Tom Hawkins spoke to Fairfax and reminisced about his childhood dreams of becoming an AFL player for Geelong Cats, as well as touching on moments that he wishes he could bottle up and keep.
''I remember when I was a kid, people would ask me what I wanted to do when I was older, and I'd just say, 'I'm going to play footy for Geelong,’’ Hawkins said.
‘’And to be down here now doing something I love is very special.’’
''I remember coming down here and sitting in the old past players' stand, which had a capacity of about 40. There were about four bench seats in front of that, and I'd go and sit there and be so close I could lean over the fence and pick up a bit of grass and take it home with me.’’
It must have been like walking into a childhood storybook when Hawkins arrived at the club, walking through a world that he had heard so much about through family stories told by both his Father and Grandfather.
''I knew the history of the club when I got here. I knew the greats, like the Nankervis brothers, and 'Polly' Farmer. I know how special it is to walk in every day and see those names on the lockers. And to have been part of an era that's won three premierships and played finals regularly. Now I see what it means to win. That's going to hold me in good stead.''
Besides being awarded Geelong’s best and fairest for 2012, one of Hawkins’ very special moments, that will stay with him forever, is when he kicked that spectacular goal on the siren during round 19 last year, when they defeated Hawthorn by two points.
''If you could put that two minutes in a bottle and bring it out at different times in your life, I'd love that,'' Hawkins explained.
‘’Just an awesome feeling, hard to explain. As a kid in the backyard I had those shots, probably from about 20 metres out, and I reckon I ran at about 40 per cent. So it was a pretty sweet feeling.''
Two weeks ago, Hawkins, also received another award to add to his list of achievements, when he was voted in by his teammates to join the Cat’s leadership group, along with his good mate, Andrew Mackie.
''To be voted in by your peers is fantastic, and just knowing that you've gained respect from them is great,'' Hawkins said.
''I think with more senior players leaving, the onus is on guys in similar positions to [me] to take more of a leadership role and just help develop the younger group on our list.
The responsibilities that come with Hawkins’ new leadership role, has inspired him to take on a more senior approach when both on and off the field.
He wants to help influence and encourage their younger group of players, and provide them with the same support that he received from past senior leaders, including Cameron Ling, Brad Ottens, Cam Mooney and Matthew Scarlett.
''It's us guys who've been around here five to eight years that can really have more influence … around the group, and I suppose I'm now seeing that I can help out, both from my position on the ground and in being more of a senior face in the team,’’ Hawkins said.
''Not mentoring as such, but providing ideas and a little bit of help for guys who are younger. Anything that can make this team better as a playing list and also help people grow and learn more about themselves.''
