Announcing his retirement on Tuesday morning, Tom Hawkins is set to hang up the boots after an illustrious and loyal career at Geelong.
The New South Wales-born footballer has had a decorated career spanning 18 seasons, with 796 goals to his name. Hawkins broke the all-time Geelong games record, overtaking long-time teammate Joel Selwood earlier this year, and has the potential to become just the 12th player to kick 800 goals, if he can return from his foot injury suffered in Round 15.
A three-time premiership Cat, Coleman medallist and five-time All-Australian (including once as captain), we've reflected on the long career of Tom Hawkins, and determined his top performances.
Having lost three preliminary finals since the 2011 premiership, winning just the one in 2020, Hawkins had been on the other side of the coin many times leading into the 2022 preliminary final.
A team in the twilight of its premiership window, Geelong boasted the oldest average age of any team in the competition, as players such as Joel Selwood and Isaac Smith reached the latter moments of their careers.
Hawkins lept at the opportunity however, his performance giving Geelong a final crack at a premiership in a decade-long period of home and away season excellence.
In a 71-point drubbing of Brisbane, Hawkins kicked four goals and three behinds, and produced a team-high 13 score involvements.
Hawkins produced an Easter Monday special against the Hawks in 2014, snagging a bag of five in a 19-point victory. It was Hawkins' first encounter with the Hawks since the Kennett Curse was broken in the 2013 preliminary final, and in another tight clash, Hawkins was composed under pressure.
Hawthorn stole an early final quarter lead, but Geelong would reply, with Hawkins nailing two goals back-to-back to put the game beyond doubt.
A key theme in Hawkins' best performances, the big Cat always manages to take control of the game in high-pressure moments to set his side up for victory, often kicking multiple goals consecutively.
In this home-and-away match against the Blues, Hawkins spent time higher up the ground, resulting in a career-best disposals performance.
Hawkins racked up 27 touches to go along with a season-high six goals and three goal assists.
It showed that Hawkins was capable of more than just a deep forward role, which was seen in the seasons to come through his rucking ability in the forward half.
In sopping wet weather, Hawkins defied key forward physics, kicking six goals straight from all angles and possibilities.
Hawkins scored soccer goals, loose ball snaps and dead-eye set shots in an all-round performance of genuine forward craft.
Hawkins nabbed Geelong's first three majors as the Cats darted away to a 20-point quarter-time advantage. By three-quarter-time, Hawkins had five goals and Geelong a 51-point lead.
The Lions kicked a woeful 4.17 for the match, with Hawkins outscoring the entire Brisbane team thanks to his sharpshooting accuracy.
In the shortened COVID-affected season, Hawkins and the Cats put the competition on notice with a 10-goal win against the soon-to-be minor premiers in Port Adelaide.
Hawkins ran amok over Tom Clurey and Tom Jonas, clunking ten marks on his way to six goals.
His best performance in a Coleman Medal-winning year, 'Tomahawk' kicked the first five of seven for the Cats, before kicking one and assisting two more in a seven-goal final quarter for Geelong.
11 years after he last tasted premiership glory, enduring a 2020 Grand Final loss and many earlier finals exits, Hawkins at last won a third premiership.
Playing a key role as a 34-year-old, Hawkins kicked the opening goal from a ruck contest in classic 'Tomahawk' style.
It was not long later where he would kick a second, beginning the opening charge by the Cats, who would lead by 35 at just quarter-time.
Hawkins scored the opening 13 points of the game, and continued to remain active throughout the match, tallying three goals and four behinds whilst accumulating four marks inside 50 and 14 disposals overall.
Hawkins aged like a fine wine.
At 34 years of age, against an Essendon side sitting in the top four, Hawkins delivered his career-best goalkicking game, booting eight majors in a dominant Cats win.
Geelong never trailed in the high-scoring affair, as Hawkins recorded a mammoth 12 marks, ten of which were inside 50.
An unselfish forward, Hawkins still managed two direct goal assists on top of his 8.1, and overall had a game-high 13 score involvements.
Trailing by 23 points at three-quarter-time, Hawkins played the quarter of a lifetime to will Geelong back into the game against Melbourne.
Kicking four last quarter goals, and seven for the match, Hawkins kicked truly every time he had possession in the final term.
In the dying seconds of the game, he took a contested mark in the middle of the ground, and had the composure to give the handball-receive to a hard-running Mitch Duncan who hit Zac Tuohy up for a mark.
Tuohy would kick straight after the siren, rewarding Hawkins and Geelong with a comeback win for the ages.
In a coming-of-age match for Hawkins, the 23-year-old sharpshooter dominated in the second half to turn the tide in Geelong's favour.
Hawkins punted three goals in the third term to put the Cats up by seven at three-quarter-time and continued to be a dominant one-on-one threat as Geelong burst open the floodgates in the last quarter.
Hawkins finished with three goals and three behinds, nine marks, 19 disposals, 15 contested possessions and his second premiership medal.
A famous moment ingrained into Geelong folklore for eternity.
Tom Hawkins' goal after the siren against Hawthorn was the pinnacle of Hawkins' individual brilliance to that point in his career.
With five goals to his name, Hawkins coolly slotted his sixth after the siren - a 55-metre drop punt to condemn Hawthorn to a ninth-consecutive 'Kennett Curse' loss.
What is forgotten is that Hawkins had kicked the Cats' two goals prior to his match-winner.
In another clutch fourth quarter, Hawkins shouldered the load in the forward line to will Geelong to victory with the last three goals for his side.