Tom Hawkins wants Geelong’s new brigade of young Cats to experience premiership success

Geelong veteran Tom Hawkins is desperate for his young teammates to experience the success he did in his early years at the club.

Tom Hawkins celebrates a goal with teammate Tim Kelly on Friday. Picture: Michael Willson.

Geelong veteran Tom Hawkins is desperate for his young teammates to experience the success he did in his early years at the club.

Speaking after the Cats’ seven-point win over Collingwood on Friday night, the 30-year-old detailed what was a massive week it had been for him from a personal and professional level.

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He became a dad for the second time last Wednesday when he and wife Emma welcomed Primrose — known as Mimi — into the world, to join their daughter Arabella.

He also overcame soreness during the week to kick the matchwinner for the Cats that was the 500th goal of his AFL career.

Tom Hawkins kicked his 500th career goal against Collingwood on Friday. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images.

The big Cat celebrated by doing a rock-the-cradle motion as a tribute to his new daughter.

“It was unbelievable,” Hawkins said. “It was such a big week for the family.”

The Cats forward was full of praise for the four debutants — Jordan Clark, Charlie Constable, Tom Atkins and Gryan Miers — saying they were comfortable in the game’s big moments, and he also stressed how former Bulldog Luke Dahlhaus and Gary Rohan made the team a more rounded one.

“We talk about how nice it is for players to make their debut for the future of our club,” Hawkins said. “But I look at those players and they aren’t just players for the future, they are going to be impact players for the moment.”

“For Charlie Constable to be able to kick that (last quarter) goal was huge for us. A lot of the great individual moments came from our young ‘first-yearers’, which was very pleasing.

“I know Gary Rohan hasn’t played a lot of footy for us, but when they (Collingwood) were pushing forward, he was unbelievable.”

Hawkins, who played in Geelong’s 2009 and 2011 flags in his third and fifth seasons, said the youthful additions to the Cats’ 2019 team had given the older players a lift.

“As a player, you realise the end is quicker than what you think, when you get to 30,” he said.

“I was fortunate enough to play in premierships as a young kid when I was just playing my role and not having as much of an impact as I would say I have in the last few years. I just want to see these young guys have the success I was lucky enough to have.

“From a selfish point of view, when I finish playing in two, three or five years, I want to be able to come back to the footy and watch Geelong win, and these boys will hopefully be leading the way.”

Tom Hawkins shows off his skills after Geelong’s victory over Collingwood. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images.

Tom Hawkins celebrates a goal with teammate Tim Kelly on Friday. Picture: Michael Willson.

Geelong coach Chris Scott revealed Hawkins had been in doubt early in the week but he proved his fitness when it mattered.

Hawkins said: “We had a lot of help from the immediate family, which has been fantastic … Em and Primrose, or ‘Mimi’, as we like to call her, are doing well.

“They will hopefully come home on Sunday. It is great to have two little girls.”

He had been thinking about a celebration to honour the family’s new arrival if he happened to kick a goal on Friday night.

“I thought about it on the way to the game,” he said. “(NBA star) Russell Westbrook does the ‘Rock The Baby’, but that’s when he gets on a player he know he is better than. That’s not what I was doing.”

Hawkins became only the third Geelong player to push through the 500-goal mark, following from club greats Gary Ablett Snr (1021) and Doug Wade (834).