Happy ‘Hawk’ scary for opposition
TOM Hawkins is happy.
And it us working wonders for his football.
The star Geelong forward is in a “rare patch of form”, according to his coach, with a four-goal last quarter last week stirring the Cats to a rousing two-point victory over Melbourne and sparking conversation a second All-Australian nod could be in the wind.
There has been a shift. He knows he “didn’t start the season very well”, going goalless in two of the first four games before working into a groove to average more than three goals per game since then.
And then there was the seven last week, too.
The powerful goalkicker from Finley is not doing anything different, he says.
But there has been one major change.
“I had a really poor first six weeks,” Hawkins said with startling honesty this week.
“For me, I’ve just tried to continually work on what I do well when I’m playing my best. I think the repetition of that is starting to come out.
“I’m really enjoying playing footy at the moment. I’m enjoying being around my teammates and being around the footy club. “I’m just happy.” Hawkins, who turned 30 on the day of the Cats’ after-the-siren win over the Demons last week, was this week compared with all-time great Wayne Carey.
“If he can continue that, they go as a genuine flag contender,” 1988 Brownlow medallist Gerard Healy said on Fox Footy.
“I think most people have got them as a potential (premiership contender).
“He has never played at this level before.
“It is a level that is a significant jump ahead.”
It is a level Hawkins attributes to that happiness.
“I think that brings out ... if you’re happy then you play good footy,” he said.
“Certainly (Saturday) was one out of the box. But I’m not doing anything over the top or extra that I don’t usually do. Enjoying my footy and working on what I’m doing when I’m playing well.”
He polled maximum votes from coach Chris Scott and his Melbourne counterpart Simon Goodwin, and will return to the scene of the triumph against Brisbane Lions today, with Scott also highlighting the balance Hawkins has found in his life as a huge positive for his onfield prowess.
“He is (in career-best form) and on a number of levels,” he said on Thursday.
“His individual output as a key forward has been exemplary, really, in the last month or so. He’s had a good year across the season, but his leadership off the field — on the field as well — is helping dictate the way that we play, and physically he’s moving beautifully.
“He’s been inhibited at times throughout his career with minor back issues, but now he’s just in a great place in his life. His body’s feeling really good and he’s really enjoying his footy. Those things in combination, I think, are pretty powerful.”