Westmeath add former referee to selector panel

New Westmeath senior football manager Brendan Hackett has finalised his team of selectors for the 2010 campaign.

Veteran County Board official and former All-Ireland football referee Paddy Collins has been ratified as the Lakesiders' final selector.

He joins former Westmeath player Michael 'Spike' Fagan and Longford native Mattie Fox who have already been installed as part of Hackett's new regime.

The multi-skilled backroom team also included 1992 Olympic boxing hero Michael Carruth, who is the team masseur, and Irish Olympic canoeist Eoin Rheinisch, who was seconds away from winning a medal at the Beijing Games.

Rheinisch will assist with Westmeath's strength training sessions along with Carruth.

Collins, a former County Board secretary, worked as a selector under Paidi O Se when Westmeath won their only Leinster SFC title to date in 2004, and he was also involved during Tomas O Flatharta's recent managerial reign.

Hackett, who has been getting a very good response from the players, will also manage the Westmeath Under-21s next season with assistance from former Mayo All-Ireland Ladies SFC winning boss Finbarr Egan.

Hackett's first competitive game in charge of the Lake County's senior side will be on January 10 when they take on DCU in the O'Byrne Cup.

The recent Leinster Championship draw has pitted them against either Wicklow or Carlow at the quarter-final stage.