Premiership Geelong defender Zach Tuohy has lifted the lid on his departure from Carlton, saying he was "desperate not to leave" until late in the piece.
Tuohy was originally drafted by the Blues at Pick 73 ahead of the 2010 season from Ireland.
The 34-year-old was previously a Gaelic footballer for Portlaoise and made the switch, following the likes of Jim Stynes and Tadhg Kennelly.
Tuohy quickly became a fan favourite and an important member of Carlton's senior side, making an immediate impact under Brett Ratten (2011-2012) and Michael Malthouse (2013-2015).
However, with the club looking for fresh ideas following a superb draft haul that landed Patrick Cripps, Jacob Weitering, Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay over a handful of years, Brendan Bolton (2016-2019) was tasked with taking this proud club back to the promised land.
But for Tuohy, a difficult relationship with Bolton led to another 12 months in the Navy Blue and a potential move to the minor premiers.
"Ultimately really what happened โ I don't think I was in their long-term plans. That was the feeling I got at the time," Tuohy told SEN's Host+One.
"I didn't get on particularly well with Brendon Bolton, who was the coach at the time. I don't think he particularly liked me, quite honestly.
"For the record, right up until really late in the piece, I was desperate not to leave. I was really upset leaving. It was a tough decision to make, but it kind of got to a point late in the season and after the season where it just became untenable.
"I was so convinced I wasn't wanted and that they wanted me gone because maybe I had enough currency to get a couple of players in, but I was desperate to stay.
"Ultimately, I was desperate to stay. I loved the place. I didn't want to go. It was just untenable for my own sake; I had to leave."
Tuohy relayed how one particular aspect of his contract raised red flags that he wasn't seen as part of the club's future.
"There was one aspect of the contract that really indicated to me that they don't think I'm going to be a first-team player for the next couple of years," Tuohy continued.
"Effectively, I wanted to be off match payments. That was the detail. They were offering me a modest contract, but it also had a lot of match payments, and at that time, I hadn't missed a game in three of four seasons.
"So I told my manager, I'll take less money than all of (the match payments) were worth, if you accumulate all the match payments, take less than that, I will take that, but I just don't want match payments because that tells me they don't think I'll play every week.
"That was it. That was the only sticking point. They weren't willing to budge, and a few other things happened, which I outlined in my book, which is coming out soon."
After 120 games and six successful seasons from an AFL-convert, Tuohy made his way down the highway to Geelong, in what is another example of the poor list management from the Blues.
The former rookie continued his excellent career for another eight years, adding 168 games - topping Stynes' record for most games by an Irish player - and an elusive premiership medallion in 2022.
Tuohy recently hung up the boots, putting an end to a glittering 14-year, 288-game career.
