IRISH Cat Zach Tuohy has been one of the recruits of the year, but he is happy to hand teammate Jed Bews first crack at Adelaide star Eddie Betts in Friday night's preliminary final. 

Tuohy kept his former Carlton teammate quiet in round 11, restricting him to just one goal in an Adelaide loss, but he didn't play on him at all in round 18 when the Crows won.

He joked that Geelong backline coach Matthew Scarlett had been made aware of how well Bews had performed on Betts in the past.

"Jed [Bews] is in great form, at least that is what I am telling Scarlo [Matthew Scarlett]. He's got a good record on Eddie, so it is probably a good idea if he goes to him," Tuohy said.

Bews was the Cats' best player against the Crows in round 18 and appears to be a good match-up for Betts, who has kicked 52 goals this season.

On a more serious note, Tuohy said he was happy to chip in and help if required.

"We'll figure that out during the week, but we're both happy to share the job," he said.

The Cats backline looks forward to experienced defender Tom Lonergan returning to the fray after missing the semi-final win over Sydney with food poisoning.

Lonergan has been recovering, but Tuohy expects him to be available to play, and he cleared up the furore another defender Tom Stewart created when he told reporters on Monday he was also suffering from a bout of gastro.

"If he does have an illness, it's confusion," Tuohy joked.

The Irish defender has been a revelation in defence for the Cats after flying under the radar at Carlton.

The preliminary final will be his 114th consecutive game and it will also be the furthest he has progressed in September.

Having played more minutes than any other player this season, Tuohy said he was as relaxed as possible going into the game. 

"I'm sure I'll get nervous before the game, but I am not finding it too hard to treat it just like a normal game to be honest," he said.

Tuohy's also not tempting fate by organising for friends and family in Ireland to travel just yet, happy to wait for Friday night's result before considering the issue at length.

However he did want to send one message to any family or friends that might be considering the trip.

"I'm not paying," Tuohy said.