AFL star Tuohy ponders final date with Portlaoise as Melbourne return looms

Irish AFL star Zach Tuohy may play for Portlaoise in Sunday’s Laois SFC final against Arles-Kilcruise.

Wed, 17 Oct, 2012 - 01:00

Paddy Hickey

Tuohy made a contribution to the club’s semi-final win over St Joseph’s 10 days ago, coming on as a sub for the last 15 minutes.

However, the Carlton player is unsure if he will make a repeat appearance in the decider, with pre-season training for the Melbourne outfit scheduled to begin on October 31.

“I have to go back to Melbourne a few days before the end of the month,” explained Tuohy who lined out at full-forward the semi-final win. “Obviously I wouldn’t want to pick up any injury which might jeopardise my ability to take part in the pre-season training with Carlton. There won’t be any pressure put on me by Portlaoise to play in the county final – the decision will be down entirely to myself.”

Tuohy also revealed he underwent minor surgery ‘to clean up a bit of debris in the knee.’ He explained: “At the end of the season, every player in the (Carlton) club is assessed by the medics and the physiotherapists, and after a scan on my knee, the surgeon just felt that I would benefit from having a minor operation.

“Since I came home from Australia , I’ve been training away with Portlaoise, and playing in the semi-final was an ideal way of trying out my knee.”

The Portlaoise man played in 19 Premiership games this year, missing out just on three occasions in the 22-game programme.

“Originally, I would have been happy to play for the first team in my third season in about 14 to 15 games,” said Tuohy, who has shot eight goals over his 30 senior outings. “So to have made 19 senior appearances in the season just finished is very satisfying and encouraging.

“And it was great that I had (former Carlton player) Setanta (Ó hAilpín) to talk to, and to hang out with when I was away from the club.

“I’d certainly recommend any young Irish lad to take up an Aussie Rules offer, as it’s a tremendous opportunity, and there’s absolutely no pressure on you to stay on if the lifestyle doesn’t appeal to you.”