By RUSSELL BENNETT
STU Casey would much rather talk about the team mates he’s had over the journey of his 300 game senior career at Lang Lang, than talk about himself.
So it’s little wonder that mateship is his favourite part of his involvement in the game.
He reached his 300-game milestone in Round 14 against Catani, with long-time Tigers team mate and great friend Kurt Batt delivering a three-quarter-time speech that sparked the side into life. From 31 points down with a quarter left to play, the Tigers stormed back but ultimately fell 16 points short.
“He just reminded the boys what Stu has given up over these 300 games – work time, family time and all of that,” said Stu’s wife, and Tigers A Grade netball player-coach, Renalle.
“It was really, really nice.”
After starting his senior career at Tigerland in 1997, Stu has reached three grand finals – and been on the wrong end of the scoreline in each one.
Now 34, he admits those results still stick with him, but he still counts himself as pretty lucky.
“I played with a lot of mates who were all Langy boys and a lot of us played 200, 250 games together; especially in the back line,” he said.
As for the hardest opponents Stu has faced – he was quick to mention one name in particular, former Neerim South gun Paul Whelan.
“He was unbelievable, and in the wet I’ve never seen a bloke clunk the ball like that,” he said.
“He was really impressive, and I probably got him a bit towards the end as well.
“But in saying that, you pick your targets. I’m not going to go and line up on a Ryan Gillis because that’s like a turtle chasing a rabbit!”
“It’s been a great club like that. Blokes like Boofa (Clint Evans) and Rooey (Rhys Nisbet) pop down now and then when they get a bye as well. They’ll always come down and watch a game.”
Stu counts Evans as the best midfielder he’d ever played with, and Batt his favourite player to play alongside.
“I hate pumping his tyres up, but over the journey it’d have to be Kurt,” he said with a grin. And now, they get to witness the club’s exciting youngsters such as Dylan Wilson, Tom Dwyer, Callum Soutar and Nick Mascadri come through the ranks.
“But when it’s all done and dusted, if you don’t make any mates out of footy then what’s the point?” Stu said.
He isn’t sure what next year will bring – in his own words, his body is “buggered” – but regardless of how much longer he players, the mateships he’s forged will continue much longer.
