Damian Casey’s undisputed talents meant he would have been capable of lining out for the best teams in Ireland. That’s the view of Tyrone hurling manager Mickey McShane, who guided the Red Hands to Nickey Rackard success against Roscommon back in May.
In that final, Casey hit 0-14 in a Man-of-the-Match display but, tragically, it would be the last appearance for the county.
The Dungannon native died in June following an accident in Spain, aged just 28.
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Having scored in every game he played for Tyrone, Damian Casey averaged over 10 points a match in over 100 League and Championship appearances for his county, amassing 39 goals and 906 points.
His family were in attendance at the awards ceremony in Dublin last month as their son was deservedly named the Nickey Rachard Cup Player of the Year for 2022 while, last weekend, Damian was also named as Ulster's Hurler of the Year.
“The important thing for me is that, Damian didn’t get these awards out of sympathy or anything like that, Damian gained his All Star and his Player of the Year award because he was the best player in the competition,” said McShane.
“It was just so sad that he wasn’t there to collect the awards himself and to receive the adulation of his peers.
“Damian Casey could have played for any team in the country, he was that good.
“Every manager I spoke to before Damian’s sad passing and every manager we came up against stated that their number one objective was to try and stop Damian Casey.
“That was the level he was at. He was seen as the main threat and he was our main threat. He had a wonderful year for Tyrone and he had a great final, scoring 14 points.”
While his exploits on the pitch gained him national recognition, it is among Damian’s family that his loss is most keenly felt.
“It is still raw and it will be raw for a long, long time,” added McShane.
“I still find it difficult to think that Damian is not here anymore. Every day I think about his family and how they must be feeling and how difficult it is for them.
“Damian was, first and foremost, a fantastic son and a brilliant brother to his sisters. My thoughts everyday are with his parents, Sean and Susan and his sisters, Louise and Catherine. We’ll miss Damian forever and a day.”
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