Cats spearhead Tom Hawkins opens up to Mark Robinson about his previous struggles and new focus
LIGHTER, faster, happier — Tom Hawkins feels brand new after two tough seasons. MARK ROBINSON finds out how the penny dropped for the Cats’ superstar forward.
Geelong
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AS Tom Hawkins celebrated each of his three goals against Fremantle last Sunday, there was sense that here was a player happy within himself.
He looked strong and athletic. He looked fit.
He looked like he had a shed a few kegs and the result was reduced thighs, a smaller rump, a tighter gut, which allowed him greater movement up and down the ground.
Clearly a high-participation pre-season?
Yes, but not exactly the sole reason for the svelte conditioning.
In the week lead-up to the Dockers game, Hawkins suffered two bouts of the runs.
A run at the start of the week and another run at the end of the week, which while welcomed by cricketers, it’s hardly ideal for footballers.
He says he dropped 1.5kg. Others have said it was 5kg. So we’ll go with 2.5kg.
The reason for the first dodgy bout is unknown.
The reason for the second dodgy bout was some home-cooked chicken, although he wasn’t totally pointing the finger at his wife, Emma — we think.
“I had bug early in the week and lost a kilo and a half and then Emma cooked some medium rare chicken burritos and I got ill from that,’’ Hawkins said.
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He added with laugh: “Which is always good for losing weight.’’
Dodgy Mexican food aside, Hawkins is mentally and physically alive.
It was only the first game of the season and although he put out a pretty solid total package of 13 disposals (11 contested), five marks (four contested), a team-high four inside 50s, three goals and two goal assists, this is not a, “Gee-I-played-well-let’s-talk-to-the-media”.
This wasn’t Hawkins getting on media street.
This was Hawkins feeling good about footy and life again.
He ended the 2016 season with a knee scrape, but returned to training a week or two early to ensure he was ready from the outset.
“I haven’t been compromised by anything,’’ Hawkins said.
“I’m fit like everyone else. It’s not one of those things where I feel fit and feel strong in the sense that it’s been a penny-drop moment, it’s just what the off-season has thrown at me.
“I feel good. I feel like I’m enjoying my footy, which I think you can take for granted. Sometimes that can be a throwaway line, but I am enjoying my footy.’’
It can’t be a throwaway line for Hawkins.
On the weekend of Round 3, 2015, Hawkins lost his mum, Jennie, to cancer.
His 2015, naturally, was a football write-off.
Last year was much better. He kicked 55 goals, which was his third most goals in a season behind his 68 goals in 2014 and 62 goals in 2012.
“Last year was a hard one,’’ he said.
“I still played some good footy, but I think my personality was a little up and down, being happy when I played well, but being really disappointed when I ... and probably showing it more emotionally than I have before.
“When I gave away a free kick, I think I felt like the world was against me a little bit. I don’t know, a year is sort of hard to look back and define. It wasn’t a wasted year but I think my mindset was in a fog space, if you know what I mean.
“I didn’t think I had that clear direction.’’
Not sure if Eddie Betts or Tom Hawkins? That's a wonderful finish from the big man! #AFLFreoCats pic.twitter.com/ZMm1wnFsNn
— AFL (@AFL) March 26, 2017
Always in death, there is search for answers.
For Hawkins, there was search for clarity, a search for reasons to enjoy life and enjoy his footy.
“It’s a couple of years since mum passed away,’’ he said. “That aside, football can become a grind and I probably lost sight of what I enjoyed about the game and that’s playing with teammates and enjoying their success and thinking more holistically about the direction the club is heading in.
“And the fact I’m just a player representing the No.26 for a period of time. In a lot of ways I see myself as a caretaker of the No.26 and when I finish I’ll pass that on and hopefully I can leave a little bit of legacy of what I’ve done.’’
Turning 29 in July, it appears the penny-drop moment wasn’t the fitness, rather Hawkins’ understanding where he is as a footballer and what role he plays in the team. Kind of like, me, me, me became us, us, us.
“When you’re battling with form, you always think what can I do, what can I do, and I sort of got stuck in the notion thinking I had to do all these things to make myself a better player to make the team better,’’ he said.
“But what works as a footy club and the way we play is just about the individual playing their role. We have some unbelievable players, but even for Pat and Joel and Tommy Lonergan down the other end, it’s about what they can do to help the team.
“I’ve been caught up too much thinking about myself ... yeah, just trying to turn things around the wrong way.’’
Maturity has consumed the popular big man.
As well as getting married 12 months ago, Hawkins and Emma welcomed a baby girl in early January. They named her Arabella Jennifer Hawkins, the middle name after Hawkins’ mum.
In the truest sense, it was the circle of life.
Death was followed by life which has helped Hawkins move on.
“Fatherhood is another throwaway line but it has given me purpose,’’ he said. “I drive to training knowing I’ve got to support my daughter and my wife and you have real ownership of that as a young father.
“I still certainly get emotional about mum passing and not being here to enjoy it with my siblings and dad, but in some ways you do have to move on, and mum continues to live within our family.
“It’s been a big 18 months, but getting married and having a baby ... it’s felt a bit more purposeful after a rough 18 months.’’
On the field, Hawkins remains the centrepiece of a reworked forward line.
All-Australian defender Harry Taylor has joined the gang and while Taylor has yet to signal it a successful move as worries emerge about his mobility, Hawkins welcomes Taylor’s role.
“We’ve only seen one game, but he adds another dimension as a strong marking target,’’ Hawkins said.
“Changing ends of the ground isn’t that easy, and it’s something I’ve seen with players drifting forward and back, and it’s hard to find your niche within a forward line when you’ve been a defender and vice versa.
“But I think he’s adapting really well. He’s open to learnings, he’s not a narrowed-minded person, and last weekend showed with the spread of goal kickers (there were eight different goal kickers), everyone performed their role.
“He played how he we want to him to play — he presents well, strong contests, the stuff which looks pretty on the stat sheet will come for Harry and we know at any stage he will be a real force..’’
“I can tell you, other players walk taller with having Harry Taylor down there.’’
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