Zach Tuohy (born 10 December 1989) is an Irish professional Australian rules footballer playing for the

Geelong Football Club The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed the Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The club competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition, and are the 2 ...

in the Australian Football League (AFL). Tuohy grew up in

Portlaoise Portlaoise ( ), or Port Laoise (), is the county town of County Laois, Ireland. It is located in the South Midlands in the province of Leinster. The 2016 census shows that the town's population increased by 9.5% to 22,050, which was well above ...

, County Laois, Ireland, and played

Gaelic football Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by ki ...

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 second highest number of games played, the most of any current non-Australian born player and fifth most in history. In 2022, he and

Mark O'Connor Mark O'Connor (born August 5, 1961) is an American fiddle player and composer whose music combines bluegrass, country, jazz and classical. A three-time Grammy Award winner, he has won six Country Music Association Musician Of The Year award ...

(from Kerry) became the second and third Irish players in AFL history to win a premiership by winning the 2022 AFL Grand Final with the Geelong Cats. Tadhg Kennelly won the first for Ireland in 2005 with the Sydney Swans.

Gaelic football

Tuohy began his sporting career as a

er at the

club, and became a regular in underage

Laois County Laois ( ; gle, Contae Laoise) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 ...

county sides. He won a

Leinster Minor Football Championship The Leinster Minor Football Championship is the premier under-17 "knockout" competition in gaelic football played in the province of Leinster. 2017 was the final year of the minor under 18 football championship as it were replaced by an under 17 ...

with them in 2007. Tuohy represented

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

International rules football International rules football ( ga, Peil na rialacha idirnáisiunta; also known as international rules in Australia and compromise rules or Aussie rules in Ireland) is a team sport consisting of a hybrid of football codes, which was develop ...

in the 2011,

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment ...

and

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

series. He scored a goal in the first Test in 2013 at

Breffni Park Breffni Park, known for sponsorship reasons as Kingspan Breffni, is a GAA stadium in Cavan, Ireland. It is the home of Cavan GAA. The ground has an overall capacity of about 25,030 with a 5,030 seated capacity. Breffni is the historic name f ...

Australian football

Carlton

Tuohy attracted the attention of Australian rules football recruiters from the

Carlton Football Club The Carlton Football Club, nicknamed the Blues, is a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's top professional competition. Founded in 1864 in Carlton, an inner suburb of ...

in the AFL, a club based in the inner city of

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a me ...

. 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. 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.Carlton Football Club 2010 Rookie Draftees
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 , the

Northern Bullants The Preston Football Club, which trades and plays as the Northern Bullants, is a long-established Australian rules football club based in Preston that plays in the Victorian Football League (VFL). It plays its home games at the Preston City O ...

. 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 Luke Mitchell (born 17 April 1985) is an Australian actor and model. He attended the Film and Television Studio International and won the role of Chris Knight in '' Neighbours''. He joined the cast of ''Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' as the ...

in early 2011, and he made his AFL debut in Round 11 against , 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 The John Nicholls Medal (formerly the Robert Reynolds Trophy from 1934 to 2003) is an Australian rules football award given to the player(s) adjudged best and fairest for the Carlton Football Club for the season. The voting system as of the 2017 ...

. 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. Tuohy had a strong season in 2015, running third in the John Nicholls Medal count, 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. He played his 100th game in early 2016, becoming only the fifth Irish player in the league to reach that milestone.

Geelong

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

. 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 James Stynes OAM (23 April 196620 March 2012) was an Irish-born footballer who converted from Gaelic football to Australian rules football. Playing for the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL), he went on to becom ...

. Tuohy played his 250th game in the 2022 Grand Final, also winning his first premiership. He and

became only the second and third Irish players to win an AFL premiership, following

Tadhg Kennelly Tadhg Kennelly (born 1 July 1981) is an Irish-Australian former international sportsperson turned recruiter and coach. He is most known for his top-level careers in both Gaelic football and Australian rules football being the only holder of bo ...

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris (dwarf planet), Er ...

. In October 2022, Tuohy signed a new one-year contract extension with Geelong.

Personal life

Tuohy's father Noel was a member of

Laois County Council Laois County Council ( ga, Comhairle Chontae Laoise) is the authority responsible for local government in County Laois, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for housing and c ...

and ran in the

2020 Irish general election The 2020 Irish general election took place on Saturday 8 February, to elect the 33rd Dáil, the lower house of Ireland's parliament. The election was called following the dissolution of the 32nd Dáil by the president, at the request of the Ta ...

. Tuohy intends to marry his partner, Rebecca Price, in Ireland at the end of 2022. He is involved in business in Portlaoise, including a coffee shop.

