AFL
1 month ago
“It felt to me like they didn’t want me”: Zach Tuohy opens up on Blues exit and being “desperate to stay”
By Nic Negrepontis
Zach Tuohy has opened up on his departure from Carlton back in 2016, his fractured relationship with Brendon Bolton and the small contract detail that saw him make the heartbreaking call to request a move to Geelong.
YOU CAN HEAR THE FULL CHAT WITH TUOHY AND ANDY MAHER ON SEN’S HOST+ONE ON SEN EVERY FRIDAY FROM 6PM OR VIA THE SEN YOUTUBE PAGE OR PODCASTS
The 34-year-old retired with 288 AFL games to his name, 120 of which were for the Blues between 2011 and 2016, after being recruited out of Ireland.
Tuohy was a fan favourite at Carlton and one of their most reliable players, featuring in every game from 2013 through 2016.
The star defender’s departure for the Cats was not received well by Blues fans, with the veteran receiving jeers and boos as recently as 2024’s matchup between the two clubs.
Tuohy has revealed that his desire to move off of a match-payment-heavy contract and onto one with more security, even for slightly less overall money, was the sticking point that led to his departure.
He admitted that a tough relationship with then-coach Bolton likely played a factor, saying he felt the club wished to move on from him as they undertook a full rebuild following the debacle that was the Mick Malthouse years.
“Ultimately really what happened – I don’t think I was in their long-term plans. That was the feeling I got at the time,” Tuohy told SEN’s Host+One.
“I didn’t get on particularly well with Brendon Bolton who was the coach at the time. I don’t think he particularly liked me, quite honestly.
“For the record, right up until really late in the piece, I was desperate not to leave. I was really upset leaving. It was a tough decision to make, but it kind of got to a point late in the season and after the season where it just became untenable.
“I was so convinced I wasn’t wanted and that they wanted me gone because maybe I had enough currency to get a couple of players in, but I was desperate to stay.
“There was one aspect of the contract that really indicated to me that they don’t think I’m going to be a first-team player for the next couple of years.
“Effectively, I wanted to be off match payments. That was the detail. They were offering me a modest contract, but it also had a lot of match payments and at that time I hadn’t missed a game in three of four seasons.
“So I told my manager, I’ll take less money than all of (the match payments) were worth, if you accumulate all the match payments, take less than that, I will take that, but I just don’t want match payments because that tells me they don’t think I’ll play every week.
“That was it. That was the only sticking point. They weren’t willing to budge and a few other things happened which I outlined in my book which is coming out soon.
“Ultimately, I was desperate to stay. I loved the place. I didn’t want to go. It was just untenable for my own sake, I had to leave.
“If a fairly modest request from a contract point of view had been met, absolutely I would have stayed. It felt to me like they didn’t want me.”
Tuohy would go on to play 168 games for Geelong, including featuring in the 2022 premiership team.
YOU CAN HEAR THE FULL CHAT WITH TUOHY AND ANDY MAHER ON SEN’S HOST+ONE ON SEN EVERY FRIDAY FROM 6PM OR VIA THE SEN YOUTUBE PAGE OR PODCASTS
