Richard Casey (c.1881 – 16 April 1919) was an

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

er who played with

South Melbourne South Melbourne is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km south of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Port Phillip local government area. South Melbourne recorded a population of 11,548 at t ...

in the

Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...

(VFL). Casey, who was noted for his small build and overly aggressive playing style, was recruited from Brunswick. A forward, he was South Melbourne's second leading goal-kicker in 1907, when he kicked a career high 23 goals.AFL Tables: Dick Casey
/ref> He appeared in two grand finals for South Melbourne; their 1907 and 1912 losses, but missed out on a spot in the 1909 premiership team through injury. At the end of the round five match of the

1907 VFL season The 1907 VFL season was the eleventh season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured eight clubs, ran from 27 April until 21 September, and comprised ...

, Casey struck a 16-year-old spectator and rendered him unconscious for 15 minutes. He was later found guilty of assault and fined £3 In round four of the

1910 VFL season The 1910 VFL season was the 14th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured ten clubs, ran from 30 April until 1 October, and comprised an 18-gam ...

, Casey was reported for striking

George Topping George Thomas Dungate Topping (27 August 1881 – 17 November 1958) was an Australian rules footballer and umpire in the Victorian Football League. Playing career Originally recruited from Carlton Juniors, Topping made his debut for the Carlt ...

, in retaliation for the

Carlton Carlton may refer to: People * Carlton (name), a list of those with the given name or surname * Carlton (singer), English soul singer Carlton McCarthy * Carlton, a pen name used by Joseph Caldwell (1773–1835), American educator, Presbyterian ...

player's king hit on Casey's teammate

Bert Streckfuss Albert Frederick Streckfuss (22 September 1888 – 23 June 1974) was an Australian rules footballer who played with South Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL), and with Williamstown and Port Melbourne in the Victorian Football As ...

. He received a 16-week suspension, meaning that he missed the rest of the year and the start of the 1911 season. He coached Launceston club

City A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

in 1913 and also played some football for Footscray in the

Victorian Football Association The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...

. Casey died young, in 1919, a victim of the

influenza pandemic An influenza pandemic is an epidemic of an influenza virus that spreads across a large region (either multiple continents or worldwide) and infects a large proportion of the population. There have been six major influenza epidemics in the last ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Casey, Dick 1880s births 1919 deaths Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state) Brunswick Football Club players Sydney Swans players Footscray Football Club (VFA) players City-South Football Club players City-South Football Club coaches Deaths from Spanish flu Date of birth missing