's a cliché but it's true. Refereeing an All-Ireland is what you aim to do from the time you get on the inter-county scene." In regards to match itself, Deegan hopes to avoid having his name in the papers the following morning. "I hope it goes well for me and the teams. If I'm not mentioned in the papers the next day I'll be delighted." Tweet

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