Family, farming and football: Why Tom Hawkins was born to play for Geelong

Geelong’s unique culture suited country kid Tom Hawkins. This is why.

Tom Hawkins announces he will retire from AFL football at the end of the year. Pictured at GMHBA Stadium with wife Emma and children Arabella, Primrose and Henry. Picture: Brad Fleet

At the press conference announcing his retirement, in front of a crowd of loved ones, Tom Hawkins said he felt “lucky” to have played for Geelong.

“You need luck on your side,” Hawkins said, interrupted midway by his youngest son, Henry.

“I’m just lucky, you know, through the conversations I had with Stephen Wells as a 16 and 17 year old, to join the Cats.

“They’ve been good to me ever since.”

But it wasn’t luck — Tom Hawkins was born to play for the Cats.

Tom Hawkins has announced he will retire from AFL football at the end of the year. Picture: Brad Fleet

He was farm-loving father-son selection who had grown up adoring the navy and white hoops, even donning them at the local level for his home town Finley.

Hawkins’ now-wife Emma also grew up riding horses and climbing fences in southern-NSW, in just a couple of kilometres outside of nearby Deniliquin.

That’s why it was no surprise that after 18-years in the region, Tom, Emma and their three kids live on a 62ha farm in Barrabool.

Hawkins said the farm had helped him throughout his journey, adding he felt he needed to have a passion outside of football.

Hawkins and his wife Emma. Picture: Brad Fleet

“It’s something I’ll carry on into the future,” he said.

“That family element and also just having the farm and having jobs to do, at times it overtakes my thinking.

“It’s been really important, and it’s come along at the same time as our children, it’s just a great release.”

The connection to land has always been an integral part of Hawkins’ identity.

There’s no Melbourne club where players can realistically live on a farm like his and be only 20 minutes away from their home ground or training facility.

The press conference at Kardinia Park on Tuesday was a happy one — Hawkins said the announcement was something of a “relief,” with a full players meeting room reflecting the status in which the 36-year-old is held.

Hawkins receiving a hug from coach Chris Scott. Picture: Brad Fleet

Chris Scott called Hawkins a great of the club, and after 359 games, three premierships, five all-Australian nods, a best and fairest and a Coleman, it’s a hard claim to rebuke.

It’s hard to imagine all of that happening anywhere other than the place that has loved him so much.

Hawkins, who still has the rest of the 2024 season to worry about, said that while he’ll be back at the club in the future after taking a well-deserved break, it won’t be in any official capacity.

DUSTY LINK

Hawkins announced his retirement on the same day as Richmond legend Dustin Martin. Picture: AAP.

The announcement of Hawkins’ retirement hit social media a little over an hour after heavily-tattooed enigma, Richmond legend Dustin Martin, decided to hang up the boots.

A question at Tuesday’s press conference was inevitable: “Was it all planned?”.

“ (Brandan Parfitt) thought I was joking when I said that Dusty announced his retirement then “I said ‘what if I announced my retirement today?’ knowing full well that I was about to in 20-minutes,” Hawkins said.

“He thought it was a good idea, I think I caught him a bit off-guard.

“I didn’t plan it.”

While “Dusty” and the Hawk carried themselves in polar opposite ways throughout their career, their lines crossed on a famous evening in 2020.

The pair locked horns on a humid night at the Gabba in the middle of the Covid pandemic when their sides faced off in that year’s grand final.

On that night Martin came off best, kicking four and being voted best afield unanimously on the way to his third premiership in a come-from-behind victory, while Hawkins only managed a goal from 10 disposals.

In obvious reference to this encounter, Hawkins quipped that at times, Martin’s career hadn’t “been fun to watch”.

Hawkins would have to wait two more years to square the premiership ledger.

“It’s a pleasure to share it with him, you talk about champions of our game,” Hawkins said.

Originally published as Family, farming and football: Why Tom Hawkins was born to play for Geelong