Hawkins

[Fritz_the_Cat]

IMO first priority for Thomahawk is to get his kicking technique sorted out.. when he first came into the side he had a beautiful kicking style & looked the goods.. now he kicks more & more like Kent Kingsley every day.. has lost penetration, accuracy & pushes everything inside out.. i dunno if the coaches have tinkered with his technique & wrecked it or whether he has just lost confidence... i reckon i could sort him out in a week

 

[noclashjumpers]

This. It's what he needs to regain his confidence.

He's been shunted from pillar to post with the arrival of Pods and the uncertainty of Blake's role, while he lost all his momentum with an untimely foot injury.

The psychological scare of this injury (ie would it become a Matty Egan?) and his growing confusion about his role in the team has destroyed his confidence.

I don't know whether he'll ever become a Tony Lockett, but I do believe he has the ability to become a very serviceable forward if he's given the time and confidence to do so.

But that won't happen while he's put in the pocket or ruck.

The problem is, he was put into the ruck, in part, to gain confidence. He was starved of opportunity in the past up forward, and only getting 2-3 touches a game started to get to him.

Having said that, I agree with you. He and the club have to accept that he isn't a ruckman. And he's just going to have to learn the hard way to impose himself from a KF position.

Next year is a crossroads for Tommy. I'm confident he can get through it though.

 

[Cataholic]

The problem is, he was put into the ruck, in part, to gain confidence. He was starved of opportunity in the past up forward, and only getting 2-3 touches a game started to get to him.

Having said that, I agree with you. He and the club have to accept that he isn't a ruckman. And he's just going to have to learn the hard way to impose himself from a KF position.

Next year is a crossroads for Tommy. I'm confident he can get through it though.

You're right, his move into the ruck was designed to get him a bit more of the ball and thereby improve his confidence.

But I'm not sure it had the desired effect, due to the combination of factors I previously stated.

As you say, he's not a ruckman, and the only thing for him is to do the hard yards up forward, and nowhere else. This might mean that Pods is played in the pocket - I love him as much as anyone else, but the cold hard fact is that the long-term future lays with Hawkins, not Pods.

Therefore, I think the forward line should be structured around Hawkins next year, using the support of Pods, Johnson and Mooney to teach and guide him.

This would be a public statement of the club's confidence in him, which in turn will give him the belief he has the ability, while allowing him to concentrate on, and learn, the role he's designed to play.