Emerging Westmeath referee Mick Mannion believes there's only one way to officiate - by the book. Applying the rules of the game strictly and accurately, the Athlone man has made encouraging strides as a Man in Black over the past four seasons or so. To date, he has the look of a real natural - so there's no reason to envisage the pleasing progress slowing down any time soon. There's a big difference between refereeing a GAA match and appearing on The X Factor. One is a popularity contest; the other isn't. Gaelic football and hurling referees are assigned one clearly-defined task: to apply the rules. Ironically, if they do this properly, they will earn the respect of the majority of those associated with the national code - and popularity will logically follow. Men like Pat McEneaney, Dickie Murphy and John Bannon didn't get where they are today by being nice guys. They enforced the rules to the letter of the law and acclaim followed accordingly. It can be difficult (and lonely) at the start, when the world is on your back, pressure tries to push the shoulders groundwards and both sets of players and supporters are slamming your every blast of the whistle. Perseverance is the name of the game. And consistency. A referee may never achieve the sort of fly-by-night popularity offered by modern day media gods like Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh, but he can earn a respect well beyond the range of the superficial. Westmeath referee Mick Mannion is four years into his learning curve and is progressing very well by all accounts. He's already officiating at provincial level and is heralded by those with their fingers on the pulse of such matters as one of the Association's most promising refs. The Lake County man's rise has been as rapid as it has been unpremeditated: "I've only been refereeing four years and 2005 was a big step-up. I was named on the Leinster referees list at the start of the year and it's a big challenge to move from club to intercounty refereeing. Having said that, there's no major difference between the two. The game is being played at a better level, but it's still the same game and the very same rules apply, so the referee's role is exactly the same." During the year, Mick handled provincial matches as high as minor championship and intermediate club level. His progress has been both steady and impressive and his first senior appointment in Leinster is imminent. How did Mick make it onto the Leinster panel so soon in his refereeing career? "Westmeath put my name forward at the end of last year and I was called for the theory and fitness tests, which I got through. Then, in the latter months of this year, I was called in to do a few matches and it went okay." It went so well, in fact, that Mick will soon be taking the next step up the refereeing ladder. Once he gets some experience of senior club and colleges games, he will be in line for a national league call-up. Is this all part of a plan for world domination, culminating in an All-Ireland final somewhere down the line? Surely that's the target of everyone who takes up the whistle? "I'm not looking at that at all," says the Garrycastle clubman. There's no long-term plan. My objective is always the next match and I don't look beyond that. "Obviously, the aim of every referee - just like every player - is to constantly better himself. And to realise that you have to negotiate the various stepping stones, so you are striving for a certain degree of progression all the time." Like any good referee, Mick knows the game well from a players' perspective. He played senior football with Garrycastle and senior hurling for Southern Gaels. Having retired from the game(s) at the relatively young age of 31, he got involved in refereeing almost immediately as a means of maintaining his fitness levels. The Athlone man took to the discipline like the metaphorical duck to water and the rest is history. Many would contend that refereeing is a thankless art and that those who take it up are gluttons for punishment. Why did Mick opt to put his neck on the chopping block? Is he mad? "The County Board in Westmeath is working very hard to improve standards and the treatment of referees. Things are improving. People are beginning to realise that referees are doing their best and that there's no-one out there who deliberately goes against a team, despite what players might think after a game. "A referee isn't there to do people favours, but he will always do his best. We referee the game as we see it and we know we're not always right with every decision we make. But you learn from your mistakes and can then keep errors down to an absolute minimum." At club level, Mick Mannion officiated over the SHC final in Roscommon this year as well as the JFC decider in his native Westmeath. Is it a good substitute for playing? "It's different, but just as enjoyable in its own way. They're both good pastimes, but as a player you can go out and try to win things, while the main objective of refereeing is to do your best and to keep fit" Mick feels there's no room in the game for different refereeing styles as the application of the rulebook should be universal, thereby creating a level playing field for everybody: "The rules are very clearly defined. The referee who does the All-Ireland final right down to the smallest club game is asked to do the same thing. Rules are rules. It's good for young lads watching the game when they see a player on The Sunday Game getting pulled up for the same offence he carried out in a club match. "I can't see why there should be different styles of refereeing. The referee has to apply the rules and these can only be interpreted one way." Do players understand the rules, though? "I think they do, generally. Apart form the rolling ball, where there seems to be a bit of confusion. A lot of adult players don't seem to understand that it's still a foul if you touch a rolling ball on the ground." Are there enough referees in Westmeath at the moment? Some counties report a severe shortage of individuals prepared to put themselves in the firing line. "I think things are quite good in Westmeath. In mid-summer, I'd normally get no more than one or two matches a week and always with plenty of notice, so the situation is fairly healthy. The overall standard is good too, though there's always room for young referees to come through." Substantial sacrifices are required - something the more vociferous critics should bear in mind next time they feel like venting their fury at the unfortunate man in the middle. During high season of June, July and August, referees can be on call every Sunday as well as other weekend and midweek matches. It's a huge commitment and great energy and diplomacy are required to make time and room for other important things in one's life, such as family, off time and work. As regards work, Mick is the public face of Mick Mannion Truck Centre, a commercial vehicle testing centre in Athlone. The business was established by his father in the mid-eighties and Mick took over in 2003. Tweet

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