| Tom Hawkins | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Hawkins playing for Geelong in April 2019 | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Thomas Jack Hawkins | ||
| Nicknames | Tomahawk, Hawk[1] | ||
| Born | (1988-07-21)21 July 1988 (age 37) Finley, New South Wales[2] | ||
| Original team | Sandringham Dragons (TAC Cup)/Melbourne Grammar (APS)/Finley Football Club | ||
| Draft | No. 41(F/S),2006 national draft | ||
| Height | 197 cm (6 ft 6 in) | ||
| Weight | 105 kg (231 lb) | ||
| Position | Key Forward | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Geelong | ||
| Number | 26 | ||
| Playing career | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 2007–2024 | Geelong | 359 (796) | |
| Representative team honours | |||
| Years | Team | Games (Goals) | |
| 2020 | All Stars | 1 (0) | |
| Career highlights | |||
| |||
| Sources:AFL Tables,AustralianFootball.com | |||
Thomas Jack Hawkins (born 21 July 1988) is a formerAustralian rules footballer who played for theGeelong Football Club in theAustralian Football League (AFL). At 198 cm (6 ft 6 in) tall and weighing 110 kg (240 lb), Hawkins played primarily as akey forward and is one of the most prolific scorers in the history of the game, ranked 13th-highest inall-time league goalkicking.
Hawkins was born and raised in countryNew South Wales before moving toVictoria to attendMelbourne Grammar School, where his football abilities earned him a spot in the first XVIII in year ten. He played top-level football with theSandringham Dragons in theTAC Cup and Vic Metro in theAFL Under-18 Championships. His accolades as a junior include national and state representation, theLarke Medal as the AFL Under-18 Championshipsmost valuable player, and All-Australian selection. As the eldest son of former Geelong championJack Hawkins, Hawkins was drafted by Geelong under thefather–son draft rule with the forty-first selection in the2006 national draft.
He made his AFL debut in 2007, which saw formerCarlton coachDenis Pagan compare him to the highest goal scorer in the history of the league and formerfull-forward,Tony Lockett, after his debut game. His debut season saw him earn anAFL Rising Star nomination and he was part of Geelong'sVictorian Football League (VFL) premiership side. He has since become a three-timeAFL premiership player, aColeman Medalist, anAll-Australian full-forward, aCarji Greeves Medallist as the clubbest and fairest player, an eleven-time leading goalkicker for Geelong, and a recipient of the formerAFL Army Award—awarded to a player who produces significant acts of bravery or selflessness during a season.
Hawkins was born inFinley, New South Wales toJack, and Jennie Hawkins.[3] He grew up in theNew South Wales region of Finley as the second child among four children. He attended St Joseph’s Primary School in Finley and eventually attendingFinley High School while he lived in Finley he played for theFinley Football Club before making the move south of the border to begin boarding atMelbourne Grammar School,[4] a long time tradition in his family.[5] Hawkins' footballing ability was recognised early on when he was selected to play first XVIII football for the school while still in year ten, when many of his teammates were completing their final year of schooling at year twelve.[2][4] Hawkins kicked four goals on debut for the school and his performances up forward soon received attention from AFL recruiting teams. By the time he had reached his final school year he was rewarded with joint captaincy of the football team alongsideHawthorn drafteeXavier Ellis. He was also selected in theAssociated Public Schools (APS) team to play theAssociated Grammar School selected football team in the traditional annual clash of schools, where he won best on ground honours for his performance.[6]
Having gained permission to join local under-18 club in 2006, theSandringham Dragons for numerous games during the season, Hawkins impressed in his limited appearances within the eliteTAC Cup competition, highlighted by a twenty-two disposal, nine mark, and five goal effort in just his third game.[4] In the same year, he was awarded anAIS/AFL academy scholarship as part of the ninth intake.[7]
