Tom Hawkins a 95 per cent chance to play for Finley on Good Friday at home

Geelong superstar Tom Hawkins has confirmed his likely return to country footy in 2025. Check out when you might see him in action.

Tom Hawkins will play for Finley on Good Friday . (Photo by Brendon Thorne/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)

Tom Hawkins’s return to Finley is almost locked in for this season but just needs to get past one more hurdle to make it a reality.

Finley has confirmed the three-time premiership could play for the club under lights against Deniliquin on Good Friday, April 18, in the Murray league.

It’s almost locked in but Hawkins needs to make sure he is available for the night.

The 359-game AFL player signed with Fox Footy in the off-season and he needs to find out his commitments to the network before declaring he will play.

“I just talked to Tom and he wants come back and play with his original club,” Finley football director Rick Shaw said.

“But he hasn’t got confirmation on what match (he’s doing).

“If he gets a match on the Monday he’ll play for us on the Friday.”

The Geelong and Hawthorn game on Easter Monday.

Finley president Matt Clarke said he was 95 per cent confident it would happen and Tom is on board with making it happen.

Hawkins last year revealed he would play a game for Finley in the league while also playing for Victorian Amateur Football Association club Old Melburnians.

Tom Hawkins with his kids in the AFL Grand Final motorcade after his retirement. Picture Lachie Millard

Shaw didn’t rule out his potential Good Friday appearance being his first and last for the season.

“We would love him to play more games but we just don’t know that outcome yet,” he said.

“From what I can understand Tom’s program comes out in the next couple of days.

“When he does that, that’s when he’s going to talk to our footy coach and to us about what his likely schedule is set to be.”

Shaw said Hawkins’ appearance on Good Friday, if it happens, could be one of the biggest events to happen in Finley in recent memory.

The football director is also the owner of the Finley Country Club Hotel Motel and the president of the town’s Chamber of Commerce.

He said the expectation would be for ground attendance to double if Hawkins played.

“The Deniliquin and Finley match, we’re always set for that Friday event, and it’s had fantastic support whether it’s been in Finley or Deni,” Shaw said

“We would get that three to four thousand (people).

“We would be hoping to double that if Tom comes to play.

“There’s so many people I’ve talked to who would come up and see the match that we would need to think about how we present it as well.”

Shaw added the community would come out in support.

“We would anticipate for the town’s economy itself there would be a real benefit for it,” he said.

“All round it will be fantastic for the community itself.”