Cats champion unfazed by ‘speed hump’

Geelong champion Tom Hawkins is “well aware” his form has waned but says he’s not concerned he won’t be able to influence the Cats’ flag tilt in his 18th season.

Hawkins, 35, said he would continue to discuss his workload with Geelong staff and was open to being rested again in coming weeks as he closes in on the Cats’ all-time games record.

The power forward will draw equal with close friend Joel Selwood on 355 games when he faces Port Adelaide at GMHBA Stadium on Friday night and will also be looking to snap the first four-game goalless streak in his career.

He said he still felt he was playing his role for the team, who have won three of those four matches with no issues kicking a winning score until they met Melbourne on Saturday.

“I’m well aware that I’m not in great touch at the moment, but I feel like I’m still playing quite a significant role for the team,” Hawkins said.

“We’ve got a motto as a list and a 23 that plays each week – and specifically the forward line – that we’ve got so many avenues towards goal, which probably hasn’t always been the case for me in my time at Geelong.

“Each week is going to look a little different in terms of pure goalscoring. Yes, I’d like to be a bit more influential in the games, but I’ve touched on some periods in my career that I’ve worked through, and this is just a small speed hump. I’ll manage my way through it and no doubt be fine.”

Hawkins, who trails only Eddie Betts for goal assists since 2003 when the stat was first recorded, said he was still not interesting in measuring his output by goals.

He said he was just looking for a “little bit more influence”, particularly as a link-up player and with his forward-half ruckwork, as he expected to continue to be rotated out of the side to look after his body.

Geelong will travel to Darwin to face Gold Coast off a six-day break after the Power clash, and Hawkins would be able to break the Cats’ games record at home the following week if he missed the trip north.

“I’ve had conversations, and they’re ongoing conversations, about how best to manage me as a player,” he said.

“I’m 36 in July, so there’s an element that there’s always going to need to be management, things put in place to be able to be at my best for as long as I can.

“They’re ongoing discussions, nothing is certainly locked in, but we’ll continue to have those conversations.”

Melbourne great Garry Lyon said on Tuesday he expected Hawkins to “still have his moments” this season despite his rough patch.

“He’s just going through what every single player who has played the game goes through, and that is as you get older things get harder,” Lyon told SEN.

“He will be a hall of famer obviously. He is one of the great full-forwards I’ve seen play the game, but age is getting him.

“He’ll still have his moments this year. I’m not writing him off for the year.”