In the mid-year of 2006, Hawkins was selected to play in the2006 AFL Under-18 Championships, lining up at full forward for Vic Metro. A best on ground performance which yielded twelve marks and six goals in the opening match against South Australia began a wave of unprecedented hype and attention, with Hawkins drawing comparisons to formerBrisbane Lions forward,Jonathan Brown and leading Vic Metro coach David Dickson to declare the young forward as "the best footballer I've seen...sinceChris Judd".[8] Hawkins was awarded theLarke Medal as themost valuable player within division one and named as the tournament's All-Australian full-forward, just falling short of the all-time contested marking record held byJustin Koschitzke.[9][10]
Hawkins was officially selected by Geelong in the2006 national draft under thefather–son rule. While many pundits lauded him as the best key position prospect within the draft, and felt Hawkins' junior performances warranted possible selection with the top overall pick, the father–son rules at the time only required Geelong to use a middle-tier third round pick to draft him.[6] The subsequent controversy over what was widely acknowledged as a bargain gain for the Cats led to the AFL amending the father–son ruling for future use.[11] With a reputation as one of the finest young tall forwards in the land, Hawkins was immediately billed as the successor to the legendaryGary Ablett, whose retirement eleven years earlier had left a gaping hole in Geelong's forward line.[6][12] A stress reaction injury to his right leg, however, halted Hawkins' pre-season, forcing his much-awaited debut in Geelong colours to take place in theVictorian Football League (VFL) side.[13][14]
Hawkins made his highly anticipated debut for the Geelong seniors in round two of the2007 season againstCarlton.[15] Opposed to Carlton captainLance Whitnall, Hawkins impressed with three goals and several strong marks in Geelong's 78-point victory, prompting then-Carlton coachDenis Pagan to label him the nextTony Lockett.[16] Other revered media figures, such asGerard Healy andDavid Parkin, were moved enough to describe the debut as the best first-up performance in recent memory.[17] Uncommonly for AFL debutants, he followed up with an even more impressive performance in his second game, kicking four first-half goals to help set up a victory againstMelbourne at theMelbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), earning theAFL Rising Star nomination for round three in the process.[18] Question marks, however, were raised over his fitness and ability to run out entire games, and after nine games in his debut season, which saw him kick twelve goals, Hawkins saw out the rest of the year with the clubs' VFL side.[16] There, Hawkins helped Geelong reach the VFL Grand Final for the second successive year, booting three goals as the Cats defeated theCoburg Tigers to claim their first VFL premiership since 2002.[16]
Despite inconsistencies in Hawkins’ form,[19] he played twenty-four matches for the2009 season, including thegrand final, where he played alongside other father–son selections,Gary Ablett,Matthew Scarlett andMark Blake. He scored two goals in the game to help Geelong defeatSt Kilda by twelve points, winning the 2009 AFL premiership.[20] One of his goals was notably controversial, as it was later ruled it had hit the goal post, which should have been registered as a behind; this was one of the reasons behind the introduction of the goal review system implemented by the AFL during the 2012 season.[21]
A mid-year footy injury saw Hawkins miss seven weeks of football in 2010,[22] and he finished the season with eighteen matches and twenty-one goals. He did, however, play in Geelong's final series; a narrow loss to St Kilda in the qualifying final hampered Geelong's chances of retaining the premiership[23] and a 41-point loss to eventual premiers,Collingwood, in the preliminary final ended Geelong and Hawkins' season.[24]
