Westmeath captain Eoin Price says Martin Fogarty is already making his presence felt.

Brian Cody's former right-hand man was recently appointed as coach to the beleaguered Lake County hurlers, who are hoping to kick-start their season with what would be a surprise victory over Antrim in Sunday's Leinster SHC round-robin opener at Ballycastle.

"The thing about Martin Fogarty is that every player has huge respect for him," Price explained to the Westmeath Topic.

"When he talks, you listen. It's just simple advice he gives and you can learn so much from someone of his calibre. The biggest change has been to the mental side of things and that's definitely an area we fell down on in this year's league."

Price has declared himself fit for the long trip north after missing the ill-fated Allianz League campaign with a fractured thumb.

"They (Antrim) will be a tough nut to crack and they will know that we have caught them in recent years, so they certainly won't be taking Westmeath for granted. What I'd be looking for is a big performance from everyone and if every player gives it his all, and that's not good enough, I'll have no complaints," the Clonkill clubman added. Tweet

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