Football can be a funny old game. 

It has the ability to thrill, the ability to create heroes and the ability to break hearts, sometimes interchanging between all three in the matter of seconds.

Nobody knew that better than Zach Tuohy, with a career that had a little bit of everything. 

It started with a six year stint at Carlton, playing in just one Finals win across that span. 

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 24: Zach Tuohy of the Cats and Mark O'Connor of the Cats celebrate winning the 2022 AFL Grand Final match between the Geelong Cats and the Sydney Swans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on September 24, 2022 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/AFL Photos)

Searching for the ultimate success, Tuohy joined Geelong via trade in 2017 and immediately got a taste of Finals football, but the Cats were unable to get their hands on the premiership cup right away. 

The closest they came was in 2020 when Geelong fell to Richmond in the Grand Final, Tuohy recalling the heartbreak of that day during his time on 'I'm A Celebrity..... Get Me Out Of Here!' 

"We lost in 2020, the Covid year," Tuohy said.

"My son loves coins and shiny things, he was extremely excited about the possibility of getting a big gold medal.

"I can remember when we lost that final in Brisbane, I walked down to the back pocket and the family were running out to hug me.

"I remember having to say sorry that he didn't get the big shiny medal."

It was a disappointing moment for Tuohy, and the club in general, in a year that had thrown so many challenges at the players and coaches. 

But that was not the final chapter in the story.

Another opportunity beckoned in 2022, when the Cats went on an extensive winning streak and rolled into the Grand Final against Sydney. 

This time Geelong triumphed, providing Tuohy with an iconic moment that the Irishman will never forget. 

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 24: Zach Tuohy of the Cats poses for a photo with his family and the premiership cup during the 2022 Toyota AFL Grand Final match between the Geelong Cats and the Sydney Swans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on September 24, 2022 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos)

"A couple of years later (in 2022), I knew the family was coming down but we were all doing our own thing," Tuohy said. 

"I was at the interchange and I turn to my right, 20 or so metres away is Bec and the two kids running.

"It was like a movie, I remember telling my son I got the medal for you. It was beyond special.

"I remember telling my son to look around, to try and mentally frame this because it was a really special moment. I know when he is older that he is going to really look back on that as fondly as I do.