Zach Tuohy

Zach Tuohy (born 10 December 1989) is an Irish professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Zach Tuohy
Tuohy playing for Geelong in August 2018
Personal information
Full name Zach Tuohy
Date of birth (1989-12-10) 10 December 1989
Place of birth Portlaoise, Laois, Ireland
Original team(s) Portlaoise (club)/Laois (county team)
Draft No. 73 2010 rookie draft
Debut Round 11, Carlton vs. Port Adelaide
Height 187 cm (6 ft 2 in)
Weight 93 kg (205 lb)
Position(s) Defender / wing
Club information
Current club Geelong
Number 2
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2011–2016 Carlton 120 (40)
2017– Geelong 150 (53)
Total 270 (93)
Representative team honours
Years Team Games (Goals)
2020 All Stars 1 (0)
International team honours
2011–2013 Ireland 4 (1)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2023.
2 State and international statistics correct as of 2013.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Tuohy grew up in Portlaoise, County Laois, Ireland, and played Gaelic football before making a code switch to Australian rules football. He is regarded as one of the greatest Irish players in the history of the AFL with the highest number of games played, the most of any current non-Australian born player and fourth most in history.

In 2022, Tuohy and Mark O'Connor (from Kerry) became the second and third Irish players in AFL history to win a premiership by winning the 2022 AFL Grand Final with Geelong. Tadhg Kennelly won the first for Ireland in 2005 with the Sydney Swans.[1]

Gaelic football

Tuohy began his sporting career as a Gaelic footballer at the Portlaoise club, and became a regular in underage Laois county sides.[2] He won a Leinster Minor Football Championship with them in 2007.

Tuohy represented Ireland[3] in International rules football in the 2011, 2013 and 2017 series. He scored a goal in the first Test in 2013 at Breffni Park.[4][5]

Australian football

Carlton

Tuohy attracted the attention of Australian rules football recruiters from the Carlton Football Club in the AFL, a club based in the inner city of Melbourne.[2] During 2009, Tuohy travelled to Melbourne to undergo a four-week trial with the club, which was sufficiently impressed to offer Tuohy an International Rookie contract.[6] This contract ensured Tuohy would be recruited by Carlton; he was then selected with the club's sixth round selection in the 2010 AFL rookie draft (No. 73 overall) as a formality.[7] Tuohy became the fourth Irish player to spend time on the Carlton list, and was only the second to play a senior game.

Tuohy began the 2010 season playing in Carlton's VFL-affiliate, the Northern Bullants. He developed as a tagger, and then as a rebounding half-back. He was temporarily elevated to the senior list in place of the injured Luke Mitchell in early 2011,[8] and he made his AFL debut in Round 11 against Port Adelaide,[9] going on to play eleven games for the season. By 2012, he was a regular in the Carlton team and, in 2013, he played in every match, finishing seventh in the club, best and fairest award, the John Nicholls Medal.[10] Over time, Tuohy became noted for his long, accurate kicking, and regularly drifted from the backline to half-forward to kick long goals from beyond the 50m line. He had shown a similar aptitude for long-range kicking in Gaelic football, in which he was his county's designated kicker for 45m plus free kicks.[11]

Tuohy had a strong season in 2015, running third in the John Nicholls Medal count,[12] and being selected as the small defender in the 2015 AFL Coaches Association All-Australian team, by polling the most votes of any small defender in the AFL Coaches Association MVP award.[13] He played his 100th game in early 2016, becoming only the fifth Irish player in the league to reach that milestone.[14]

Geelong

At the conclusion of the 2016 season, Tuohy requested a trade from Carlton and nominated Geelong as his preferred destination.[15] He was officially traded to Geelong in October.[16]

On 21 July 2018, Tuohy took a contested mark with 10 seconds of play remaining and then kicked a goal after the siren to secure Geelong a two-point victory against Melbourne.[17] He played his 200th game against Richmond on 11 September 2020, becoming just the second-ever Irish AFL player to reach that milestone, being preceded by Jim Stynes. Tuohy played his 250th game in the 2022 Grand Final, also winning his first premiership.

He and Mark O'Connor became only the second and third Irish players to win an AFL premiership, following Tadhg Kennelly in 2005.[18]

In October 2022, Tuohy signed a new one-year contract extension with Geelong.[19] In Round 17, 2023, Tuohy played his 265th game against North Melbourne, overtaking Jim Stynes with the most AFL games played by an Irish-born footballer.