Hawkins faced scrutiny during the2011 season for his inconsistent form,[25][26] which saw him dropped from the senior side in the middle of the season.[27] He was highly praised during Geelong's finals series in whichHerald Sun journalist Scott Gullan labelled the qualifying win againstHawthorn the best match of Hawkins' career at the time.[28] He bettered that performance two weeks later in the2011 AFL Grand Final, where he finished the day with nineteen disposals, nine marks and three goals to win his second premiership medallion.[29] An injury to fellow forwardJames Podsiadly in the second quarter meant Hawkins was the main target in the forward line where he kicked three goals in the third quarter and he was labelled as the unlikely hero byFox Sports Australia journalist Mike Hedge.[30] His performance saw him awarded five votes for theNorm Smith Medal, coming third behindJimmy Bartel with thirteen votes andJoel Selwood with nine votes.[31] It was later revealed in a book—Greatness, Inside Geelong's Path to Premiership History—that he was nearly dropped for the final series for retiring forwardCameron Mooney.[32]
 | Parts of this article (those related to Post-2016 information required ASAP.) need to beupdated. The reason given is: Why does this only go up to 2016? Woefully out of date, especially for a "good" article.. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(March 2023) |
In 2012, Hawkins had a breakout year, kicking sixty-two goals to finish equal second in theColeman Medal.[33] In the Round 19 match against Hawthorn, he kicked six goals, including agoal after the siren, to deliver Geelong a two-point victory.[34] The win was Geelong's ninth consecutive victory over the Hawks since losing to them in the2008 AFL Grand Final.[35] After every season he participated in finished in at least making the preliminary final, Geelong exited the final series in the first week after the 16-point loss toFremantle at the MCG.[36] His emergence was rewarded with selection in the 2012All-Australian team,[37] theCarji Greeves Medal as the clubbest and fairest player, and he was Geelong's leading goalkicker.[38]
After Hawkins' emergence in 2012, a bulging disc in his back impacted his abilities during the 2013 season;[39] struggling with form throughout the season, he received bronx cheers from Geelong supporters in the round 20 match againstPort Adelaide atSimonds Stadium after he managed only six disposals and a goal.[40] The persistent back injury forced him to miss the start of the finals series by missing the qualifying final match against Fremantle at Simonds Stadium.[41] He played in the next two finals matches, including the 5-point loss against Hawthorn in the preliminary final which ended Geelong's season.[42] Despite the back injury, he managed to play 22 matches for the season kicking 49 goals, and he was Geelong's leading goalkicker for the second consecutive year.[43][44]
Described as returning to being a "genuine match winner" during the 2014 season by teammateTom Lonergan, Hawkins overcame his back injury to replicate his form from the 2012 season.[45] He kicked 68 goals for the season including a then-career-high seven goals against theBrisbane Lions in round 23.[46] He had strong performances against Hawthorn, kicking five goals andNorth Melbourne, kicking four goals in rounds five and ten respectively;[47][48] his performance against Hawthorn earned him the maximum threeBrownlow votes making him the best player on the ground adjudged by the field umpires.[49] During the qualifying final match againstHawthorn, he was scrutinised for a jumper punch againstBen Stratton, which was pondered whether Hawkins would face a suspension;[50] he was ultimately cleared of the incident, which allowed him to play in the semi-final loss against North Melbourne.[51] His season was rewarded with selection in the initial forty manAll-Australian squad, although he missed out on the final team.[52] In addition, he finished second in the best and fairest count behindJoel Selwood, he finished second in the Coleman Medal,[53] and he was Geelong's leading goalkicker for the third consecutive season.[44]
Personal tragedy hit Hawkins early in the 2015 season when his mother, Jennie, died in April.[54] He subsequently missed the Round 3 match againstGold Coast before returning the next week against North Melbourne[55] in which he paid tribute to his mother after his only goal in the match;[56] in addition, the game saw him reach his 150-game milestone.[57] He missed only one match for the remainder of the season, the Round 7 match againstSydney.[58] Since joining Geelong, it was the first season the club missed the finals series,[59] and he ultimately played nineteen games for the season and kicked forty-six goals, making him Geelong's leading goalkicker for the fourth consecutive season.[44] Entering the season, he remained unsigned, meaning he would become afree agent if he remained out of contract at the end of the season.[60] He ultimately ignored the lure of free agency, and he signed a five-year contract in July, tying him to the club until the end of the2020 season.[61]
