Senior 26. Tom Hawkins (2007-)

Remove this Banner Ad

Re: No. 26 Tom Hawkins

If Nablett is injured with that knee he knocked bring in Hawkins, he does well at TD and it will be good experience for him facing Michael/Fletcher
 
Re: No. 26 Tom Hawkins

Just wanted to bring this one up here being the TOMAHAWK thread and all...
I seriously think that he has a claim to be a regular starter next year...

He's kicking bags of goals in the VFL and must be pushing Lonergan...
Anyway what does everybody think
 
Re: No. 26 Tom Hawkins

Tom Hawkins - 2006 AFL U18 Championships - Skilled Stadium:


[YOUTUBE]87tTqvCh5BY&feature=channel_page[/YOUTUBE]
 

Log in to remove this ad.

Re: No. 26 Tom Hawkins

hey, the club trained at The Geelong College today. I was there briefly (15-20 minutes) and noticed the main group trained strongly and at a very high intensity, for the time I was there. I tried having a look for Tomahawk, apparently he trained away from the main group, similar to Wednesday's session. :thumbsu:
 
Re: No. 26 Tom Hawkins

Is this the lad's last chance? Or are we still expecting too much of him? How bad is the foot?
 
Re: No. 26 Tom Hawkins

pauld42 said:
Is this the lad's last chance? Or are we still expecting too much of him? How bad is the foot?
Click to expand...
Your kidding aren't you. He's a 20 year old KPP and he's been suffering injuries, and what we have seen of him has been extremely promising.
 
Re: No. 26 Tom Hawkins

Tomahawk: Can he cut it?

Garry Lyon | April 8, 2009

NOT much has gone right for Tom Hawkins, the child prodigy Geelong unveiled in round two of the 2007 season.

It was always going to be a challenge for the young man to live up to the hype that accompanied his selection in the 2006 national draft. The draft watchers lauded the pick as one of the bargains of the decade, claiming another ridiculously cheap pick-up for the Cats at No. 41 by virtue of the father-son rule. Had not his dad, Jack, played 182 games for Geelong in the 1970s and '80s, the Cats may have had to part with a first-round pick to secure his services, as opposed to a third.

His three-goal debut against the Blues had Geelong supporters smirking. Against all natural instincts, they retained their composure, fighting the desire to declare the arrival of the successor to "you know who".

He followed up the next week with four first-half goals against Melbourne at the MCG and the faithful's resolve was broken. A standing ovation was deemed appropriate and the quest to replace G. Ablett snr, both physically and spiritually, was over.

Two years on and young Hawkins prepares for another round-three game tomorrow night with an altogether different level of expectation surrounding him. Hopefully a far more realistic one. The reality is, at just 20 years of age with 20 games under his belt, Hawkins remains a promising key position prospect with a mountain of work ahead if he is to consolidate a position in the Geelong line-up.

That is not a criticism of the player, or the Geelong coaching staff. His development has been stymied to a degree by a lingering foot injury that surfaced in the latter stages of last season, just at the time when he should have been pressing for a recall to the senior team.

This game is all about timing and opportunity and in his absence, Tom Lonergan took his chance and won the right to play alongside Cam Mooney as the Cats' second tall avenue up forward.

In a side that has made a habit in recent years of getting so many things so right, the forward line remains the recalcitrant sibling in an otherwise perfect family. The defence has been settled, and good enough, to date, to cover for the absence of Matthew Egan, Tom Harley and Josh Hunt.

The midfield is gilt-edged gold, with Gary Ablett, Joel Selwood, Jimmy Bartel and Joel Corey comparable to the very best in recent memory.

The forward line, however, has been crying out for another power forward to emerge and support Mooney, Steve Johnson and Paul Chapman. They have persevered with combinations of Ryan Gamble and Lonergan with Mooney, yet it would appear they have yet to be convinced they have struck on the right formula.

Enter Tom Hawkins. After kicking five second-half goals in the Geelong VFL side he was recalled for last week's game against Richmond, at the expense of Lonergan.

His body willing, the time is right for the Cats to find out about the powerful youngster and settle him into the forward half of the ground for at least the next six weeks. Big, young key forwards are always going to take time and it probably won't be until the end of next year before he fully matures as a footballer.

But you need a reference point to assess his development and the next six weeks can provide just that. The questions that need to be answered are many, as they tend to be with young footballers with 20 games to their names, and unless you are a Joel Selwood, who provided most answers inside his first couple of games, patience in the information gathering process is vital.

