AFL Finals Geelong v Brisbane: The inside stories at the Cats ahead of preliminary final
There’s no punchline here – but the story of how two completely different paths crossed over at Geelong is just as strong. Jed Bews and Zach Tuohy open up on life at the Cats.
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Portlaoise is 17,214 kilometres from Geelong HQ.
Leopold? Just 11.
Cats defensive duo Zach Tuohy and Jed Bews couldn’t have walked – or in Tuohy’s case, driven, flown and then driven some more – a more contrasting path to Friday night’s preliminary final.
They’re the local and the Irishman – the son of a gun who would “cause chaos” in countless footy changerooms in his youth and the former Gaelic player who thought he’d head Down Under and give footy a shot and still hasn’t left after 12 seasons, two kids and a recent wedding.
“Going to school and just seeing Geelong everywhere, it was always a big part of my life,” Bews said this week.
“My old man (Andrew) was playing at the club. When I was growing up, he was doing the running here.
“I would always be down here watching games.
“Then you compare it to Zach, where he wouldn’t have even known what a football looked like, probably.
“It’s very stark differences … but it’s amazing how two completely different people can meet and become friends through this game of ours.”
Bews, 28, had been just two months old when his father moved to Brisbane, returning to Geelong aged five where he started in green and gold at Leopold Primary School.
Tuohy, 32, spent his young years at Portlaoise (pronounced“Port-leash”) CBS, the Christian Brothers School that he visits each time he returns home and a school with a long link with the town populated by about 25,000 — a number significantly lower when he was a kid.
His gift for anything competitive was noted by a mate a few years back – snooker, tennis, knockouts, who said “he would school us in every discipline”.
Bews had similar variety in his sporting prowess, a particularly noted record-breaking pole vaulter as a teenager.
For Tuohy, it’s almost a little bit of life bringing him nearly full circle.
“Geelong is basically a bigger version of Portlaoise,” he said.
“It’s not metropolitan at all – it’s a small town. I love Melbourne and could easily live in Melbourne again, but Geelong fits me so perfectly in what I’m used to growing up. A bit more slower-paced, and a great town to have a family in. It’s perfect for me.
“There’s lots of pubs there (like there is in Geelong). The main street in Portlaoise, every second shop basically is a pub. I will be visiting them all when I go home.”
And his unique path to AFL still isn’t lost on him.
“I was in the car with one of the guys the other day, and commented on how strange it was that I’m now best mates with blokes who grew up almost as far away from me geographically as you could possibly get,” Tuohy said.
“Not getting too philosophical, but it’s weird how things play out. Geelong has been great.”
A world away
Tuohy will travel back to Ireland once the season is done, which he hopes isn’t until next Saturday night with a Grand Final berth on the line against the Lions.
It’s been a while. Too long, really.
He first travelled to Australia in 2009, given a shot at AFL by the Blues and making his way down the highway since.
There was always an ability to travel home, or for his family – including parents Noel, a former prison officer, and Marie – to make the lengthy journey to Geelong.
Then, well, Covid.
The Tuohys were confined to County Laois when the Cats had what was eventually a fruitless shot at a flag in 2020, with Zach and now-wife Bec having only a short time earlier welcomed second son Rafferty.
“It was tough,” the Cat admitted.
“Really challenging. When Covid first hit and all the players went into hubs, there seemed to be a lot of almost animosity towards the players who were struggling in the hub. Which I kind of understand, because of everyone in society we were probably doing the best.
“But it didn’t mean that it wasn’t really hard.
“I at that stage had a six-month-old (baby). My parents only got to see him again a few weeks ago, and he’s almost four.
“On a personal note, it was a fairly significant hit. But you’re hesitant to complain because we had it pretty good for the most part.”
His parents left Australia a few weeks ago, having taken in the last few games of the season. He hopes they’ll be returning in coming days – that would mean the Cats have progressed.
After watching on from home last time, they won’t be missing this.
Then, Tuohy and his crew will jet to Ireland where he and Bec – who were legally married in Melbourne just weeks ago – will stage a larger affair.
“I can’t wait. The youngest went back at six months old and hasn’t been back since,” he said.
“I’ve got a lot of nieces and nephews who are about my kids’ age, so they get on like a house on fire. It’s exciting.
“It’s going to be a fairly small wedding in terms of numbers, but the day after will be quite big.”
Family ties
Jed Bews sat down with his dad, former Cat and Lion Andrew, a few weeks ago when the Lions took on Richmond in their Gabba elimination final.
“I’ve never watched a Brisbane game with him, and it was interesting to hear him how excited and pumped up he was,” Bews laughed.
He’s adamant there’ll be no such allegiance on Friday night … or so he hopes.
“When we play them, obviously he’s full Geelong, but it was interesting to watch him get excited for them,” Bews laughed.
“When he watches me, he watches it very strategically. When he watches Brisbane at home, he’s just a fan – getting angry and doing la the things that fans do when they’re watching the footy.
“It was funny watching him.
