Zach Tuohy of the Geelong Cats after their win against the Fremantle Dockers at Optus Stadium in Perth, Australia earlier this month. Photo: Daniel Carson/AFL Photos via Getty Images
Record-breaker Zach Tuohy is set to retire at the end of the current AFL season.
Tuohy has made the most appearances of any Irish player Down Under, surpassing the great Jim Stynes last year. To date, the Portlaoise man has played 286 times, notching his first 120 with Carlton, where he was drafted way back in 2009 before switching to Geelong.
The Cats won the 2022 AFL crown when Tuohy along with Kerry’s Mark O’Connor became only the second and third Irish players to claim a Premiership flag after Tadhg Kennelly achieved that feat with Sydney Swans.
Throughout his career, Tuohy has been known for his long accurate kick and durability, a much prized asset in the demanding world of AFL. Since the start of 2012 he has not played less than 18 games in a single season.
But at 34, Tuohy informed Geelong fans that this would be his final season.
“While there is a lot of footy left to play this year, I want to take this opportunity to thank you all the members and fans for their support,” Tuohy said.
“I knew when I came to the Cats I was in for a treat, and I didn’t think I fully appreciated just how incredible the journey would be.”
Tuohy has previously indicated a desire to play for Portlaoise before his time is done though Geelong remain very much in the hunt for more glory, and sit fourth in the ladder ahead of the final round of games in the regular season this weekend.
The top eight teams advance through to the finals.