The first half of the2016 season saw Hawkins play inconsistently due to his form wavering, with Geelong coachChris Scott noting Hawkins' "impact isn't what he'd like it to be and hasn't been for some time";[62] despite his inconsistency, Scott reassured fans that he believed Hawkins' best was still ahead of him.[63] It was revealed at the end of the season, that he had played with a small tear in hismeniscus, which resulted in post-season surgery.[64] He missed one match for the season after he was suspended for strikingGreater Western Sydney captain,Phil Davis, in Round 11.[65] The decision by the match review panel was criticised by theHerald Sun chief of football writer,Mark Robinson, where he labelled the decision "a joke",[66] and the backlash forced match review panel memberNathan Burke to publicly defend the decision.[67] Geelong returned to the final series in 2016, making it to the preliminary final and losing to Sydney by thirty-seven points at the MCG.[68] He finished with twenty-three matches for the season, kicking fifty-five goals, and he was Geelong's leading goalkicker for the fifth consecutive season.[44]
While the2020 season was heavily impacted by theCOVID-19 pandemic, Hawkins won theColeman Medal with a total of forty-two goals during the home and away season. Despite not being his largest tally in a season, his dominance as a forward throughout the seventeen-game season was established with a "near-unassailable lead" of eleven goals from his closest competitors inCharlie Dixon andJosh Kennedy.[69] Geelong qualified for the finals series and surpassed past finals disappointments by reaching for thegrand final. A half-time lead was unable to hold off a fast-finishingRichmond side, with Geelong falling short by thirty-one points.[70]
Hawkins' strong form continued into the2021 season, once again being Geelong's leading goalkicker with 62 goals. Geelong reached the preliminary final, this time falling at the hands of eventual premier Melbourne, who dominated with an 83-point win.[71]
Geelong's remarkably strong form in the2022 season included a sixteen game winning streak and an outstanding performance ongrand final day, with an 81-point victory overSydney. Marking his third premiership, Hawkins led Geelong's goalkicking an eleventh consecutive year, finishing the season with a total of sixty-seven goals, including the first two goals of the grand final. Both goals were won in forward 50 ruck contests against Sydney ruckmanTom Hickey, sparking Geelong's dominance throughout the match.[72]
The2023 season was a disappointment for Geelong, with the club failing to qualify for the finals series for the first time since 2015. Although Hawkins kicked a career-high eight goals against Essendon in Round 7—and a total of 49 goals for the year—his reign as Geelong leading goalkicker concluded when teammateJeremy Cameron finished the year with 53 goals.
Hawkins entered the2024 season requiring only nineteen goals to bring his career tally to eight hundred goals. Despite kicking nine goals in his first three matches, his form during the season was marred by poor form, including a stretch of four games where Hawkins was unable to register a goal.[73] His season was further disrupted when he injured his foot during Geelong's 63-point loss to Carlton in Round 15, making this his last-ever AFL game.[74]
On 6 August 2024, Hawkins announced that he would retire at the conclusion of the2024 AFL season.[75]
Hawkins made a final appearance for Geelong's VFL team in their semi-final againstSouthport in September. He kicked a goal during the first quarter in his first match in the VFL competition since 2011.[76][77]
Updated to the end of the 2024 season.[49]
G | Goals | K | Kicks | D | Disposals | T | Tackles |
B | Behinds | H | Handballs | M | Marks |
| Led the league for the Season only* | |
| Led the league after finals only* | |
| Led the league after Season and Finals* |
*10 games required to be eligible.