Personal life

Tuohy's father Noel was a member of Laois County Council and ran in the 2020 Irish general election.[20]

Tuohy married his partner, Rebecca Price, in Ireland at the end of 2022. He is involved in business in Portlaoise, including a coffee shop.[21]

Statistics

Updated to the end of the 2022 season.[22]

Legend
  G  
 Goals
  K  
 Kicks
  D  
 Disposals 
  T  
 Tackles
  B  
 Behinds 
  H  
 Handballs 
  M  
 Marks
  #  
 Played in that season's 
premiership team
Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game) Votes
G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
2011Carlton42 113174641383190.30.16.75.812.52.80.80
2012Carlton42 19511297920839600.30.16.84.210.92.13.20
2013Carlton42 2413918212330551610.50.47.65.112.72.12.50
2014Carlton42 224619511330864310.20.38.95.114.02.91.40
2015Carlton42 2293239175414107240.40.110.98.018.84.91.12
2016Carlton42 226527516844380480.30.212.57.620.13.62.20
2017Geelong2 2533375240615115450.20.315.09.624.64.61.82
2018Geelong2 23103336168504117290.40.114.67.321.95.11.30
2019Geelong2 183102529835078170.20.614.05.419.44.30.90
2020[lower-alpha 1]Geelong2 19882348231674170.40.412.34.316.63.90.90
2021Geelong2 21118326155481112260.50.415.57.422.95.31.24
2022#Geelong2 2496351169520120440.40.314.67.021.75.01.85
Career 25087682968163446029884110.30.311.96.518.44.01.613

Notes

  1. The 2020 season was played with 17 home-and-away matches per team (down from 22) and 16-minute quarters with time on (down from 20-minute quarters with time on) due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Honours and achievements

Team

Individual

See also

References
  1. "Grand Final joy for Tuohy and O'Connor as Geelong destroy Sydney". RTÉ. 24 September 2022.
  2. "Laois continue to feel pinch as Tuohy embarks on 'Rules' trial". Irish Independent. Independent News & Media. 7 August 2008. Retrieved 7 August 2008.
  3. "Laois duo among four added to Irish IRS squad". Hogan Stand. 15 October 2011. Retrieved 28 October 2011.
  4. "Ireland 57–35 Australia". RTÉ Sport. RTÉ. 19 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  5. "Ireland 116–37 Australia". RTÉ Sport. RTÉ. 26 October 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  6. (20 August 2009) Tuohy ten weeks from AFL move Archived 13 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  7. Carlton Football Club 2010 Rookie Draftees Archived 24 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  8. de Bolfo, T., Irishman earns list elevation Archived 8 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine, 27 April 2011, Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  9. Gill, Katrina (5 June 2011). "Blues star". Australian Football League. Archived from the original on 20 May 2012. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
  10. "Simpson wins John Nicholls Medal". Carlton Football Club. 1 October 2013. Retrieved 2 October 2013.
  11. Robinson, Mark (13 June 2011). "Zach Tuohy bomb never in doubt, say Irish recruit's parents". Herald Sun. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  12. Loretta Johns (17 September 2015). "Cripps wins John Nicholls Medal". Carlton Football Club. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
  13. Loretta Johns (22 September 2015). "Tuohy an AFLCA All-Australian". Carlton Football Club. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
  14. Jay Clark (2 April 2016). "Carlton's Zach Tuohy becomes fifth Irish footballer to play 100 AFL games". Herald Sun. Melbourne, VIC. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  15. Bowen, Nick (10 October 2016). "Second star Blue wants out, requests trade to Geelong". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  16. "Tuohy, Smedts swap clubs in complex deal". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. 20 October 2016. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
  17. "Match report: Cats down Dees after the siren". AFL.com.au. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  18. "Grand Final joy for Tuohy and O'Connor as Geelong destroy Sydney". RTÉ. 24 September 2022.
  19. "AFL champion Tuohy signs contract extension with Geelong Cats". The 42. 24 October 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  20. Nolan, Pat (20 October 2020). "Zach Tuohy's parents wishing they could be in Australia for Grand Final". Irish Mirror. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  21. Miller, Stephen (24 September 2022). "Glory for Zach as Geelong claim Grand Final success with stunning victory". Laois Today. Zach is coming home in the coming weeks for a six-week visit where he will celebrate his wedding to long-time partner Rebecca Price... Tuohy has business interests in his home town, including the Wandering Elk coffee shop.
  22. "Zach Tuohy Stats". AFL Tables. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
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