'The community looks up to him, knowing his story and what he sacrificed in Ireland to make it out here.'
Image: AAP/PA Images Image: AAP/PA Images HIS FIRST WEEK at the club ended in tears. It was inevitable in the circumstances. Understandable. You can’t hold back the tide.
A husky, kicking partner, therapist, watchdog, his son’s pillow and babysitter. A best friend by his side through thick and thin. He knew he should socialise with his new team-mates but the thought of attending the club function that night was unbearable. He called and said he can’t go but couldn’t muster the words to explain why. Eventually, in the dressing room the next day the physio was strapping his ankles before training.
Some suggest it is simply physics. Newton told us what goes up must go down. The reality is not so seamless. It’s crueller than that. The rise is not guaranteed. Athletes toll for years to try make it at an elite level and never get there. They still fall down, that’s for sure. A day in the sun is rare; rain is certain.
It was a shock to the system in every sense. Emotionally, mentally, physically. Back then Carlton utilised a Princes Park 3.2k time trial. Tuohy had never experienced anything like it. He took off too quick and hit the red zone as the rest were just picking up steam. For Portlaoise, it was a badge of honour that they had produced a professional sportsman. For his family, It was a source of comfort that the boy who always loved playing with a ball was doing it for a living. For Tuohy, it never stops being surreal.
Channel it. Fuel it with non-negotiable fundamentals that will be boxed off every single day. Before his AFL debut, while he was still tolling in the VFL with the Bullants, that orientated around stoppages. Be the guy your team-mates want to go into battle with. He used to love being in the Portlaoise dressing room and having a savage like Cahir Healy by his shoulder. He dreamed of being that for others.
“He goes about his work without a whole lot of fanfare but when you review the game and watch him closely, you realise how big an impact he has especially with ball in hand. He just makes great decisions every single time. His team-mates love when he has the ball in his hand.”
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