| Season | Team | No. | Games | Totals | Averages (per game) | Votes | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | B | K | H | D | M | T | G | B | K | H | D | M | T | |||||
| 2007 | Geelong | 26 | 9 | 12 | 10 | 52 | 25 | 77 | 33 | 9 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 5.8 | 2.8 | 8.6 | 3.7 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2008 | Geelong | 26 | 10 | 13 | 5 | 71 | 48 | 119 | 51 | 15 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 7.1 | 4.8 | 11.9 | 5.1 | 1.5 | 2 |
| 2009# | Geelong | 26 | 24 | 34 | 17 | 148 | 130 | 278 | 131 | 56 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 6.2 | 5.4 | 11.6 | 5.5 | 2.3 | 0 |
| 2010 | Geelong | 26 | 18 | 21 | 13 | 95 | 131 | 226 | 102 | 47 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 5.3 | 7.3 | 12.6 | 5.7 | 2.6 | 0 |
| 2011# | Geelong | 26 | 18 | 27 | 17 | 125 | 98 | 223 | 88 | 38 | 1.5 | 0.9 | 6.9 | 5.4 | 12.4 | 4.9 | 2.1 | 0 |
| 2012 | Geelong | 26 | 22 | 62 | 38 | 198 | 80 | 278 | 144 | 25 | 2.8 | 1.7 | 9.0 | 3.6 | 12.6 | 6.5 | 1.1 | 10 |
| 2013 | Geelong | 26 | 23 | 49 | 20 | 141 | 74 | 215 | 93 | 22 | 2.2 | 0.4 | 6.4 | 3.4 | 9.8 | 4.2 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2014 | Geelong | 26 | 24 | 68 | 40 | 222 | 75 | 297 | 161 | 32 | 2.8 | 1.7 | 9.3 | 3.1 | 12.4 | 6.7 | 1.3 | 7 |
| 2015 | Geelong | 26 | 19 | 46 | 20 | 145 | 51 | 196 | 93 | 31 | 2.4 | 1.1 | 7.6 | 2.7 | 10.3 | 4.9 | 1.6 | 3 |
| 2016 | Geelong | 26 | 23 | 55 | 31 | 198 | 90 | 288 | 126 | 39 | 2.4 | 1.3 | 8.6 | 3.9 | 12.5 | 5.5 | 1.7 | 2 |
| 2017 | Geelong | 26 | 22 | 51 | 26 | 199 | 100 | 299 | 116 | 61 | 2.3 | 1.2 | 9.0 | 4.5 | 13.6 | 5.3 | 2.8 | 3 |
| 2018 | Geelong | 26 | 21 | 60 | 29 | 212 | 113 | 325 | 153 | 40 | 2.9 | 1.4 | 10.1 | 5.4 | 15.5 | 7.3 | 1.9 | 9 |
| 2019 | Geelong | 26 | 24 | 56 | 32 | 203 | 106 | 309 | 126 | 37 | 2.3 | 1.3 | 8.5 | 4.4 | 12.9 | 5.3 | 1.5 | 5 |
| 2020[a] | Geelong | 26 | 21 | 49† | 36† | 172 | 87 | 259 | 114 | 40 | 2.3† | 1.7† | 8.2 | 4.1 | 12.3 | 5.4 | 1.9 | 11 |
| 2021 | Geelong | 26 | 25 | 62† | 37 | 215 | 127 | 342 | 129 | 50 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 8.6 | 5.1 | 13.7 | 5.2 | 2.0 | 6 |
| 2022# | Geelong | 26 | 25 | 67† | 43† | 221 | 107 | 328 | 142 | 39 | 2.7 | 1.7 | 8.8 | 4.3 | 13.1 | 5.7 | 1.6 | 8 |
| 2023 | Geelong | 26 | 20 | 49 | 26 | 146 | 68 | 214 | 91 | 18 | 2.5 | 1.3 | 7.3 | 3.4 | 10.7 | 4.6 | 0.9 | 7 |
| 2024 | Geelong | 26 | 12 | 15 | 8 | 67 | 42 | 109 | 35 | 19 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 5.6 | 3.5 | 9.1 | 2.9 | 1.6 | TBC |
| Career | 359 | 796 | 448 | 2830 | 1552 | 4382 | 1927 | 652 | 2.2 | 1.3 | 7.9 | 4.3 | 12.2 | 5.4 | 1.8 | 73 | ||
Notes
Team
Individual
As well as his father, Hawkins' unclesMichael Hawkins andRobb Hawkins—and his maternal grandfather,Fred Le Deux—all played football for Geelong.[78]
Tom married his long-time love, Emma Clapham during a ceremony at Marcus Hill, Geelong in 2016.[79] The couple have three children together, daughters, Arabella and Primrose and a son, Henry.[80]
Hawkins' nickname "Tomahawk" is a play on his first name and surname, with references to atomahawk axe ortomahawk missile, and has proven a popular calling card within the league.[1][81]
