Geelong defender Zach Tuohy is set to be second player to play 250th game in a grand final
Not only could Zach Tuohy become the second Irish player to win a premiership medal, he’s celebrating a unique milestone in the grand final and has plenty to prove.
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As Zach Tuohy runs out of the race for the 250th time on Saturday, the Cat has no other focus than bringing home a premiership medallion.
The dashing defender will play his milestone game on the biggest stage of all this week, with the Cats taking on the Swans in a sure-fire grand final classic.
It is only the second time a player has brought up their 250th game in the big dance, with Hawthorn star Luke Hodge marking the occasion with a premiership and a Norm Smith medal in 2014.
Tuohy, who moved to Geelong after 120 games at Carlton, said the chance to play and win a grand final justified the trade at the end of 2016.
“The allure of success was the most significant factor for me, it’s pretty well documented that Geelong over the years has put its people in positions to succeed,” he said.
“ With that comes the risk of criticism if you don’t quite get there, and we know that and I’m fine to take on that risk.
“I’m just proud of the fact that I play for a club that yet again has given us every opportunity to go all the way.”
Tuohy has a chance of becoming just the second Irish player to win a premiership after Swan Tadhg Kennelly triumphed in 2005, but he may be joined on the dais by fellow countryman Mark O’Connor if he makes the final 23.
Tuohy said a flag would help cement his legacy in football as one of the Irish greats, but that would be an accomplishment to look back on at the end of a stellar career.
“Being potentially the second Irishman to win a premiership doesn’t make the day any more or less significant for me,” he said.
“It’s a grand final, it’s a premiership medal on the line, it’s significant enough.
“It would be nice to join Tadhg, but trying to join him isn’t driving me, it’s winning a premiership with my teammates and Mark O’Connor, being Irish as well, that’s what I want.”
Tuohy said he had no delusions of grandeur when he made the move to Australia as a 20 year old, but his priorities had shifted the longer his career went.
“Early on you’re just focusing on picking up the game and trying to get a game in the first team, and your goals move outwards from there to maybe playing 100 games and ultimately winning a flag,” he said.
“The premiership has only become an obsession for me in the latter part of my career the closer we’ve got to it as a team.
“I used to play with Setanta O’hAilpin at Carlton, and he said if you could get to 100 games as an Irish player, that’s a pretty stellar career.
“I hope the celebrations of the 250th gets lost in the week a little bit, it does make it a little extra special for my family, there’s no point denying that.
“But clearly there’s bigger fish to fry than my 250th, so provided we get the job done I’ll look back and be pretty lucky to get to play the game in a grand final.”
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