Statistics

''Updated to the end of the 2022 season''. , - , 2011 , , , , 42 , 11 , , 3 , , 1 , , 74 , , 64 , , 138 , , 31 , , 9 , , 0.3 , , 0.1 , , 6.7 , , 5.8 , , 12.5 , , 2.8 , , 0.8 , , 0 , - ,

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

, , , , 42 , 19 , , 5 , , 1 , , 129 , , 79 , , 208 , , 39 , , 60 , , 0.3 , , 0.1 , , 6.8 , , 4.2 , , 10.9 , , 2.1 , , 3.2 , , 0 , - ,

, , , , 42 , 24 , , 13 , , 9 , , 182 , , 123 , , 305 , , 51 , , 61 , , 0.5 , , 0.4 , , 7.6 , , 5.1 , , 12.7 , , 2.1 , , 2.5 , , 0 , - ,

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, , , , 42 , 22 , , 4 , , 6 , , 195 , , 113 , , 308 , , 64 , , 31 , , 0.2 , , 0.3 , , 8.9 , , 5.1 , , 14.0 , , 2.9 , , 1.4 , , 0 , - ,

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...

, , , , 42 , 22 , , 9 , , 3 , , 239 , , 175 , , 414 , , 107 , , 24 , , 0.4 , , 0.1 , , 10.9 , , 8.0 , , 18.8 , , 4.9 , , 1.1 , , 2 , - , 2016 , , , , 42 , 22 , , 6 , , 5 , , 275 , , 168 , , 443 , , 80 , , 48 , , 0.3 , , 0.2 , , 12.5 , , 7.6 , , 20.1 , , 3.6 , , 2.2 , , 0 , - ,

, , , , 2 , 25 , , 3 , , 3 , , 375 , , 240 , , 615 , , 115 , , 45 , , 0.2 , , 0.3 , , 15.0 , , 9.6 , , 24.6 , , 4.6 , , 1.8 , , 2 , - ,

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

, , , , 2 , 23 , , 10 , , 3 , , 336 , , 168 , , 504 , , 117 , , 29 , , 0.4 , , 0.1 , , 14.6 , , 7.3 , , 21.9 , , 5.1 , , 1.3 , , 0 , - ,

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

, , , , 2 , 18 , , 3 , , 10 , , 252 , , 98 , , 350 , , 78 , , 17 , , 0.2 , , 0.6 , , 14.0 , , 5.4 , , 19.4 , , 4.3 , , 0.9 , , 0 , - ,

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in ...

, , , , 2 , 19 , , 8 , , 8 , , 234 , , 82 , , 316 , , 74 , , 17 , , 0.4 , , 0.4 , , 12.3 , , 4.3 , , 16.6 , , 3.9 , , 0.9 , , 0 , - ,

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

, , , , 2 , 21 , , 11 , , 8 , , 326 , , 155 , , 481 , , 112 , , 26 , , 0.5 , , 0.4 , , 15.5 , , 7.4 , , 22.9 , , 5.3 , , 1.2 , , 4 , - , scope=row bgcolor=F0E68C ,

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeyp ...

^# , , , , 2 , 24 , , 9 , , 6 , , 351 , , 169 , , 520 , , 120 , , 44 , , 0.4 , , 0.3 , , 14.6 , , 7.0 , , 21.7 , , 5.0 , , 1.8 , , 5 , - class=sortbottom ! colspan=3 , Career ! 250 !! 87 !! 68 !! 2968 !! 1634 !! 4602 !! 988 !! 411 !! 0.3 !! 0.3 !! 11.9 !! 6.5 !! 18.4 !! 4.0 !! 1.6 !! 13 Notes

Honours and achievements

Team * AFL premiership player ():

* 2×

McClelland Trophy The McClelland Trophy is an Australian rules football trophy which has been awarded each year since 1951 by the Australian Football League (known prior to 1990 as the Victorian Football League) to the best-performing club in the home-and-away s ...

():

Individual * All Stars Representative Honours in Bushfire Relief Match: 2020 * 3×

Ireland international rules football team :''This article concerns the men's team; for information on the Irish women's team, see Ireland women's international rules football team.'' :''This article concerns the hybrid sport of International Rules Football; for information on Ireland's n ...

: 2011,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tuohy, Zach 1989 births Living people VFL/AFL players born outside Australia Irish emigrants to Australia Gaelic footballers who switched code Irish international rules football players Irish players of Australian rules football Laois inter-county Gaelic footballers Portlaoise Gaelic footballers Carlton Football Club players Preston Football Club (VFA) players Geelong Football Club players Geelong Football Club Premiership players Sportspeople from County Laois Irish expatriate sportspeople in Australia One-time VFL/AFL Premiership players