Longford senior hurling captain Johnny Casey is aiming to bridge a 10 year gap when he leads the Blue and Gold into battle against Fermanagh in Croke Park this Sunday.
Casey won a Lory Meagher Cup medal back in 2014. Along with Karl and Reuben Murray, he is a survivor of that panel involved in the current Longford set-up.
Casey first pulled on a Longford senior jersey in 2007. Success has been scarce for Longford hurlers but Casey’s motivation for keeping it going is simple.
“I love playing,” he told the Leader. “I have the support of my wife and children, which makes it a lot easier. They love hurling,” he added.
Casey missed some of this campaign because of an elbow injury. He started the last game against Fermanagh, having come on as a substitute in the previous game against Cavan.
“It is certainly good to have a full game under my belt going into the final,” he explained.
Casey missed the 2022 final defeat to Louth, also through injury.
“I am not happy to be sitting on the bench. It is good to be coming back to push the lads on,” he stated.
What will Casey say to his players before the final?
“I don’t say much, I like to keep it cool and calm. However, I would say to the players never to let the scoreboard dictate their performance. We can’t be concentrating on Fermanagh, we have to look at ourselves,” he stated.
Casey’s first ever game for Longford was against Fermanagh in 2007.
“Fermanagh have good players, such as Luca McCusker and Sean Corrigan. It has been nip and tuck between the two counties,” he commented.
When Casey won his Lory Meagher medal in 2014, he was playing at midfield. Now, he operates in defence.
Alongside him in the full-back line are players from Kilmacud Crokes and Castlepollard.
Such is the rapidly changing face of Longford hurling, with many players from outside the county now claiming a place due to the parentage rule.
Most notable of this new breed is Cian Darcy. A former Tipperary underage star (with minor and U-21 All-Ireland medals), he has been scoring heavily throughout the Meagher Cup.
Casey welcomes these newcomers with open arms.
“These lads are bringing maturity and experience. They are pushing us. Everyone has gelled together,” he explained.
Casey is passionate about the future of Longford hurling. Despite the influx of outsiders on the Longford team, he states that, “we are producing young stars of our own.”
He is putting his money where his mouth is by coaching the Rathcline U-6 team.
“I want to give coaching a go. Five or six underage clubs have developed in the county. In addition, the county board has really got behind hurling,” he stated.
Casey, who also plays football with Killashee, is proud of what Longford minor footballers achieved by winning the Leinster final.
“The minors showed what our county can do. The minors are an inspiration,” he stated.
Apart from his Lory Meagher medal from 2014, Casey, who plays his club hurling with Longford Slashers, also has three NHL titles.
He also represented Ireland in the Shinty International Series in Scotland in 2018.
This series gives players from lesser known hurling counties an opportunity to rub shoulders with some bigger names while representing their country.
“Jason Forde of Tipperary was on that panel. Also on that panel was the late Damian Casey of Tyrone. Damian was a different class,” Johnny explained.
Johnny is hoping that children will travel in numbers to Croke Park to see their local heroes in action.
“The final will be a showcase for hurling in the county. It is a great day for us.
“It is even more so given that we were one of the counties that were singled out to be taken out of the National League (an idea floated by GAA bosses that was subsequently dropped). Hopefully, kids will travel in numbers from the schools to see us play,” Johnny stated.