THERE WILL BE Irish involvement in the AFL Grand Final after Kerry’s Mark O’Connor and Zach Tuohy from Laois were both involved in Geelong’s awesome preliminary final victory over Brisbane Lions today.
In front of a 77,677 crowd, Geelong hammered the Lions 120-49 at the MCG to secure a spot in the decider against Sydney Swans or Collingwood. Tuohy continued his outstanding 2022 form as he finished with 20 disposals and seven marks.
The 32-year-old is a mainstay in the Cats’ defence and is set to reach 250 AFL appearances in the final, just 14 behind Jim Stynes’ longstanding Irish record of 264 games.
Mark O’Connor started the game as a medical substitute but came on in the third quarter to replace youngster Max Holmes who appeared to suffer a hamstring injury. The Dingle club man is in contention to play next week.
It is a remarkable achievement for the Irish duo, reaching their second final in three years. Tadhg Kennelly is the only Irish player to have won a flag so far. The Kerry man celebrated with Sydney Swans in 2005.
For Geelong, it was a stunning showing after a disappointing preliminary final record, having lost four of their last six games at this stage.
Brisbane’s season ends in disappointment, a week after they beat reigning champions Melbourne. The Lions have two Irish players on their list, Dublin’s James Madden and Kerry’s Deividas Uosis. They did not feature today but were recently involved in the Queensland outfit’s run to the VFL (reserve) preliminary final.
The AFL Grand Final will take place next Saturday at the MCG.