“Dad doesn’t get too nervous. Mum (Julie-Ann), on the other hand, will be a bit of a wreck leading up a couple of days before it. Dad’s pretty cool and calm at the moment.”
Andrew, who played 282 AFL games including 207 for Geelong, was born in Geelong like his boy.
A football-filled life, unlike Tuohy’s – that included time at the Bears and then Lions with current Cats senior coach Chris Scott then in playing boots.
“I remember little bits and pieces,” Bews said.
“He would probably remember more of me than I of him as a kid. I was the kid climbing around the changerooms with my brother and running amok, just causing some chaos.
“It’s amazing that we’ve all ended up back in Geelong.”
Full backing
Portlaoise has a forgiving timeslot for the broadcast preliminary final — a Friday morning appointment — with the club’s prominence at the top of the ladder in recent years only fuelling interest in AFL from back home.
Tuohy plans to return to Gaelic football at Laois once his AFL career is over, though that’s not just yet with a 13th season in his sights.
For now, it’s all hands on deck with Rafferty and Flynn, who Tuohy said is starting to get a sense of the sensational September action.
“The little one is just happy to go and kick around footys,” he laughed.
“The eldest who is 8 is only just figuring out that I do something in the public domain, because some of his schoolmates are starting to ask him about me when I go to school plays and stuff.
“He’s only just kind of clicking that it’s not just a run of the mill sort of job. Everyone’s excited.”
Mum’s cancer fight inspires Cats brothers
- Glenn McFarlane
It’s never been in the Guthrie brothers’ DNA to cast their thoughts too deep into the future.
Born six years apart in a family consisting of four sons and parents eager to provide them with every opportunity for success, Cam and Zach Guthrie could hardly be more grounded.
They are quietly-spoken, goal-oriented, humble characters in a game often fuelled by hype and headlines.
But given what has transpired at Geelong this season and the prospect of what could yet unfold across the next fortnight, it is natural – if a little unnerving – for them to start daring to dream.
The Cats are potentially two wins away from securing what would be the club’s 10th VFL-AFL premiership, with a Friday MCG preliminary final the next step in the pathway to a possible grand final berth.
For star midfielder Cam, the thought of playing in a premiership with younger brother Zach gives him “goosebumps”, even if he prefers a “keep it in the moment” mentality.
Ever-improving defender Zach has lived most of his AFL career on the edge, surviving mostly on one-year deals, only to produce the best of his six seasons at what looks like the most opportune time. But he and his brother have worked too hard for too long to get ahead of themselves.
“I guess you see a lot of brothers playing together in the AFL now and I am sure they enjoy it as much as Zach and I are enjoying it,” Cam Guthrie, 30, said.
“But we have the opportunity to go one better this year and not just play alongside one another, but to possibly play in a grand final together if things go our way next week. You don’t want to look too far ahead, but the prospect of that happening gives me goosebumps.”
It’s the same philosophy with Zach, 24, who has transformed from a fringe player fighting to keep his spot into one of the key members of the Cats’ defence.
“It would be the highlight of my career if I was able to play in a premiership with Cam, but not only with him,” Zach said. “I have got a lot of other good mates at Geelong and we are all really pushing towards achieving that one goal. We are in a good position and if we get things right over the next few weeks we can challenge.”
“But it is not going to be easy as you saw (last weekend) with the heart-stopper with Collingwood.”
Cam, the second eldest of Guthrie boys, left the family home in Sunbury after being drafted by Geelong in late 2010 when the youngest son Zach was preparing to start high school.
While they have always been close – just as they have been with siblings Ben and Josh – they have come to know each other just as closely as teammates.
Cam’s admiration for Zach, especially this season as he established an important role in the team, makes him doubly proud as he has done it the hard way.
While Cam seemed destined to play AFL after being drafted as pick 23 in the 2010 draft, Zach was plucked at 33 in the 2017 rookie draft and forced to work hard for his chances.
Cam has become a 200-plus-game fixture at the club – a crucial member of the Cats’ midfield brigade, a life member and a best and fairest (2020) and All-Australian (2020).
Zach managed 33 games in his first five seasons, often in and out of the side. He went into the final year of his contract in 2022, but his brother always believed this would be the year he would finally make his mark.
One of the reasons for Cam’s confidence came from a game against North Melbourne in round 20 last season. Zach had 28 disposals; Cam had one more and kicked two goals.
Both polled eight votes in the AFL Coaches’ Association award, while Cam ended up winning the three Brownlow Medal votes. “He (Zach) was furious with that,” Cam joked about the Brownlow votes.
“Honestly, I think that was a really important game for Zach … with him being on the fringe and being on one-year contracts and always feeling as if he had to prove himself.
“Who knows exactly, but it (that game) could have been a career-saver, showing that he can be a really important player at the level and can excel on the big stage.
“With the underlying repercussions, it can be a little stressful to think about as a brother when he is fighting for his career. I was very proud of him that day.”
The other reason for Cam’s confidence was seeing how hard Zach worked over the pre-season, giving up the prospect of holidaying overseas.
“I see what Zach does at the club every day as a teammate and I guess as a brother I have been able to experience more than that as well,” Cam said.
