The Zach Tuohy transfer to Geelong has been one of the big moves during the AFL off-season and in an interview with the Herald Sun he was fairly honest about the reason behind his move.
Laois' loss has been the AFL's gain. Zach Tuohy is right in the middle of carving out a highly successful career in the oval ball game and over six seasons at Carlton has established himself as one of the top players in the league. So much so that Geelong, who finished second in the AFL ladder last season, came calling for Tuohy's signature after he failed to agree terms with Carlton.
Tuohy has been chatting to Sam Edmund of the Herald Sun and he had some fairly strong words when he was asked about the contract that Carlton offered him, said to have been for three years:
It was sub-par, very sub-par. Almost insulting.
It made it virtually impossible (to stay). Perhaps I was a victim of circumstance. The club’s going in a certain direction and that’s been very clearly documented.
I was very happy there, but it was made clear to me that I might need to look at my options.
Tuohy told Edmund that he was not "pushed out the door" but instead was "given a very strong impression that my future wasn’t guaranteed and, having a young family, that wasn’t a risk I was willing to take".
Interestingly Tuohy made the observation that Irish players, used to staying loyal to one team (be it at county or club level), don't really have it in their "nature" to switch clubs. Still, needs must and for Tuohy his young family comes ahead of his "own desire to be a one-club player."
One can't help but find it slightly odd that Tuohy was let go by Carlton. Clearly Geelong - despite being far ahead of Carlton in the table last year - fancy him and are prepared to invest in him, while Tuohy seems to have been pretty happy at Carlton and would perhaps have been fairly amenable if a decent deal was presented in front of him.
Tuohy also gives some interesting views on what it is like playing with players who used to be fierce opponents and chats about the lifestyle in Geelong compared to Carlton (Geelong is about 75 kilometres outside Melbourne while Carlton is situated in the suburbs of the city). You can read the full piece (€) here.
