TOM Hawkins has given rise to hope he will be available for the start of Geelong’s premiership defence after making recent progress in his recovery from off-season surgery.
After undergoing what the Cats’ veteran labelled a “toe reconstruction” in late October, the club’s initial hope was an early-season return.
However, the 34-year-old, who has played 71 consecutive games since the start of the 2020 season, hasn’t ruled out running onto the MCG on March 17 for the season-opener against Collingwood.
“The plan at this stage is still very much Round 1’s alive,” Hawkins said.
“And that’s shifted a few times through my rehabilitation period.
“I thought that it’d be, maybe, Round 3 or 4.
“But, I’ve progressed really well.”
Hawkins played with the issue through the finals series after suffering the injury late in the home-and-away season.
However, he still managed eight goals from Geelong’s three finals, including four in the preliminary final hiding of the Brisbane Lions and three in the grand final victory over Sydney.
“I think I just pushed off; I can’t actually remember the incident,” Hawkins said.
“I was monitored and medicated accordingly. And then, during the finals series, I tore the plantar plate, which sits under your second toe.
“Then the joint became unstable, so they’ve pinned, fused, and shortened the toe by a mill(metre)-and-a-half. It was quite a complex procedure.
“I’m feeling really good now, but there was no guarantees that you get through it.”
Hawkins is confident he can have an early impact despite his limited pre-season.
“I’ve spent a lot of time in the heat and altitude chamber just cross-training,” he told AFL 360.
“My running program has been quite slow as I integrate speed and change of direction into it.
“But, I’ve come to quite well over the last two weeks, which gives me hope, both in a physical sense, but also just the way that I’ve recovered and how I feel out there.
“I thought it would take me a little bit of time just to get back to that footy conditioning; that has come pretty quick.”
Twitter: @krockfootball
