AFL 2024: Geelong coach Chris Scott says Tom Hawkins is judged on more than goals as he lauds selfless Cats champion

Tom Hawkins enters his club record-equalling game with a goalkicking drought. But coach Chris Scott isn’t concerned. Here’s why.

Tom Hawkins has failed to kick a goal in his last four games. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Geelong coach Chris Scott said the club and Tom Hawkins have never judged his performance on his goalkicking tallies, lauding the champion forward’s selflessness across his career.

Hawkins enters his club record-equalling 355th match – tying with Geelong legend Joel Selwood – without a goal to his name in his last four matches, averaging 8.3 touches, 1.8 marks and kicking three behinds in this period.

Scott is confident his form will turn and said he has always admired Hawkins’ all-round game which doesn’t rely on kicking bags of goals each week.

He referenced Hawkins gifting former Cat Jordan Clark his first AFL goal with a handball on the goal line in 2019 as an example of his selfless nature.

Scott conceded he has tried to get Hawkins to be more of a focal point in the past but he has baulked at the chance.

Hawkins sits 13th on the all-time VFL/AFL goalkicking list and has also set up the second-most goal assists with 294 – behind Adelaide and Carlton great Eddie Betts with 318.

Scott said this element of his game proves that there is more to his performances than just goals.

Tom Hawkins celebrates with Jordan Clark after setting up his first AFL goal in 2019. Picture: AAP Image/Julian Smith

“I can’t think of anything I haven’t said before, but it can’t be said enough, just how selfless he’s been as a player,” Scott said.

“I don’t keep track of individual stats much at all. Certainly not goals kicked or possessions. Goal assists is a pretty nice number… But one thing that I’ve always admired from even before I got to the Cats was watching him, he never looked like the forward who set his game up around kicking goals.

“That was always a by-product of what he did and even off the top of your head if you think about him turning around and giving the ball to Jordan Clark to kick his first goal. That’s not virtue signalling – that’s just the way he is, he just doesn’t measure his game that way.

“Which is why I don’t feel defensive when I talk about the last couple of weeks thinking, I get that. It’s easy to look at the numbers when you’re judging someone’s performance, but it’s a bit counterintuitive to us because we’ve never thought that way.

“It sounds a bit defensive, but of all the players I would have thought I might need to defend over the years, Tom wouldn’t have even entered the top 50. So I’m not going to risk by starting now and getting defensive.”

“I’m pretty happy talking about this stuff because I’m just so supremely confident that when he has a couple of good days, which are coming, the conversation will look after itself.”

Scott said the team-first Hawkins is often used as a decoy option up forward and views the Cats’ strong form during the twilight years of his career as a positive.

Chris Scott said Tom Hawkins has contributed more than just goals across his career. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images

“I’m not the type of coach that walks you through our plans and what we’re trying to set up, but it’s reasonable for you to assume based on what I’m saying that there are times where we deliberately don’t direct the ball through Tom, because that’s better for the team – and he contributes to those plans as well,” Scott said.

“I think I’ve tried to sort of encourage Tom to be the focal point a little bit more at times, it’s just not in his nature. So we work with what we’ve got.

“I’m pretty sure over the course of the last couple of years, more than ever, we don’t need Tom to dominate to be a good team – that’s taken a lot of work and a big contribution from him as well.”

He believes Hawkins shouldn’t be compared to the player he was at his peak.

“I can’t wait to see him play this week. It’s a great achievement. But again, I think we all should be more focused on the now with Tom and enjoying what we’ve got rather than sort of reminiscing about the type of player he has been,” Scott said.

Originally published as AFL 2024: Geelong coach Chris Scott says Tom Hawkins is judged on more than goals as he lauds selfless Cats champion