Kilkenny referee Sean Cleere admits that it is an honour to be chosen to officiate at this year's All-Ireland MHC final.

Although Cats supporters will be disappointed not to be represented on the biggest stage and day of the hurling calendar, they can take some consolation that a Kilkenny man will be on the pitch for the minor final.

The O'Loughlin Gaels clubman will referee the clash between Cork and Galway who knocked Kilkenny out in the semi-final, allowing Cleere the chance to ref the final.

Speaking to the Kilkenny People, Cleere admitted that he has put in a lot of hard work since first becoming a referee in 1999 to get to here.

"It is a great honour," said Sean. "When the call came it was great. I put a lot into it. When you start out you don't think about doing inter-county games or anything like that, but then when you start to progress you like to see how far you can go."

Having refereed an All-Ireland under-21 final in 2016, Cleere is hoping that he can complete the treble some day by overseeing a senior decider.

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