A long time, and a good time, as Tom Hawkins bids farewell

At Geelong, Tom Hawkins was in for both a good time, and a long time.

He joked that when he arrived at the club 18 years ago, he was “a bit fat and raw”.

It didn’t stop him knocking over Tim Tams the night before 90 per cent of his 359 games before demolishing defences the next day with equal pleasure, either kicking a bag or sharing potential snags with grateful teammates.

Tom Hawkins developed into a fierce competitor at GeelongCredit: Getty Images

Sometimes he’d let a former teammate at another club he was lining up on know how many Tim Tams he’d eaten as an indicator of how many goals he might kick that day.

His current teammates packed into a meeting room on Tuesday soon along with every member of the club and the family he adored after listening to an emotional Hawkins tell his teammates this season would be his last with the Cats. He wanted to enjoy every minute left with them.

A smile was never far away from Tom Hawkins face, which made him a popular person at the club.Credit: Getty Images

Hawkins’ voice quivered as he cracked jokes that made the room roar suggesting he “might need two seats” for himself post-retirement to watch his beloved Cats play and that he knew his time was up when he realised, at 36, he was closer in age to his teammates’ parents than his teammates.

He was sincere about his love for his family yet authentic, admitting his two youngest children Primrose and Henry probably “couldn’t give a shit to be honest” that he was retiring.

His dad, former Cat ‘Jumping’ Jack Hawkins lived up to his nickname when he was the first to rise to his feet to applaud his son as the farewell media conference concluded. It showed how proud the humble Finley farmer was of his lad, who had worn the same No.26 in three premierships he had worn in 182 matches.

When Hawkins heard in the morning that Richmond icon Dustin Martin had retired he playfully asked his premiership teammate Brandon Parfitt whether it would be a good idea for him to announce his own retirement that day too.

Parfitt didn’t know what was coming nor what to say, but he made Hawkins grin when, perhaps shocked by the question, responded that it sounded like a good idea.

In typical Hawkins fashion when asked about the Martin clash – which was a complete coincidence – he started with a flourish of praise about his storied foe before remembering the pain the Tigers champ had inflicted on Cats supporters over the years.

Geelong landed two all-time greats in Tom Hawkins and Joel Selwood in the 2006 national draftCredit: The Age

“Congratulations to Dusty and his family for what he has been able to achieve because it’s…I was gonna say it has been fun to watch but…whoo, it hasn’t been fun to watch at times,” he said.

Fun is one word those people who have spent time at Geelong with Hawkins use to describe him.

Caring is another. No-one who has encountered Hawkins has a bad word to say about him, not even those who wrestled with him inside 50 for 18 seasons.

They are great traits that mean much to those who played and worked alongside him, watching his amazing career unfold as he earned three flags, was five times All-Australian and the 2022 captain, a Coleman Medallist and 11-times the Cats leading goalkicker.

Tom Hawkins, his wife Emma and children Arabella, Henry and Primrose.Credit: Getty Images

His coach Chris Scott was keen to highlight those off-field qualities that made him such a joy to coach as well as reminding everyone that around 2013-2015 as back problems flared, and more significantly and sadly, his mother, Jennie, died, the thought Hawkins could be still playing in 2024 would have seemed unrealistic.

Even Hawkins wondered at that time whether he would be regarded as an unfulfilled talent when his time came.

But he knew that he could be patient, and although he might take his time to master something, eventually, if he did, he would be good at it.

He persisted and became the best finding reason for optimism, said Scott, when those around struggled to do the same.

That made him a cherished figure, one impossible to replace, nowadays, the statesman of key forwards.

“In those difficult times we embrace the people that make them a little bit easier in the way they go about their business. He is a fearsome player but geez he is good fun to be around at the club,” Scott said.

“One thing we know for sure is he is going to be one of the all-time greats of the Geelong Football Club.”

Unlike Martin, Hawkins hopes to return from his foot injury and play more matches in 2024.

“I’d love to get back and play a part, Either way whatever happens I’ll be able to play a part in the remainder of the season,” Hawkins said. “I am really optimistic that I can come back and have an impact. There is going to be an opportunity to come back and play.”

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