“He made lots of sacrifices where in the off-season he has not gone on big trips or travelled, (he has chosen) to stay home and improve his game and hire one-on-one athletic coaches to develop himself. It is no accident he has been able to become an important player.”
Zach stressed Cam had always been willing to help him become a better player.
“I have worked really hard throughout my whole career, so I wouldn’t just put it down this season down to one season,” Zach said. “I think it has been the culmination of my first six seasons in the AFL system.
“Cam has been really big for me. The biggest thing he has helped me with was going through some vision after games and in between games and just trying to upskill my game and take it to the level it needed to be at.”
There was an early 2022 hurdle when Zach’s place in the team was in question after playing the first two matches.
“I was dropped after the Sydney game (in round 2),” he said. “Then I was the sub for the Brisbane game.
“That was a challenging period for me. I was really keen to attack this season and establish myself as a player. Without playing games that were horrible (in the first two rounds), I found myself out of the team.
“The next opportunity came against GWS (in round 8).
“I wanted to make the most of that opportunity and you get to a point where you need to cash in and find yourself as part of the regulars.”
Zach had 23 disposals and kicked a goal against the Giants and hasn’t looked back. He has played every game since, and all but one have resulted in wins.
A new multi-year deal should be a formality now.
Footy was always in the Guthries’ blood, not just because their father Andrew played VFL football for Fitzroy and Essendon under his stepfather’s surname Merryweather before reclaiming his birth surname Guthrie.
Eldest brother Ben, who is now digital manager at the AFL Players’ Association, showed talent from an early age. Third son Josh played with Geelong’s VFL team before returning to play football at Sunbury with Ben.
“It worked out with the age groups for mum and dad as we used to play after each other,” Cam said of the juniors. “In the under-10s, Zach would kick off at 9 o’clock, then Josh would be the next game in the under-12s and we would hang around until 2pm for my under-16 games.
“Footy was a big part of our lives growing up. I suppose not much has changed.”
Their mother Suzanne has also played a huge role in their development, even through her own challenges.
On Mother’s Day 2005 she discovered a lump in her breast when Ben and Cam were at high school and Josh and Zach were in primary school.
Suzanne and Andrew tried to keep things as normal as possible for the kids.
She even set up her chemotherapy treatment for Mondays at the time, meaning she could still be there when they played junior footballs on the weekend.
Thankfully, she has long since been in remission, and still watches her sons play almost every week along with Andrew.
“That’s her in a nutshell,” Zach said. “She is always putting the boys first. That’s what I love the most about her. She is almost too selfless at times.
“I find that attitude so inspiring and really try to do that in my life, too.
“The breast cancer cause is one we are seriously passionate about as a family. I was really young at the time. I reckon I must have been in grade three.
“I was probably too young to understand the seriousness of it. Looking back now, I am really glad she was able to make it through really healthy and she lives a great life now. I couldn’t live without her.”
Cam agreed: “Our parents … I feel like their lives revolved around us as kids. You probably didn’t appreciate it at the time because you think that’s what everyone’s parents are like.
“Even now they design their week around being available to come to the footy. If we need them, if we are unwell or injured, they give us an extra hand.”
Suzanne and Andrew have been forced to do their share of travelling. Cam’s 50th, 100th and 150th game – and Zach’s debut match as well as his 50th game – were played outside Victoria.
They even spent time in Howard Springs quarantine centre in the Northern Territory in 2020 in order to travel to Brisbane for the grand final.
It was a family reunion of sorts during the pandemic.
“I didn’t sit with my parents that night; I sat with some of my teammates, but I did go and see them at halftime,” Zach said.
The Cats led by 15 points at that stage before a Dustin Martin-inspired Richmond changed the game with a nine-goals-to-two second half.
Cam has long since come to terms with what has happened that night, but the drive towards getting another chance in another grand final has pushed him even harder.
“It is not the only thing that drives me,” Cam said. “Playing for my family and my teammates is honour enough in itself, but to be able to be a part of a premiership and to have that on the walls at Kardinia Park for the rest of the club’s existence would be amazing.
“I remember grand final day as a kid, watching the game on television and going out straight after the game with a footy and thinking how good would it be if it was me, but never truly believing it could have been.”
Cam was in his first year at the club – in 2011 – when Geelong won its last premiership. He played the opening two games of the season but was still a developing player and watched on as the Cats went on to win the flag.
“I was on the list when the team won a premiership, but I wasn’t personally involved,” he said. “That kind of burned for a few years, even though looking back I didn’t deserve to be in the team.
“I am at peace with it now, even though I would love to be involved in one. I know that I have put so much into it that I am not going to judge my career on whether I do or don’t win a premiership.
“I feel like I have played 220-odd games of the club’s last 300, so I have the runs on the board. We have so many people who put so much effort and go the extra mile to ensure the club is in a good position.
“It’d be nice to enjoy the end of the year with a big celebration.”
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Originally published as AFL Finals Geelong v Brisbane: The inside stories at the Cats ahead of preliminary final
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