Zach Tuohy just wanted to play one game of AFL football when he arrived from Ireland in 2009.
Initially picked up by Carlton in the 2010 rookie draft, Tuohy went on to play 120 games with the Blues before requesting a trade to Geelong.
On Sunday, Tuohy will rack up his 145th game with the Cats and his 265th overall, overtaking the great Jim Stynes for the record for most VFL/AFL games played by an Irish-born footballer.
Stynes played for Melbourne from 1987 to 1998, became club president and co-founded the youth charity The Reach Foundation, and was given a Victorian state funeral after dying of cancer in 2012, aged just 45.
Tuohy said he almost felt guilty at breaking Stynes’ record.
“I don’t think I appreciated the significant impact he had on the game or his legacy post-career,” he said.
“I only got to appreciate that when I came out (to Australia). The good thing is, with more and more Irish guys and girls coming out, his legacy is getting much more publicity back home.
“I must admit, I was blown away to see how significant a character he was.
“I think it’s probably mostly because I don’t really feel like I belong in Jim’s category as a player and obviously not in terms of legacy so it’s a strange one to feel that I’m now kind of on par with him in games.”
The Cats face North Melbourne on Sunday at GMHBA Stadium and while they are currently ninth on the ladder, Tuohy said they could still do some damage in September.
“We’ve had some challenges with personnel, we’ve got some new guys into the side and we’ve just underperformed at different stages,” he said.
“Fortunately for us it feels a little bit like we’ve been here before where we haven’t played our best footy for the first half or first two-thirds of the season and come home pretty strong.
“I think if you look across the competition right now, there’s obviously a few strong teams but it does feel like if you just get there this year you could really cause a big shake up.”
