Geelong forward Tom Hawkins is enduring perhaps the toughest patch of his career.
The 35-year-old went goalless in Saturday night’s 74-66 loss to Melbourne, marking the fourth game in a row without a major.
It’s the first time in his career that he’s had a month-long dry spell and while Cats coach Chris Scott says the forward isn’t physically hampered, Essendon great Matthew Lloyd thinks that age might be catching up to the superstar.
Having gone through similar struggles towards the end of his career, Lloyd pondered whether Hawkins has lost the speed needed to make it as a quality key forward.
“Tom Hawkins, he is a concern, a major concern for Geelong,” Lloyd said on Nine’s Sunday Footy Show.
“This is his last month (where he has zero goals). To his credit he is still unselfish, he could have had a shot or two last night but he does what’s best for the team.
“I admire him because at his age, full forward is the toughest spot to play because if you don’t have speed, you’re in trouble.
“You can play midfield or you can play back, but as a key forward once you lose that bit of speed and mobility, you’re in trouble.”
While Lloyd expects Hawkins to continue contributing throughout 2024, he doesn’t know if he’ll ever be able to get that separation on his opponent for the rest of his career.
“What I’m saying is, he looks like he’s lost that speed off the mark,” Lloyd said.
“It can happen overnight, it can happen in an off-season and he’s really struggling to get off his opponents.
“He’ll keep playing and he’ll keep contributing, but it’s a tough position to play (for an ageing player).
“I’ve been there where mentally you know that you can’t quite get off your opponent.”
Lloyd’s co-host Kane Cornes pondered whether Hawkins would be in danger of being dropped if he didn’t have such a legendary reputation.
With Shannon Neale waiting in the wings, Cornes thinks that Hawkins’ poor form is beginning to become a genuinely big story.
“Is it an elephant in the room?” Cornes asked.
“For the champion that he is … he’s about to take over Joel Selwood’s games record.
“He keeps playing because he’s Tom Hawkins, but it becomes bigger and bigger if he doesn’t impact.
“You’ve still got to contribute. It becomes a big story because he hasn’t kicked a goal for four weeks now.”
Hawkins equals Joel Selwood’s all-time Geelong games record of 355 when the Cats face the Power at GMHBA Stadium on Friday night.
