Lockout a worry for Zach
GEELONG defender Zach Tuohy says fear of potentially not being able to return to Australia is partly why he decided against flying to Ireland during the AFL shutdown.
Essendon defender Conor McKenna and Collingwood duo Mark Keane and Anton Tohill are among a group of Irish players who have returned home to their families amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Hawthorn forward Conor Nash has decided to remain in Australia, while his Hawks teammate Conor Glass will also remain after his flights home were cancelled.
Clubs have given their Irish players permission to head home, but Tuohy will instead bunker down in Geelong with his young family.
The 187-game backman and father of two said there were a number of reasons he had decided to stay in Australia, including that the closing of borders might make it difficult to return when he needed to.
“I wasn’t tempted (to go back to Ireland) to be honest,” he said. “The demographic of the Irish guys here, I’m a serious outlier in terms of age profile.
“Those guys (that have gone back) are probably still in their homesickness, wanting to get home at every chance phase. Whereas I’m pretty well settled here and, to be honest, if I left I’d be slightly concerned I wouldn’t get back in.
“Also the fact there are four of us now (in my family) means it wouldn’t exactly be cheap to head back.”
Tuohy, who is off contract at the season’s end, has a Victorian fiancee and said he might even decide to stay in Australia once he hung up the boots in the future.
“There were a few things to weigh up, but I’m pretty well settled here and I’m not even sure I’ll go home post-footy,” Tuohy said.
“Maybe I will, maybe I won’t, but I’m in no crazy rush to get out of here.”
The AFL is hopeful to resume the 2020 competition at the beginning of June.