Zach Tuohy belongs to an illustrious group of Irish AFL players these days, but he has always belonged to Portlaoise.
During Geelong’s preliminary final victory last weekend, he spotted a large green and white flag emblazoned with the Portlaoise GAA club crest.
“That was awesome,” said Tuohy afterwards. “I am very proud of where I am from. I am a Portlaoise man, born and bred.”
The flag was made by a local Geelong supporter, who this week contacted the Portlaoise club asking if they could let Tuohy know it would be flying again at Saturday’s Grand Final, and that he was welcome to take it afterwards.
Tuohy’s Aussie Rules career has been one of the most fascinating Irish sports stories of the last decade – on Saturday he will play his 250th AFL game, leaving him just 14 shy of the record number of appearances by an Irish player, held by Jim Stynes (264). The 32-year-old could also become only the second Irish player in history to win a Premiership, after Tadhg Kennelly’s breakthrough in 2005.
Kieran Lillis grew up with Tuohy. They played together with Portlaoise and Laois underage teams, including the Leinster minor winning side in 2007. Lillis is godfather to Tuohy’s boy, Flynn. Tuohy is flying back to Ireland next month ahead of his wedding reception in November, at which Lillis will be one of his groomsmen.
“Zach just has always just had this kind of knack,” says Lillis. “As a group, when we were 15 or 16, we used to kind of congregate at one of the local estates but whatever we’d do he would pretty much always win.
“He would school all of us in tennis, snooker, everything. He just had a gift for being good and he was physically a lot stronger than us as well. It wasn’t like we were slouches, a lot of us went on to play on the county team, so we were probably high achievers sporting-wise but he excelled above us.”
Tuohy’s dynamic performances for the Laois minors in 2007 brought him to the attention of AFL clubs, and in 2010 he signed for Carlton. Still, it was a move that probably garnered less focus than some of the other higher profile GAA players that went to Australia over the years.
Most of those have since returned home but Tuohy’s career has endured. He is one of only five Irish players to play over 100 games. In October 2016 he joined the Geelong Cats.
“Zach was always an independent kind of person,” says Lillis.
“He’d always do his own thing, he wouldn’t be swayed by outside influences. He has always had this ability to get on with people too, he would find friends very quickly and coupled with the support of his family when he went out there he was determined to make it. Still, it’s just unbelievable how he has prolonged his career.”
Lillis remembers preparing for games and while most players in the dressingroom would be tight and anxious, Tuohy appeared totally relaxed.
“Then he’d go out and put in man of the match performances, that’s just the type of player he is. He reminds me a bit of the Dubs walking out at Croke Park on All-Ireland final day, obviously they care but they just had this kind of air that they were very confident in their abilities.”
Lillis, along with Bernard Brogan, runs Lily’s Bar in Portlaoise and they screened last week’s preliminary final live but the time difference with Saturday’s game (2.30pm Melbourne time) means the couch will be the viewing spot for Lillis when Geelong aim to win a first Premiership since 2011.
Kerry’s Mark O’Connor could also feature for the Cats but this will be Tuohy’s second Grand Final, having suffered defeat in 2020. Sydney Swans are all that now stand between Tuohy and history.
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“The year they lost the Grand Final he was very down for a few weeks afterwards,” recalls Lillis.
“But I think Geelong showed a bit of ambition with the current crop by doubling down on some of the more mature and experienced lads. From early on this season they have been gunning for it.”
On Sunday, Lillis will line out for Portlaoise in their Laois SFC semi-final against Portarlington. By that stage the hope is a son of Portlaoise has become an AFL Premiership champion.
“It’s a great source of pride for myself, to say I togged out with the man, and he is going to be involved in the pinnacle of sport in Australia. His desire and ability to stay at the top in a professional sport where new players are drafted every year is phenomenal.”
Now all that remains is for Zach Tuohy’s victory parade around the MCG holding aloft that Portlaoise flag.
