Is Tom Hawkins criminally underrated?

[DieSwans]

Lmfao at this thread.

Always been criminally overrated

 

[Roddy]

That’s because he’s criminally underrated.

No, it’s because he’s exceedingly average, in the greater scheme of things. He’d barely scrape in to a top 10 of CURRENT key forwards, let alone of all time.

 

[The Unforgiven]

I don't think so at all. He's been very servicable, but at this rate he'll retire as a good average full forward. That would be about where he's at.

 

[Elton Johns Wig]

So overrated it's not funny. Benefited from a great team up the ground. Is a one trick pony (very good at that trick).

Is an excellent kick.

But turning circle of the Queen Mary, almost no agility therefore no good with ball at ground level compared to his contemporaries.

Go back a couple of generations, if he was able to be the bear in the square, the way it was played back then, that's him. 80's footballer playing today.

 

[TheSunGod]

He lacks a mean streak for such an imposing figure. He’s too nice. If he attacked a pack / player more like a Tom Lynch / Barry Hall / Jonathon Brown he wouldn’t be criminally underrated, he’d be criminally rated.

 

[Topkent]

He could EASILY be an 80-100 goals-a-season forward if the delivery service to him wasn't so bloody woeful. They just bomb it in on his head and expect him to stay static and wrestle with two opponents until the ball arrives. On his head! We failed in Grand Finals back then, but Blighty's Boys had it worked out - ruck taps to rover, rover either gets it outside who then goes long to leading forward or goes long himself to that same leading forward.

Barnes to Hocking, Couch or Bairstow to Ablett. Rinse and repeat.

So no one has kicked 100 in a decade but Hawkins could easily do it? Righto

 

[The 747]

So overrated it's not funny. Benefited from a great team up the ground. Is a one trick pony (very good at that trick).

Is an excellent kick.

But turning circle of the Queen Mary, almost no agility therefore no good with ball at ground level compared to his contemporaries.

Go back a couple of generations, if he was able to be the bear in the square, the way it was played back then, that's him. 80's footballer playing today.

Good post but I don't agree he is overrated. I think he is rated appropriately, as a good AFL KPF - not a great one. Agree he is better suited to the game in decades past.

 

[Snake_Baker]

Played a very good last quarter v North in the 2014 semi final and almost singlehandedly dragged them over the line.

Aside from that he doesn't particularly stand out for me.

Has kicked 14 bags of 5 or more in 211 games when Geelong has been a scoring machine.

 

[Elton Johns Wig]

Good post but I don't agree he is overrated.

You're a Geelong supporter, so your view of it will be different, I accept natural bias.

But I think the view across opposition supporters on here is that he IS overrated. The main people saying he is not are Cats fans.

Has he had a good career? Yes.
Is he a good footballer? Yes.
Is he a great footballer? No. He played in a great, great team.

Hawkins plays his career at Freo and we wouldn't be having this conversation.

 

[Foucault1989]

This is worse than the Kelly brownlow thread.

But not as bad as the Clayton Oliver threads

 

[gbatman]

Good player in a tough position which has changed over the course of his career. Has had a very successful career. Kicking has let him down at time as has his fitness. Wouldn't say he's an out and out star of the game but he's good enough to play his role in a premiership side which isn't too bad.

 

[This Is Anfield]

What I noticed during the QF is that Hawkins gave his all and worked extremely hard but it seemed like that at the end of every lead he would hug the ball and fall to his knees on a long slide which killed any momentum Geelong had.
Very good, not great, player.

 

[Herne Hill Hammer]

OP has a pretty fair point. Hawkins has had a good career.

A good career, not a great one for someone of his physical attributes. A bit of the built like Tarzan plays like Jane for mine.

 

[Herne Hill Hammer]

Poor man's Cloke

Which one? Old Man Cloke was a much better player, Travis was too.

 

[Sweet Jesus]

No, it’s because he’s exceedingly average, in the greater scheme of things. He’d barely scrape in to a top 10 of CURRENT key forwards, let alone of all time.

Averages just over 2 goals per game over his career. That's nothing special for a guy who plays so deep.

 

[demondavey]

A good career, not a great one for someone of his physical attributes. A bit of the built like Tarzan plays like Jane for mine.

Yeah, probably fair to a degree. I reckon his better than Travis Cloke.

 

[adammania9]

Why does every player have to be under or overrated? Hawkins' footballing ability like most footballers is rated appropriately.

 

[newblueo]

2nd best player to come from finley..

top bloke by the way! to good of a guy to be at the cats imo

 

[juss]

Inspired by my conversations with humble forum members TiggyTig and Dez! I ask you in all seriousness, who can kick better than Tom Hawkins?

Tom Hawkins is without doubt an incredibly remarkable talent. There are many forwards currently in the game that are also incredibly remarkable talents. There forwards I assume many would rank before him, but more talented?

It's easy to forget some of the amazing things Tom Hawkins has done over his career.

My case for arguing he is one of if not the best kicks currently in the comp would be as follows.






Maybe it's my bias but those are some incredibly impressive examples. I have seen other forwards and watched other highlights, and I'm most impressed by Tom Hawkins. My only critique would be the other top forwards do have more impressive marks compared to Hawkins, but Hawkins literally everything else. His instinctive kicking comes second to no key forward. Criminally underrated player imo.

If there's a lot of them currently, then it's not all that remarkable is it?
Hawkins is a good player, who has had a good career. At times he has played great footy. He was excellent in a GF.
But in terms of individual accolades, he is a bit behind a few still playing, and his career doesn't stack up that remarkably at all in comparison.

 

[Herne Hill Hammer]

Yeah, probably fair to a degree. I reckon his better than Travis Cloke.

I reckon peak Cloke was better, more consistent and lasted for longer. Hawkins lit it up in the back half of '11 and the finals and has been a good to very good player since then.

From a goal point of view, Hawkins' best period has been his last 7 years, 51.14 goals per season. Cloke's best 7 years was 47.86 goals per season.

During those same periods, Hawkins averaged 256.57 disposals per season and Cloke 344.57. Hawkins averaged 117.26 marks per season and Cloke 172.86.

I definitely know which numbers I'd prefer and the stripes are vertical not horizontal.

3.28 goals per season in favour of Hawkins.

88 disposals per season in favour of Cloke.

55.6 more marks per season in favour of Cloke.

 

[Herne Hill Hammer]

2nd best player to come from finley..

top bloke by the way! to good of a guy to be at the cats imo

Naturally enough it was his old man, Jumpin' Jack in number 26 who was the best player to come out of Finley.

 

[Rob]

Forwards that play in good teams tend to get downgraded due to the fact that they play in a good team which makes their job a lot easier. Forwards in crap teams get upgraded for the same reason - see Tom Lynch at the Suns. Good forward no doubt, but when people suggest paying him $1.5m a year - that's absurd.

 

[tigertigertiger]

Was probably criminally overrated

 

[Blue1980]

I think he’s a very good forward. Not GOAT or anything but has had a very solid career.

Unless you think he’s a legend of the game or a slight step up from Kent Kingsley I think he’s rated fairly

 

[The 747]

The main thing with Hawkins from my perspective is that his best is outstanding - he can tear a team apart - but that performance only lasts minutes not halves or full games. I have seen him play incredible quarters of football but never an outstanding four quarter game.

Now he is in the twilight of his career and again I think he is rated fairly, very good player not a great player - and that won't change now.