Geelong full forward Tom Hawkins says he’s a chance to suit up against the Magpies in Round 1 of the AFL premiership season in a little under six weeks, but he said there’s still a few more boxes he needs to tick before his return from offseason foot surgery is complete.

The 327 game Cats’ spearhead was speaking to media in Warrnambool this week as part of Geelong’s visit to the southwest Victorian town as part of the club’s annual community camp.

Hawkins said the early indications post-surgery was that the recovery would be slow, but the 17 year veteran is now running and hopeful of re-joining the group in two to three weeks’ time.

“I’m progressing really well, I've been hard at it behind the scenes,” he said. 

"We were always given the indication that it would be a bit slow so I'm taking the right steps forward and  continuing to increase my load. I ran today in Geelong and then made my way down here.”

However, despite aiming for a return bout with Collingwood, Hawkins said that both his and the club’s focus is on his long term wellbeing, and he’ll only play when he is ready to go.  

“In my mind I'm aiming to play Round 1, but whether or not that happens, I'm not sure,” he said. 

“I think the most important thing that we want to make sure of is that we're doing the right things for my longevity so I'm not going to rush back and play when I'm not ready. 

“It’s really hard to put a timeline on it. As my load increases I'll have more of an indication as to whether that's a possibility.”

Hawkins was awarded his fifth All-Australian jumper in 2022, while also being named captain of the AFL’s team of the year for the first time. Hawkins is within five games of equalling Corey Enright as the second most capped Geelong player in history, behind former captain Joel Selwood.