Tom Hawkins is the first to admit he’s not the most athletic specimen on the football field.
Regularly among the stragglers when it comes to time trials, his 198cm, 103kg frame wasn’t designed for eye-catching bursts of speed or endurance that would see him run a half marathon each week.
However, a straightforward mantra has held Hawkins in good stead throughout a career in which he will become just the 24th player in VFL/AFL history to reach the 350-game milestone in the Easter Monday clash with Hawthorn.
“There’s been some adjustments made on the way, but I think I’ve never lost sight of the fact that my strengths are my strengths, and they’ve been able to keep me in the game for a long period of time,” he said.
“As you’re quite well aware, I’m not very fast – I run last in our time trial just about every year.
“So, I focus on those things that make me a good player, and that’s my ability to be able to read the game and teammates, move my feet and win one-on-one contests.
“I’ve doubled down and really understood what makes me a good player from week to week.”
Hawkins, a father-son selection (pick 40 overall) in the 2006 National Draft, is a third-generation player at Geelong.
Dad Jack played 182 games in a nine-season career, while maternal grandfather Fred Le Deux made 18 appearances in the Hoops between 1956 and 58.
Hawkins debuted in Round 2 of the 2007 season, kicking three goals in a win over Carlton at the MCG.
However, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing for the 35-year-old.
A back issue caused by a bulging disc in 2013 among the lowlights.
“There was also form in 2011,” Hawkins said.
“There was a period where I think any young player, where they’re trying to establish themselves and couldn’t quite find the recipe, I suppose, for being in (the team) and staying consistent, that was a reall challenge to work through.
“Losing my mum in 2015 was the toughest part of my career.
“That support network at that period of time in my life was invaluable, both from a work point of view but a home point of view, too.”
Coach Chris Scott hailed Hawkins’ ability to evolve with a game that looked set to send power forwards the way of the dinosaur when he was battling his back problem.
“Tom was struggling a little bit physically, but it also occurred through a period of time where I think there was a sense the game was changing,” Scott said.
“And maybe the days of the big, strong key forward were numbered.
“Certainly, the way the greats in previous generations played – the Dunstalls and Locketts – maybe the game was moving further away from that style of player.
“And while Tom was having back issues at the same, it made a bit of sense that the game may get a bit harder for him, not easier.
“And he just completely defied those expectations.”
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