“I was wondering if my career was really a success if I didn’t win one” - Zach Tuohy of Geelong cats and Portlaoise

Zach Tuohy returned to his homeland Portlaoise last week having made history by becoming only the second-ever Irish man to be part of an AFL grand final-winning team. His team Geelong defeated the Sydney Swans by 81 points to claim the biggest prize that AFL has to offer. It was a long time coming for Tuohy who has been in Australia for twelve years previously with Carlton before making a move to the cats in 2016.

Speaking to the Leinster Express/Laois Live recently Tuohy detailed how he has always been very appreciative of the support he gets from home. While Tuohy is a long way away from home, he does not feel in any way removed from the area because of how Portlaoise celebrates his success and achievements.

“I'm very aware and appreciative of the support I get from back home, particularly from Laois and Portlaoise GAA circles. When I was leaving initially, Portlaoise was very understanding and even threw me a going away party. It was clear that they wished me every success. Now they were my success like a badge of honor. It’s nice and speaks volumes about the people involved with Portlaoise GAA. It's very nice to be back here now and show my appreciation for that support in person.”

Zach left to go play AFL at a time when there was plenty of animosity shown towards GAA players who decided to take that jump down under and try their luck playing for an Australian AFL team. There were plenty of people who would have begrudged and looked down on Tuohy and others for taking on a wonderful opportunity. That sort of opinion is not as
commonly held nowadays and Zach detailed why he thinks the ney-sayers have whittled in numbers.

“I think people have enough common sense these days to realise that it's an incredible opportunity for any young player. Most people in clubs around Ireland just want the best for the players. Of course, when I was going over I would like to think that people weren't overly thrilled about me leaving. You know you'd be insulted if no one was thinking, I wish he’d stay.

“At the end of the day though you can be home within a matter of days if you really wanted to be. The reality of the game these days is that most Irish players go out and are back within a few years. So maybe there is less panic when a player does decide to make that journey.” Read on below pic 

Geelong had come close to winning an AFL title a few times over the past couple of years and Zach was doubting whether or not he would get there. He spoke about how he felt he had to win one to make his career a success. However, he knew from very early on in this year's final that they were not going to blow it this time.

“We had come close a few times in the last four or five years. You start to doubt whether or not you will ever get there. It became a major infatuation of mine in the last half of my career to the point where I was wondering if my career was really a success if I didn’t win one. If I retired without winning an AFL championship I think I wouldn't look back on my career very
fondly if that makes sense.” says Tuohy.

“Leading into the season plenty of Aussie pundits would have had us as a team that was always missing finals. We had been accused of being too old to win. But all through the year, we were dominant. Like even the games we lost earlier on in the season we were dominating for three quarters. As the season progressed one thing that improved was our ability to stop momentum which is really difficult to do in AFL. That was a huge help.

“In our minds we felt as though we were the best team in the league. That almost led to more nerves going into the final. It was running through all of our heads to not mess this one up because we knew we probably wouldn't get as good a chance again. However, from really early on in the game it just felt as though we were properly on it. Thankfully that's how
it played out."

The most famous pictures from the grand final in Ireland at least were of Tuohy doing rounds of the stadium draped in a Portlaoise flag. It represented Tuohy’s strong connections with his hometown. Zach revealed that the flag itself has a more cultural origin than you may think.

“The pictures of me with the Portlaoise flag are easily the favourite photos of my career. The flag itself is a Nigerian flag or something. I had it made in 2020 when we were in the final that year. We were in lockdown in hotels and as mad as it sounds it wasn't that easy to get a green and white flag. So technically I think it's a Nigerian flag but I managed to get the Portlaoise crest on it and it's most definitely a Portlaoise one now. One of the lads who is an indegeiounous artist wrote the “c'mon the town” on it. But yeah those pics with the flag and my family and the cup are just wonderful.” Read on below pic

Tuohy has fond memories of representing Portlaoise and ranks his senior championships with them very highly in terms of his achievements. The first county final that he won as a young sixteen-year-old.

“The biggest win of my career, only matched by the grand final now, was the 2007 county final win. We beat Stradbally that year and it was very special. I don't think I've ever been kind of more emotionally invested in a game than I was in that county final. Maybe it was nerves, I was quite young at the time. But as I say that is right up there with the grand final
win. Then I was fortunate enough to play in an era of Portlaoise football where we were as strong was special. The lads are probably only appreciating it now during a period when we are not winning championships. So yeah they were really brilliant times.”

Geelong announce big news concerning Portlaoise hero Zach Tuohy

Zach has mentioned previously in various interviews that he one day hopes to come back and play for Portlaoise and possibly represent his county. He confirmed that is still on the agenda.

"Yeah, I will definitely be playing for Portlaoise again barring any serious injuries. Providing my body is still up to the rigger I do hope to represent Laois. I never got to represent them at senior level before I left so it's something that I really want to do. Very much still on the cards. I’m not getting any younger and your body tends to slow down over time. As long as I'm physically up to it after next season or whenever I retire, I want to give both club and county a go." Read on below pic 

Zach is back in Portlaoise now for a couple of weeks and is loving spending time with his family. He told us how even though his three-year-old has only been in Ireland for a short time, the O’Moore county is already influencing the youngest Tuohy.

“I'm back now for the first time since 2019. I'm loving it and it's been made all the more special given the fact that I’m coming home after winning the grand final. You know it's really great to see all the family. The kids are back with me. Their fully fledged Aussies, Aussie accents and all. The three-year-old has picked up a few Laoisisims already since he's come
back here, he's flat out saying “ah yeah”, which is hilarious. So I think we can still save him!