For Hawkins, I would be hoping to find the answers to these three questions in the next six weeks:

1. Has he got the work ethic and aerobic capacity to compete in the manner required of a key forward in the modern era?

With the new rushed-behind rule, there is no longer the option of retreat for defenders under pressure. Forward pressure is king. Carlton is on top of the ladder and the Blues have applied more tackles inside their forward 50 than any other team in the competition. Brendan Fevola is leading the way.

St Kilda's forwards tackled the Crows into submission last Friday night.

It requires a committed mindset and a fitness base that allows for quick recovery and repeated second and third efforts.

2. Is he more than just a "lead-up" forward?

There is still a role to be played by the forward who presents to the football, but it can't be the only string to your bow. That player becomes too easy to defend against.

Players guard space now, rather than an opponent, and it has drastically reduced the room for forwards to present to.

Forward-line "craft" becomes critical. Summing up situations, making split decisions on where the most dangerous space to lead is and what the capabilities are of the player delivering the ball.

Hawkins' teammate Steve Johnson is the perfect example of a forward-line master-craftsman. He presents forward, sideways, doubles back on his opponents and is never predictable.

3. Can he convert his opportunities?

You don't fix a problem area by introducing someone with a similar problem. The Cats' goal-kicking yips from last year's grand final still haunt their supporters.

Reliability in front of goal may ultimately determine the success or otherwise of Hawkins' future. From the little evidence so far, his goalkicking is not a pretty process to observe. He is struggling to get ball to boot, let alone kick it accurately.

History tells us the goal-kicking yips are an enormously difficult virus to get rid of. A 12-to-15 possession forward has to take his chances.

Geelong people tell me Hawkins is a terrific kid, very well liked, respectful of his club and his teammates and very willing to learn. A product of a very good family upbringing, it is said.

He has enjoyed his best pre-season, working hard in the gym while restricted with his injury, resulting in him being as light as he has been since joining the club.

The fact that he has been in the system for two years now should hold him in good stead going into tomorrow night's game. It's the biggest of stages; Collingwood as an opponent, the MCG under lights and a big television audience.

For a lot of football fans captured by his entree into the world of AFL football — not just Geelong supporters — this will be their first good look at him, probably since he kicked five goals against Melbourne in round three last year.

How far has he come as a footballer in that time and how far he can go remains a question yet to be answered.

One thing he won't be burdened with this time around is the hysteria we are all guilty of on occasions when a bright young talent emerges. No more comparisons to Tony Lockett or Jonathan Brown.

His coach, Mark Thompson, probably put it best this time last week when he said he "didn't expect him to be superman, or Tony Lockett". Just a pretty good, "solid" footballer.

A "solid" performance against the Pies won't win him a standing ovation, but it may be the first step to a long and fruitful career with the Cats.

I think he'll settle for that.
Click to expand...

http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/rf...1238869973728.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1
 
Re: No. 26 Tom Hawkins

Tomahawk finds edge

By Ben Broad 5:41 PM Sun 26 April, 2009

GEELONG coach Mark Thompson has sung the praises of youngster Tom Hawkins, saying the young forward’s game on Sunday against the Brisbane Lions was his best for the club.

On a day not suited for tall-marking forwards, Hawkins and fellow key target Cameron Mooney carved up the Lions as the home side routed the Lions by 93 points at Skilled Stadium.

Hawkins booted three goals in the Cats’ 18.18 (126) to 5.3 (33) win but it was his efforts off the ball that most impressed.

Along with seven marks and 20 disposals – 11 of which were contested – Hawkins laid nine tackles as he hunted the ball with a ferocity unseen in his previous 22 games.

“I thought it was clearly the best game he’s played,” Thompson said after the match.

“Although he’s kicked more goals and everything else in some games, he was just involved in the game and looked like he was confident in running around and he knew what he was doing and he was having some influence.

“We would love for Hawk to play like that every week because he really looked like a comfortable, accomplished AFL player today.”

Teammate Shannon Byrnes said after the match that the man known as “Tomahawk” had also won accolades from his peers and coaching staff.

Despite Gary Ablett racking up 42 disposals and booting two goals, it wasn’t enough for him to clinch a specially-designated prize on offer in the Cats’ changerooms.

“We had an ANZAC Spirit award and Tommy won that,” Byrnes told afl.com.au.

