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  • Writer's pictureThe Season Ticket

AFL | Tuohy and O'Connor win AFL Premiership with Geelong

Irish duo Zach Tuohy and Mark O'Connor have won the AFL Grand Final with Geelong.

The Cats have been crowned 2022 AFL Premiership winners after hammering the Sydney Swans 113-52 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday.


Geelong's 81-point victory sees them win the cup for the 10th time in their history, while Tuohy (Laois) and O'Connor (Kerry) have become just the second and third Irish players to win an AFL Premiership, 17 years after Tadhg Kennelly tasted glory with the Swans.


Tuohy, who was making his 250th appearance in the AFL, and O'Connor both started for Geelong, who ripped the Swans apart in the opening quarter in front of over 100,000 fans at the MCG.


Both Irishmen impressed for the dominant Cats, with O'Connor seizing his chance as a late replacement for Max Holmes, who didn't recover from a hamstring injury in time for the final.


After a scoreless opening nine minutes, Tom Hawkins notched the game's first two goals for Geelong.


Led by an inspired performance from captain and veteran Joel Selwood, the favourites went on to amass a 41-6 lead by the end of the first quarter against the shell-shocked Swans.


Despite an improvement from Sydney, Chris Scott's side maintained their intensity and domination in the second quarter to race into a 62-26 lead at half-time.


Geelong blew the Swans away in the third, with John Longmire's team registering just one behind in the term as the Cats extended their tally to 101 points.


The Swans managed to outscore Geelong in the fourth, making the scoreline more respectable, but this was a day to forget for the 'Bloods'.


Isaac Smith was awarded the Norm Smith Medal for his outstanding performance, as Tuohy - draped in a Portlaois flag - and O'Connor celebrated on the pitch before collecting their medals.


Conversely, the defeat for Sydney marked a disappointing day for Irishman Colin O'Riordan, who missed out through injury and has announced his retirement.









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