EXPORT QUALITY
HOW A KID FROM THE COUNTY BECAME A S TAR
on, and there would’ve been a crowd expected to attend, even though it will be early Saturday morning.”
Confined to his sitting room to watch the game, Noel Tuohy, an elected representative in Portlaoise, says it might be beneficial to have fewer distractions than at the pub. But his wife Marie notoriously finds watching her son’s games difficult.
It’s been that way since he was an underage star playing for Laois, and means she’s often found pacing at the back of the MCG or Kardinia Park grandstands when in Australia to visit Zach, his wife Rebecca and their sons Flynn and Rafferty.
“She’s still like that, and on Saturday I’m sure she’ll be hiding behind the door (during the game),” Zach’s eldest sister Naomi quipped this week.
Naomi admits she “cried for a week” when Zach — the youngest of her three siblings — jetted Down Under, and Marie was equally apprehensive.
“It was such a huge move. I mean, Zach had never travelled anywhere in the world on his own at that stage, much less to the other side of the world,” Marie said.
“I was worried, I suppose. I was excited. It was mixed emotions. I was sad at him leaving home at the same time. It was such an unusual thing to happen.”
No one in the family doubted Zach’s physical gifts, determination or ability to adapt to the odd-shaped Australian rules football. The question was whether the lure of home would prove too strong to resist.
“He’s such a home bird,” Naomi said.
“Not that he didn’t have the ability to do it, but I just thought he’d never stay away from home for that long.
“I took a bit of comfort thinking ‘Ah, he’ll be back it’ll be grand’, but he just outdid himself. He stuck to it and did more than we ever thought, which was fantastic.”
Miller says Tuohy announced himself in 2007 on the biggest stage in underage Gaelic football.
“I just remember his pace was electric, he was really fast as a young player,” Miller told the Addy this week.
“He famously scored two goals in an All-Ireland semifinal for Laois Minors at Croke Park in a game live on TV; really cracking goals, and it wasn’t long after that he got approached (to come to Australia).”
That performance caught the eye of Carlton recruiter/ Irish raider Gerard Sholly, and he was invited to follow in the footsteps of fellow Laois export Colm Begley by trying his hand with an AFL club.
He impressed Carlton’s development coach — now senior coach — David Teague with his work ethic, wearing out a Sherrin perfecting his penetrating right-foot kick, and with plenty of hard work made it at the Blues.
He clocked up 120 games in seven seasons, but craved success, so landed at Geelong a year after his good mate Lachie Henderson had gone there alongside Patrick Dangerfield.
He fitted in immediately at the club and town, becoming a favourite with Geelong fans and teammates, who quickly elevated him to the leadership group.
At Carlton he never played a final, allowing him to return home each off-season and sneak in a few games of his indigenous code for his home county. But Miller says he has not figured in a Gaelic game since moving to Geelong.
Laois football fans remain hopeful he will return for a season at the end of his AFL career, and Noel and Marie would love to see more of their Aussie grandkids, but for now everyone in the town is getting behind Tuohy’s Cats.
“People in Portlaoise are very proud of what Zach has achieved … the County of Laois is really rooting for Geelong,” Miller said.