“I thought he was fantastic today [with] his endeavour to get after the ball … I think he’s really coming of age at the moment.”
Click to expand...

http://www.gfc.com.au/geelongnews/newsarticle/tabid/3933/newsid/75669/default.aspx
 
Re: No. 26 Tom Hawkins

  • WHEN Tom Hawkins first appeared on the AFL stage on April 7, 2007, he was depicted as an amalgam of Tony Lockett, Wayne Carey and Jonathan Brown.
It was, of course, way over the top. But that is what a famous name, huge build-up, a couple of pack marks and three goals will do for an 18-year-old on debut.
More than two years on, Hawkins is steadily making his way as Geelong's next long-term key forward.
He has played 26 games for the modest return of 37 goals, but the graph is moving in the right direction.
Seven games in a row this year for 45 kicks and 12 goals.
The puppy fat has gone, the audacious nature of his early games has become a more rounded, team-oriented style of play, the realisation that rewards come with hard work has hit home.
That is what sport at the elite level does. It can extract its pound of flesh in more ways than one.

It is, though, worth remembering the boy nicknamed "Tomahawk" is 20. The early rave reviews weren't of his making. Not directly, anyway.
He still seems a little unnerved by the lavish praise he earned for his first appearance. But that's history.
Tonight at Etihad Stadium, the boy is the man for Geelong.

There's no Cam Mooney this time - suspended for failing to curb his desire to whack North Melbourne's Scott Thompson.
The Geelong goalfront belongs to Hawkins tonight. With it will come the Western Bulldogs' best defender, Brian Lake.
It will be his biggest test.
Hawkins is ready for the task. He's loving playing week after week, and is driven by events of the past two Septembers.
He watched enviously as his Geelong teammates celebrated a premiership in 2007; he was envious again last year when close friend, Melbourne Grammar schoolmate and Hawthorn midfielder Xavier Ellis, got to live the dream.
Hawkins decided it was time to ramp up his efforts.
"In my first year our team won. Last year the Hawks won and 'Zave' is a good mate of mine. I saw in those two years how big premierships are and what they mean," he said.
"It made me think, made me decide that's what I want to do, made me more determined.
"If the chance comes in the next couple of years, hopefully I'll be there to take it.
"I think in my first two years, I just wasted the opportunities. I suppose I didn't commit myself to football as much as I should have.
"Pretty disappointed with myself in the first couple of years. Felt they've been a little bit wasted."
That's a blunt self-assessment, but the youngster dearly wants to be part of team success, and to earn the respect of his teammates.
In his own words, he didn't turn up ready for work after being drafted by the Cats under the father-son rule in 2006.
"When I got down here, I was a bit over 105 (kg). Too heavy to be running round in league football," he said.
"The shape I came down in, I don't think I would have had the respect of any of the players. Very unacceptable, but . . .
"I think I always knew it would be (tough), but I just didn't really prepare myself very well for it. If I had my time again I would have done some stuff (training). Prepared myself better.
"At the time, finishing school, everyone was pretty happy to be finishing up, and I think I just enjoyed that time like everyone else. I'm still trying to get respect."
He is winning the battle. Everyone notices the definition in the young body, remembers how hard he worked in the rehab group during the summer.
Hawkins, who had to be nursed through a fracture in the notorious navicular bone in a foot, spent the summer working with Mooney, Tom Harley and David Wojcinski, and he wasn't going to drag the chain in that group.
When he joined Geelong he weighed a minimum 105kg and as much as 108, with a reputation for being on first-name terms with Ronald McDonald.
"There's a bit of fiction in that, but, coming from Finley . . . there was no Maccas at home," he said.
"The boarding-school food was good, but . . .
"The weight's always been a bit of an issue in the three years I've been down here. I'm just trying to get on top of that.
"Still got a lot of things to work on, still got to earn respect. That'll come, hopefully, by playing consistently."
Oddly, his father Jack was slim, almost lean. He is listed in The Encyclopedia Of AFL Footballers as having played for Geelong at 79.5kg, and a high-class player he was, too.
The difference in father and son, though, is not in any way intended to suggest there is a weight issue on the Le Deux side of the family.
Hawkins' parents drive from the family farm in Finley for most games.
"Dad doesn't say much. Both mum and dad are very supportive," Hawkins said.
"He doesn't tell me to do this or do that, just a couple of little things that might improve me as a player."
It has been a frustrating 12 months for the family, in football and on the farm, for obvious reasons.
Tom was diagnosed with a hot spot in a foot at Round 15 last year.
Post-season scans revealed a crack in the navicular, the bone that has put Matthew Egan's career on hold for two years.
The Cats went ultra-cautious with him, ordering him to wear a moon boot and use crutches for five to six weeks.
Now it's all systems go in what promises to be a big year for him in more ways than one.
He turns 21 in July. Like teammate Joel Selwood, it will come and go quietly.
"It's not high on my agenda, but I don't think I'll have it (a party) during the season. Just too hard to organise," he said.
He will content himself attending the 21sts of as many of his mates from school and home as football commitments allow.
"Tough sort of year to be 21," he said with a smile.
Early in the week he went to dinner with a few mates. They had a couple of beers, he didn't.
"You've got to be disciplined. you can't do that," he said.
"In a way, you and your mates end up being jealous of each other. (But) I'm very happy doing what I'm doing."
Click to expand...

