Tom Hawkins

[davey_magik]

This guy for me is ridiculously underrated by people outside Geelong.

Sure, he's not Buddy (But who is?) but he's a wonderful young talent who has been hurt by injury. Yes, he has been a bit chubby, but he's not Lance Whitnall and he's still only a kid.

Has a massive leap for a guy of his bulk, very good kick for goal and is just a natural CHF.

Reminds me a lot of Jonathan Brown.

Thoughts?

 

[jazz]

Re: Rate a player: Tom Hawkins

We need to see him play senior football again to form an opinion.

 

[thejester]

Re: Rate a player: Tom Hawkins

Biggest problem at the moment is his own confidence. You get the impression watching them that he's really mindful of team rules - always wants to pass off, will give other players the chance to lead first, etc. Anyone who saw his first quarter against Sydney last year will know what he's truley capable of, if he'd just get a bit of Shannon's selfishness we'd be set.

 

[WALL-e]

Re: Rate a player: Tom Hawkins

I'll wait to see him play more to make a judgement.

Forwards are generally 22 when you can finalize a call on em.

That said you can tell if a guy has a chance of being a player pretty much out of the blocks, and he does.

 

[Neville Bartos]

Re: Rate a player: Tom Hawkins

No doubt he's a talent. But the same thing has probably happened with Dale Thomas. A player gets talked up so much by certain sections and when he fails to live up to that un-acheivable hype, people start to bag them.

Geelong fans were talking this kid up to command FF in their team in 2008 and dominate the competition with his size, but obviously that didn't completely happen and they were made to know about it.

Everyone seems to be marking that draft too critically. Selwood is a ready made star, Gibbs is on his way there as is Travis Boak, Jack Riewoldt and Nathan Brown. But the other KPP in that draft are all taking their time to come on. Gumbleton, Hansen, Thorp, Reid, Mitch Brown and even Leuenberger have all been lauded as the next big thing but haven't miraculously become stars yet. Tall players take time to adapt from Junior footy into the rigours of AFL and the strength and experience required.

I think the only thing to take from it, is that Hawkins is probably not that different from other young KPP. But he will come good

 

[FieryNayta]

Re: Rate a player: Tom Hawkins

We need to see him play senior football again to form an opinion.

Exactly. No one can really rate him honestly yet given that he has only played senior football in fleeting glances.

At the moment, he is still only a "prospect" which may have disapointed those who had expected him to be making a big impact by now.

I expect him to make some inroads over the next two seasons.

 

[Kooley]

Re: Rate a player: Tom Hawkins

please don't compare him to whitnall. Lance was twice the player at the same age.

 

[SwampCreature]

Re: Rate a player: Tom Hawkins

please don't compare him to whitnall. Lance was twice the player at the same age.

And almost 3 or 4 by the end of his career.

 

[davey_magik]

Re: Rate a player: Tom Hawkins

please don't compare him to whitnall. Lance was twice the player at the same age.

I compared them simply due to weight issues.

Hawkins will be twice the player Whitnall ever was .

 

[jayjones1]

Re: Rate a player: Tom Hawkins

This guy for me is ridiculously underrated by people outside Geelong.

Sure, he's not Buddy (But who is?) but he's a wonderful young talent who has been hurt by injury. Yes, he has been a bit chubby, but he's not Lance Whitnall and he's still only a kid.

Has a massive leap for a guy of his bulk, very good kick for goal and is just a natural CHF.

Reminds me a lot of Jonathan Brown.

Thoughts?

i dont think so i think he just looks heaps better cos he is playing around other great players which make him look better then he is,

 

[fpm84]

Re: Rate a player: Tom Hawkins

I say with full confidence that injuries will be the only thing to hold him back. Tom's a wonderful talent - strong pack mark, incredible strength for somebody so young and an above average shot at goal (something our forward line desperately needed on grand final day).

He'll never be Buddy Franklin and he's probably not as athletic as a Roughead or Cloke type, but Jonathan Brown has proven that a big, not overly quick forward still has a place in today's game.

That said, his unselfishness on the field does get annoying. He's capable of kicking set shots from anywhere within 55m, yet often looks to pass the ball off when marking within this distance. Last year against Sydney he took a mark at 52m and looked for a short lead - after all his teammates pointing at the big sticks, he took one step and banged the ball home. Don't know why he doesn't try that more often.

This is his third pre-season and he's yet to complete a full one. Hopefully a lot of his injuries have come about as a result of him growing into his body (saw him wandering around Telstra Dome on Saturday, he is MASSIVE) and he'll have some more luck soon.

Hawkins and Gamble look like a very formidable forward line to me for years to come.

 

[Tristagi]

Re: Rate a player: Tom Hawkins

hawkins could be a good player but he needs to get hungry as in take a mark inside 50 and go back and have a shot like any forward over the past 150 years would have. his got a booming kick on him and he can take a mark so he needs to get a little more selfish to really develop into a leading key forward that we need him to be

 

[rizzo]

Re: Rate a player: Tom Hawkins

No doubt he's a talent. But the same thing has probably happened with Dale Thomas. A player gets talked up so much by certain sections and when he fails to live up to that un-acheivable hype, people start to bag them.

Geelong fans were talking this kid up to command FF in their team in 2008 and dominate the competition with his size, but obviously that didn't completely happen and they were made to know about it.

Everyone seems to be marking that draft too critically. Selwood is a ready made star, Gibbs is on his way there as is Travis Boak, Jack Riewoldt and Nathan Brown. But the other KPP in that draft are all taking their time to come on. Gumbleton, Hansen, Thorp, Reid, Mitch Brown and even Leuenberger have all been lauded as the next big thing but haven't miraculously become stars yet. Tall players take time to adapt from Junior footy into the rigours of AFL and the strength and experience required.

I think the only thing to take from it, is that Hawkins is probably not that different from other young KPP. But he will come good

Great post

 

[Jef Costello]

Spot on Neville. The big kid will get there, but the expectations on players to hit the ground running from day 1 is over the top. Less than 5% of players can do it, especially in the big guys.

 

[jiphoc]

Great posts here of late. What do you know Hawks and Geelong fans are agreeing on something.

Hawkins problem at the start of his career was the media hype that surrounded him and expectation that comes with such hype.

 

[Tristagi]

yeah, its hard when there is so much media hype around you that the AFL changes the Father-Son rule..

 

[Go Cats!!]

He has the talent and ability to become a powerful forward. As stated injuries, not being hungry enough and media hype have held him back. Being compared to J.Brown and some even compared him to big Plugga when your 18 is expecting to much of a kid.

Needs a little more mongrel in him aswell, he sometimes seems to be wary of throwing his weight around. Thats ok in juniors because he would of probably killed kids since he was 105kgs at age 18.

 

[Schulzenfest]

Don't pay attention to Bay 13 when it comes to views of the wider football public. If you did then Hodge and Judd would both be hacks.

 

[aaronm46]

yeh the bay 13 bagging is just lame, everyone knows he has plenty of time tohave an above average career