“SOMETHING AWFUL HAS happened here to Peter Casey. It’s probably the type of replay that we don’t want to show you.”
Darragh Moloney’s description of the scene from the Sunday Game commentary box indicated the worst, as did the pictures if you had the misfortune of seeing them. Cian Lynch hunkered down to provide emotional support as the oxygen was administered on the pitch. Tipperary opponent Ronan Maher was there too, visibly shaken by the incident in which he innocently attempted to block a shot at goal. Legs got tangled up. A horrible image was the result.
Then came the statement confirming the bleak reality for Limerick’s Peter Casey: a broken ankle requiring surgery.
This is a road he has walked before. In the 2021 All-Ireland final, with five points already banked against Cork, the Na Piarsaigh forward succumbed to a torn cruciate injury. He was trying to gather a pass from Aaron Gillane in front of the Davin End when he collapsed in pain just before the half-hour mark. There was a brief interlude in which Casey tried to run off the discomfort before surrendering to be replaced by Graeme Mulcahy. It was a cruel sign off for Casey after helping Limerick rampage to All-Ireland glory.
His Limerick teammate Barry Murphy suffered the same fate a few weeks later and both made their return to the inter-county fold the following year. Casey said that his recovery would have been “10 times worse” without the Doon forward trudging through the rehabilitation phases alongside him.
This is latest major injury to strike the Limerick squad in recent seasons. Last year’s All-Ireland success was achieved in the absence of Seán Finn [ACL] and captain Declan Hannon [knee]. Prior to that, Cian Lynch was a long-term injury victim with hamstring trouble in 2022 which was complicated by ankle injury.
Casey’s brother Mike is no stranger to the treatment table either. He also suffered the agony of a cruciate tear in 2020, ahead of the Covid All-Ireland championship. More knee bother followed upon his return, a cartilage issue which resulted in surgery to have it removed.
John Kiely has the benefit of experience as he prepares his squad for another setback in personnel, but not having Casey as an option will weaken his attacking unit.
Casey belongs to the original cast of All-Ireland winners from 2018. He entered the fray in the All-Ireland series that year, making solid contributions from the bench. He posted 1-3 in their Preliminary quarter-final win over Carlow, and added 0-3 against Kilkenny in the quarter-final while also fitting in All-Ireland semi-final and final appearances. Casey continued to be a vital forward for Limerick in the interim, either in a starting or substitute capacity.
Last year’s All-Ireland final victory was a landmark performance for him. Two years on from the ACL which wrecked his 2021 All-Ireland final, he scorched Kilkenny for five points from play to scoop the man of the match award. It was also his first full game in an All-Ireland final, after three substitute displays and that unfortunate end to the 2021 showpiece.
Casey’s scintillating 2023 form was obvious again on Sunday, scoring 1-2 in another man-of-the match effort before he was stretchered off. That goal stretched Limerick’s lead to 15 points in the second half but came at a huge personal cost to the 2021 All-Star.
Limerick struggled without him in their Munster opener against Clare due to the suspension that followed his red card in the league semi-final. It was a victory in the end, but Limerick were dominated by Brian Lohan’s side for much of the contest. They were rescued by a late scoring spree [3-6 to 0-3] allied by carelessness in the Clare defence. Limerick were five points down at half-time, and had nine wides racked up at that point. Casey’s presence could have made a difference earlier in the game to deliver a more comfortable win.
After coming in as a late replacement for Séamus Flanagan, Casey showcased enough to put forward a case a regular starter for Limerick this year. His scoring efficiency and speed makes him a forward that teams must assign to a man-marking defender, thus diverting some of the attention away from Aaron Gillane. His loss is Limerick’s loss too as they continue the climb to a historic five-in-a-row. Kiely has players he can draft in for Casey: Adam English and Graeme Mulcahy are potential candidates for the role.
Mulcahy is an experienced player who has also been involved throughout the All-Ireland-winning years. English made his championship debut in 2022 and will be hungry to make an impression as one of Kiely’s more regular picks.
A cruel blow but both Limerick and Casey have walked this line before.
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