Cats premiership defender Tom Stewart knows injured Geelong legend Tom Hawkins better than most.
So when the dreaded question of whether Hawkins will or won’t make an appearance in the Cats’ 2024 finals campaign – which will be the forward’s last – was raised, Stewart knew, whatever the outcome, Hawkins would be just fine.
The Cats will feature in September for the 16th time from their last 18 seasons, with vice-captain Stewart feeling like this year’s as good a shot as any to win a second flag in three years.
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They’ll have a difficult task first up, heading over to South Australia to take on Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval on Thursday night, in their qualifying final.
It’s an even scarier prospect that they’ll make the trip without Hawkins, who hasn’t missed a Geelong finals campaign since way back when his career began in 2007.
Tom Hawkins and Tom Stewart warm up in round 11, 2024. Getty
But Stewart says despite Hawkins’ absence due to a niggling foot injury, which he’s been dealing with since round 15 against Carlton, missing the first final is the least of the club’s worries.
Hawkins announced last month that the 2024 season would be his last at the elite level, with hints that he’d be fit to enter the selection discussions come September.
However, with Geelong coach Chris Scott officially ruling him out of week one, the triple premiership champion will make a much-anticipated return through the VFL, where he hasn’t featured since 2011.
Stewart says Hawkins’ unlucky circumstances have not changed him as a person, even with the weight of retirement now on his shoulders.
“Hawk’s circumstances aren’t great with his body. The one thing that has been amazing to me is just his attitude around the group,” Stewart said on Tuesday.
“Every opportunity he is in meetings, he’s very vocal, he’s around the young boys. His attitude has been fantastic.
“He deserves an opportunity to come back and have an impact on our team. He’s been doing everything he possibly can to do so.”
But the 2022 premiership defender knows that even if Hawkins can’t crack the Cats’ side, his selflessness will still shine through.
Chris Scott and Tom Hawkins, as the Cat announced his retirement. Getty
“Whichever way the cards fall, knowing Tom as well as I do, he’ll be absolutely fine with whichever way it goes (if he plays or not),” he said.
“It’s a legacy that he’s left. He’s always been so selfless the way he plays his footy on the field and off the field.”
As for a tough journey to Adelaide Oval, Stewart says the Cats are prepared to face a pretty hostile Port Adelaide crowd.
“They are (hostile). We can only control what we can control. When it’s quiet, we’re playing well,” he said.
“That’s what we hope to do, go out there and play our brand of footy.
“The ground is very similar in its dimensions to GMHBA, which can be advantageous to us. But, it’s like any oval, it’s just grass at the end of the day.”
Stewart, who has played for the Cats since being drafted as a mature-aged recruit back in 2017, has only missed the finals once since arriving at GMHBA Stadium.
He thanks coach Chris Scott for the environment that has helped the Cats flourish in September.
Cats coach Chris Scott speaks with Tom Stewart. AFL Photos via Getty Images
“Scotty’s strength is allowing his players to understand what their strengths are and then utilise them each week,” he said.
“He allows us to play with such freedom and autonomy and really celebrates that. He’s always got our back.
“He’s never been a coach that will shut the door and tear shreds off us. Good, bad or indifferent, he’s always got our back.”
Chris Scott addresses the Cats during their match against St Kilda. AFL Photos via Getty Images
Stewart appeared at Brunswick Street Oval as part of Bunnings’ new initiative, the home ground advantage, giving $50,000 grants to local sporting clubs to elevate their facilities and give people at all levels a chance to safely contribute to local sport.
It’s where Stewart’s unlikely journey to the big time, began, when he was plucked from obscurity from South Barwon football club to join the Cats as a mature-aged recruit.
“The connections I have back there are something I really cherish,” Stewart said.
Geelong face the Power on Thursday night, with a home preliminary final on the line.