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,25519710-19742,00.html
 
Re: No. 26 Tom Hawkins

[youtube]XMUeW5gwmmY[/youtube]

Interview with tommy and selwood from '07, pretty funny stuff.

Thanks to whoever uploaded!
 
Re: Like a phoenix from the ashes - Geelong Board player review is back!

No 26: Tom Hawkins. 2011 in review

 Coming into Season 2011, the Tomahawk was still the enigmatic man-child. “Built like Tarzan, plays like Jane” was the common cat-call. After bursting onto the scene in 2007 with a couple of strong performances in his first three games, Hawkins had been unable to live up to the hype. The footy world began to think that maybe he was never going to be able to. All that talk about being the next Plugger? Forget about it. Injuries, interrupted pre-seasons, a strange lack of physical presence and a seeming willingness to play him out of position on the part of the coaches seemed destined to doom the Tomahawk to a shortened career, an unfulfilled promise.

His 2011 campaign started off with promising signs in the NAB Cup round-robin, with a strong performance against the Bulldogs where he showed signs of that physical presence that had been so conspicuously absent. He led hard, contested well and took a couple of big grabs to go with a couple of goals. Once the season proper began, though, Hawkins began to look like the same old Tom. The double-grab-and-drop was strongly in evidence. Except for one notable effort that led to a trip to hospital for Alan Toovey, the physical hunger to impose his will on the game was missing. The kicking for goal was still an awkward 50-50 proposition. The stints in the ruck began to look like a desperate attempt to bring a big man into the game, like something Robert Walls would try after all else had failed.

After struggling for form during the first half of 2011, Chris Scott had enough and after being subbed out against the Gold Coast Suns, Hawkins was relegated to the VFL. One can only imagine the instructions Scott gave his out-of-form forward. “Get some c--- into ya!” might have been part of it. “Demand the ball!” another. “And for christ’s sake, learn to grab the ball out in front!” perhaps the most important. Whatever the case, Hawkins spent the next the three games trundling around in the twos, was re-introduced in Rd 14 against the Crows before being sent back to kicking the dew off the turf.

Another couple more fairly underwhelming games were spent in the magoos until Tom was reintroduced for the trip to the ‘Gabba against the Lions. After a tense tussle in the first three quarters, the Cats’ fitness and toughness won out, coasting to victory by six goals going away. And the big Tomahawk had a fair bit to say about the result. Opposed to Brent Staker, Hawkins appeared to grow in stature as the game went along. After a tentative opening, the marks began to stick. Double-grabs, to be sure, but he was hauling them in. A couple of shanks were mixed in with confident bombs from long range. As the second half went along, the marking became more assured. He led well, used his strength to effect, and the viewer could see his confidence rising with every grab. Finally, it looked like the Tomahawk was coming out of the doldrums.

The rest of the home and away season was mixed. Decent performances in thrashings against basement-dwellers Richmond, Melbourne and the Gold Coast were perhaps written off due to the opposition, particularly Melbourne. Tom dobbed five in a memorable 186 point smashing of the hapless Dees, but many of these were gifts against an overmatched opponent. An ordinary performance against Sydney in a shock loss followed, but Hawkins played better in the surprising 96 point drubbing of the reigning premiers Collingwood, taking a couple of strong grabs including a screamer in the goalsquare, and adding a couple of goals to the scoresheet.

Next up: finals, and a showdown with the hated Hawks. Matched up against the young Schoenmakers, we finally started to see signs of a big-game performer. Although he only took three marks for the game, all of them were contested, and I don’t think any Cats fan will forget the moment in the goalsquare. Matched up against Hawthorn’s best defender, Josh Gibson, the man-child graduated to full-man status, fending off Gibson with one arm, hauling in the ball with the other and then pushing off to snap truly. A big moment, and perhaps the turning point for his career.

