#163: Zach Tuohy (AFL) Confidence, Culture and the Long Road In

In this episode of Scoreboard, Chris Titley sits down with Zach Tuohy to unpack a career built less on early certainty and more on persistence, growth and self-belief. From a young athlete in Ireland juggling Gaelic football, hurling and soccer, Zach shares how a lack of confidence nearly held him back before eventually finding his path into the AFL. Zach reflects on the leap from Ireland to Australia and the reality shock that came with it. What he imagined as a glamorous professional sporting life quickly became cold training sessions, unfamiliar environments and self-doubt. But through sticking it out and slowly building confidence, he carved out a long and respected AFL career across Carlton and Geelong. The conversation explores the internal battles many athletes face. Zach speaks openly about imposter syndrome, struggling to believe he belonged at the level, and how his confidence was once limited strictly to game time. Over time, consistent performance, strong coaching relationships and embracing feedback helped him grow into a leader and premiership player. He also shares insights into elite environments, from competing for a spot early in his career to reinventing himself at a new club and eventually reaching the ultimate goal of winning a premiership. That moment, he explains, changes how you view everything that came before it. Now navigating life after football, Zach talks about identity, finding purpose beyond sport and the challenge of replacing the adrenaline and structure that elite competition provides. Whether it is media, governance or completely new ventures, he is in a phase of exploration, learning and rediscovery.🔗 Show notesThis episode was Powered by Swyftx — Where can crypto take you?👉 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://swyftx.com/about/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Join over 1.5m users in Australia and NZThe Do You Budget Segment is powered by PocketSmith.PocketSmith is personal finance software made for the household CFO — the one keeping the family budget on track, making sure the bills are paid, and the big goals are in sight. PocketSmith’s got a special offer for Scoreboard listeners: get 50% off your first two months of PocketSmith’s Foundation plan. 👉  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.pocketsmith.com/scoreboard/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠More info:📌 More episodes: ⁠⁠www.scoreboardpodcast.com⁠⁠🎥 YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@Scoreboardpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠📩 Partnerships: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]