GEELONG defender Zach Tuohy is expecting words to be exchanged when the Cats meet former teammate Steven Motlop at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night
Tuohy, preparing for his 150th match in the clash against Port Adelaide, said Motlop is one of a number of small forwards Geelong would need to be wary of.
"I've played on him in the past and he's always had a bit to say, he's never been shy on the lip, it'll be interesting to see what he has to say," Tuohy said on Tuesday.
"You build bonds with these guys and I only played with him for a year, but I got along with him very well.
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Asked if there had been any communication with Motlop via texting Tuohy replied; "Not from my end, but I'm sure a few have gone out from some other blokes.
"I'm sure there'll be no friendships for 120 minutes, but it's good to see him going well."
On Sunday, Tuohy collected 29 disposals to be the leading ball-winner on the ground – leading a makeshift defence against a St Kilda outfit that managed just 44 forward entries.
While Mark Blicavs was moved back, young defenders Zach Guthrie and Jack Henry played just their 17th combined match in what Tuohy described as the Cats' best performance of the year.
"It was a pretty good performance, it was the closest representation to how we want to go about it," Tuohy said.
"It's a bit of an experience there (in defence), this is great exposure for them.
"Guys like Zach Guthrie, we could tell pretty quickly he was going to have exceptional leadership qualities. Jack Henry comes in and the steps he's taken in pre-season are remarkable.
"We'd like to have Harry (Taylor) and 'Hendo' (Lachie Henderson) back, but the young guys are doing alright I reckon."
While no timeframe has been set for Taylor (plantar fascia) and Henderson (knee), Tuohy praised second-year defender Tom Stewart who collected seven coaches votes in their absence on Sunday.
"He's got his edits, looking at them, reading papers," Tuohy joked on Stewart's assessment of his game.
"He's another guy, especially in the last two weeks, who's gone to a whole new level.
"He's one who's going to benefit from Harry missing a few weeks if you want to find positives in it.
"He's gone to a whole new level, almost to the point where people are going to start looking at him and trying to stop his influence because it's remarkable what he's been doing."
Tuohy will become the third Irishman after Jim Stynes and Tadhg Kennelly to notch 150 games on Saturday, and is currently leading the AFL for the longest consecutive streak of games with 120.
