Inter-county
Lane made his senior inter-county debut on 9 October 1977 in a 4–13 to 1–10 defeat by Clare in the opening round of the National Hurling League. He was subsequently included on the starting fifteen for Galway's unsuccessful championship campaign.
In 1979 Galway later shocked four-in-a-row hopefuls Cork in the All-Ireland semi-final and qualified for an All-Ireland final showdown with Kilkenny. [4] In one of the worst All-Ireland finals of the decade, Tipperary-born Galway goalkeeper Séamus Shinnors had an absolute nightmare of a game. A 70-yards free by Liam "Chunky" O'Brien after just four minutes dipped, hit off Shinnors and ended up in the Galway net. Galway fought back and went two points up twelve minutes into the second half, however, they failed to score for the rest of the game. Four minutes before the end of the game another long-range free for Kilkenny ended up in the net behind Shinnors. It was a score which summed up the day for Lane's side as Kilkenny went on to win by 2–12 to 1–8. In spite of this defeat Lane's goal in the final was named goal of the year.
In 1980 Galway defeated Kildare and Offaly to reach a second consecutive All-Ireland final. Munster champions Limerick provided the opposition on this occasion and an exciting championship decider followed. Lane nearly didn't make it to the throw-in after he was accidentally hit by in the head by a hurley running out onto the pitch, however, his injury was stitched up and he played a full part. Bernie Forde and P. J. Molloy goals for Galway meant that the men from the west led by 2–7 to 1–5 at half-time. Éamonn Cregan single-handedly launched the Limerick counter-attack in the second-half. Over the course of the game he scored 2–7, including an overhead goal and a point in which he showed the ball to full-back Conor Hayes and nonchalantly drove the ball over the bar. It was not enough to stem the tide and Galway went on to win the game by 2–15 to 3–9. [5] It was Galway's first All-Ireland title since 1923, with Lane picking up a winners' medal and the celebrations surpassed anything ever seen in Croke Park.
1981 saw Galway reach a third consecutive All-Ireland final and Offaly were the opponents. Everything seemed to be going well for Lane's side as Galway hoped to capture a second consecutive All-Ireland title. Offaly 'keeper Damien Martin was doing great work in batting out an almost certain Galway goal early in the second-half. With twenty-three minutes left in the game Galway led by six points, however, they failed to score for the rest of the game. Johnny Flaherty hand-passed Offaly's second goal with just three minutes remaining. At the long whistle Galway were defeated by 2–12 to 0–15. [6]
The next three seasons saw Galway exit the championship at the All-Ireland semi-final stage, however, Lane's reputation as Galway's top player was further enhanced when he collected back-to-back All-Star awards in 1983 and 1984.
Galway shocked reigning All-Ireland champions Cork in the semi-final to reach the decider once again in 1985. Offaly provided the opposition in the subsequent All-Ireland final and another tense game ensued. Once again it was Offaly's goal-scoring ability that proved crucial. Pat Cleary scored the first of the day after twenty-five minutes of play and got his second less than half a minute after the restart. Joe Dooley had a goal disallowed halfway through the second-half while a long Joe Cooney effort, which seemed to cross the goal line, was not given. P. J. Molloy was Galway's goal scorer, however, the day belonged to Offaly. A 2–11 to 1–12 score line resulted in defeat for Galway. [7]
Galway reached a second successive All-Ireland decider again in 1986, with Lane serving as team captain for the year. The men from the west were the red-hot favourites against an ageing Cork team, however, on the day a different story unfolded. Four Cork goals, one from John Fenton, two from Tomás Mulcahy and one from Kevin Hennessy, stymied the Galway attack and helped "the Rebels" to a 4–13 to 2–15 victory.
Lane won his first National Hurling League medal in 1987 when he was strung from the bench in the 3–12 to 3–10 league decider defeat of Clare. Later that summer Galway qualified for a third All-Ireland final in-a-row. The prospect of becoming the first team to lose three consecutive championship deciders weighed heavily on the Galway team as Kilkenny provided the opposition. The game was not a classic by any standard, however, Lane, who started the game on the sideline and was introduced as a substitute, got a key goal for Galway nine minutes before the end. A 1–12 to 0–9 victory gave him a second All-Ireland medal.
In 1988, Galway reached their fourth consecutive All-Ireland final, where they were favored to retain the title. After years of absence, Tipperary provided the opposition in the championship decider. Galway had defeated Tipperary in the previous year's semi-final, making the final a highly anticipated rematch. Despite being the underdogs, Tipperary aimed to secure victory with an extra year of experience under their belt. Surprisingly, Galway's Lane, known for his impact as a substitute, was left out of the starting lineup. He was introduced as a substitute once again and managed to score a crucial goal. Despite a late penalty from Nicky English, which was sent over the bar for a point, Galway secured a 1–15 to 0–14 victory, earning Lane his third All-Ireland medal.
Continuing his reputation as a super sub, Lane maintained his strong performance in 1989. He collected a second National League medal that year after entering the game midway during Galway's victory over Tipperary with a score of 2–16 to 4–8. In a recurring pattern, both teams met again in the All-Ireland series. However, Galway faced a setback as their star player, Tony Keady, was absent due to controversy. The match, marred by tension and unsportsmanlike conduct, saw Tipperary emerge victorious with a score of 1–17 to 2–11. This result put an end to Galway's hopes of achieving a three-in-a-row victory. [8]
In 1990 Lane was thirty-five years of age and was regarded as the veteran of the Galway team. In spite of this he was at full-forward for his eighth appearance in an All-Ireland final. Cork were the opponents, however, Galway were the red-hot favourites as they set out to win a third championship in four years. Shortly after half-time the westerners were up by seven points and were cruising to victory. Cork were a changed team in the second half, with captain Tomás Mulcahy scoring a key goal that seemed to revitalise the team. The final score of 5–15 to 2–21 brought a fifth All-Ireland final defeat for Lane. [9] This defeat also brought the curtain down on his inter-county career.
Inter-provincial
Lane also lined out with Connacht in the inter-provincial series of games and enjoyed much success.
In 1979 Lane was at right corner-forward as Connacht reached the inter-provincial decider. A 1–13 to 1–9 defeat by Leinster was the result on that occasion. Lane retained the same position on the team in 1980 as Connacht faced Railway Cup specialists Munster in the decider. A low-scoring game followed, however, a 1–5 to 0–7 victory gave Connacht their first Railway Cup title since 1947. It was Lane's first winners' medal in the inter-pro competition.
Connacht reached the Railway Cup final again in 1982. A 3–8 to 2–9 victory over Leinster gave Lane his second Railway Cup medal. Defeat of the same opposition in 1983 allowed Connacht to retain the title for the first time in their history.
After defeat to Munster in 1985, both sides renewed their rivalry in the inter-provincial decider again in 1986. A comprehensive 3–11 to 0–11 victory gave Lane, who was captain of the team, a fourth Railway Cup medal.
In 1987 Connacht faced Leinster in the final once again. A narrow 2–14 to 1–14 victory to Connacht gave Lane a fifth and final Railway Cup medal.