The preliminary final against West Coast turned out to be less intense than the average H&A game, the Eagles having been run ragged in a narrow win at home against Carlton and they were simply overwhelmed from the start. Matched variously against AA fullback Darren Glass and up-and-comer Eric McKenzie, the Tomahawk was solid without being outstanding, taking four contested marks and contributing two goals to the rout. A path safely secured to the finale, Hawkins could look forward to a match-up with 2011 AA CHB Ben Reid – no easy task.

During a tough, tight first half, Hawkins contributed but could not quite get off the leash. A couple of opportunities went begging, including a couple of posters – though granted, one of those smashed into the behind post after a wild shank. A high leap and strong grab on the wing showed a Cloke-esque willingness and workrate, and the signs were good, even if the output was minor. At half time, the sum output of his efforts was zero.

Fast forward to three quarter time, and the Tomahawk has blown the game open. The record shows three goals next to his game, and the field of play shows an opponent run off his feet, constantly second to the ball. The second half of the season was proven to be no fluke. For all his efforts up until this point, though, the best was yet to come, as the Tomahawk finally lived up to his nickname as a lethal offensive weapon, tearing apart the All-Australian CHB with four contested marks in the space of five minutes, another frustrating poster and finally, a clever little give to the lurking Stevie J. Just like that, the game had been rent from the grasp of the tiring Magpies, and the enigmatic man-child had been the catalyst.

From a bit-part player, half forward, Half ruckman, a power forward has emerged. 2012 – the Year of the Tomahawk?
 

(Log in to remove this ad.)

Hawkins could never leave for money. He bleeds for this club.

In saying that, you never know what can happen. FA is a funny thing. Pretty much our most important player besides Selwood
 
I thoughh GAJ would never leave. He was handed the golden bag-o-cash and he left.

So much for that theory.

Now we have FA - which in essence is another golden bag o cash.

I feel that GFC will have known this was coming and will be putting a substantial offer to Hawk that is worthy of his place not only in the team but also in the marketplace. Will it be under market highs - probably - but he himself has benefitted from the collective approach so being a FS selection and a great clubman I would expect him to look at other options but elect to stay.

or he could just leave for the cash for Emma's new clothing line.

Go Catters
 
Where’s this bloke at?
Looks th fittest I’ve seen him.
Still believe our delivery is terrible to him, he rarely gets any shots from within 30 degrees of the goals
Always out wide and 40 out.
Would love to see him pushing blokes out of the way again, but with all this weight he’s lost it seems like his power has gone with it
 
calder_daddy said:
Where’s this bloke at?
Looks th fittest I’ve seen him.
Still believe our delivery is terrible to him, he rarely gets any shots from within 30 degrees of the goals
Always out wide and 40 out.
Would love to see him pushing blokes out of the way again, but with all this weight he’s lost it seems like his power has gone with it
Click to expand...
Hawk is still our major goal kicker (FF) but circumstances are dictating a different role. I believe he has lost weight because of that and also, stress related injuries: but in a way, he is learning a semi new position too, even this late in his career.

Unfortunately because he is a big guy, the umps almost always, give the benefit of the doubt to his opp.
 
Shai said:
Hawk is still our major goal kicker (FF) but circumstances are dictating a different role. I believe he has lost weight because of that and also, stress related injuries: but in a way, he is learning a semi new position too, even this late in his career.

Unfortunately because he is a big guy, the umps almost always, give the benefit of the doubt to his opp.
Click to expand...

Let’s hope he can get into some form
A inform Tom with our scoring power at the moment will scare the competition
 
calder_daddy said:
Where’s this bloke at?
Looks th fittest I’ve seen him.
Still believe our delivery is terrible to him, he rarely gets any shots from within 30 degrees of the goals
Always out wide and 40 out.
Would love to see him pushing blokes out of the way again, but with all this weight he’s lost it seems like his power has gone with it
Click to expand...

We’re dead last in the AFL for inside 50s. That’s all there is to it.
 
BORIS332 said:
We’re dead last in the AFL for inside 50s. That’s all there is to it.
Click to expand...
yup..

hard for big blokes to get involved with little to no supply..

Take him out of the equation and the structure falls apart like a house of cards.

Go Catters
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Remove this Banner Ad

Back
Top