O’CONNOR AND TUOHY ONE MATCH FROM GLORY

THERE will be plenty of Irish interest in next weekend’s AFL Grand Final, with Zach Tuohy and Mark O’Connor playing prominent roles for Geelong as they hammered Brisbane Lions 120-349 in yesterday’s preliminary decider.

Portlaoise native Tuohy, an AFL veteran, was again outstanding for Geelong, finishing the game with 20 possessions and seven marks. The 32-year-old Laois man has enjoyed a superb year in defence and will make his 250th AFL appearance in next week’s final, just 14 behind the Irish record that was set by the late and legendary Jim Stynes at 264.

In front of 77,677 at Melbourne’s MCG, Geelong annihilated Brisbane and look like a team on a mission after losing the 2020 Grand Final, which Tuohy and O’Connor also featured in.

O’Connor came on in the third quarter as a medical substitute after team-mate Max Holmes sustained a hamstring injury. If Holmes is not fit to start the Grand Final, the Dingle native is likely to play. Brisbane have two Irish players, Dublin’s James Madden and Kerry’s Devividas Uosis, but neither featured yesterday.

Tadhg Kennelly remains the only Irish player to win an AFL title, doing so with Sydney Swans back in 2005. Geelong will discover the identity of their opponents today when the Swans play Collingwood in the other preliminary final.