‘Jumping Jack’ on way towards Hall of Fame

KNOWN for his trademark leaping ability on the field, Jack Hawkins could be destined for the NSW football Hall of Fame thanks largely to his hard work off the field.

An outstanding centre-half back known as “Jumping Jack”, Hawkins played 182 games for Geelong from 1973 to 1981 after being recruited from Finley.

Knee trouble ended his stellar career before he went back to farming life in NSW and back into supporting football.

“I have always enjoyed all aspects of footy, whether that be playing or being involved at a club or league level,” he said.

“I was involved with the Murray Football League for, I can’t even tell you how many years. I was president for nine years and only relinquished that position two years ago.

“That was a really enjoyable role to play because you are dealing with volunteers from lots of different clubs and our league is spread over from Mulwalla in the east to Moama in the west and Tongala in the south and Finley and Denny in the north.”

Hawkins is a nominee for the Hall of Fame, which will be announced this year to coincide with 140 years of football in NSW.

His son, Geelong star fullforward Tom Hawkins, will be automatically entered after he was named in the greatest NSW side last year.

Living the simple life in Finley, the elder Hawkins did some coaching, was president and a committeeman at the Finley Football Club and heavily involved with former Essendon star Terry Daniher in interleague football.

His selection work for interleague even led him to stand at ground level on the MCG on the famous day that Ted Whitten was driven around in an emotional farewell, given a NSW side played in the curtain-raiser.

This deep love of the game was born as a youngster when he got his first taste of football alongside his brothers Michael and Robb, who combined to play five games for Geelong.

In those days, the Finley region was zoned to Geelong, so recruiters would attend the finals each year and Hawkins did enough to impress alongside his school football with Melbourne Grammar.

“When you are 17, you never thought you would be playing VFL footy and playing for the Cats,” he said.

“I never gave it a thought until they started to come and see me because you watch it on the TV and see that (the players) are running fast and tackling furiously and you think, they are too good for me.

“The opportunity comes along and all of a sudden you get there and play a few games and think to yourself that you could slot in here.”

Playing with the Cats opened doors for Hawkins to study agriculture and he met his future wife, Jennie Le Dux, the daughter of former Geelong footballer Fred Le Dux.

“Having the opportunity to play for Geelong brought other things to my life as well,” Hawkins said.

“I met Jennie Le Dux in Geelong and we got married at the end of my footy career and had four kids who are actually all back in Geelong now, believe it or not.

“Football and my education in Melbourne were probably two of the most significant things that changed my life.”

A fan favourite, Hawkins’s dare in the air helped him become a shining light during what was mostly a dour era for the club in the 1970s.

The Cats picked up steam as the decade ended and topped the ladder at the end of the 1980 VFL season.

Having beaten Richmond and Collingwood during the year, Geelong was confident it could match the powerhouse clubs in the finals but were fixtured to play the semi and preliminary finals at Waverley Park, which Hawkins believes didn’t suit the Cats.

In heartbreaking fashion, Hawkins injured his knee in a tight preliminary final against the Magpies as his team fell short by just four points.

Never the same player, he would miss the first eight rounds in 1981 but end up playing 15 matches as the Cats again lost to the Magpies in a preliminary final at Waverley, this time by seven points.

At 27, his playing career was done.

“It was a bit of a blow because the Cats had a pretty good side in 1980 and I hurt my knee halfway through the preliminary final and we only got beaten narrowly,” Hawkins said.

“The next year I came back and played 15 games and I was still having knee problems and then I had an operation at the end of the year and I was never able to get back from there.

“At the time, I was probably ready to move on with my life anyway. I wanted to go and do farming and I got married in 1985 and the world moves on.”

The end of playing football led Hawkins back to Finley but aside from his farming, he still remained heavily invested in the game.