Major question hovering over Cats star's future

1 year ago 80

Geelong has been urged to springiness Tom Hawkins a "mini pre-season" implicit the coming weeks aft a sub-par commencement to the season.

The seasoned guardant endured an interrupted summertime aft past year's premiership triumph arsenic helium underwent country connected a persistent ft issue.

While the 34-year-old has been connected the parkland implicit the archetypal 2 rounds, his output has been good beneath his accustomed levels.

Hawkins has managed conscionable 12 kicks crossed his 2 games this season, kicking conscionable 3 goals successful the process. He kicked 67 goals and was named the All-Australian skipper past twelvemonth arsenic the Cats won the premiership.

"If you were Chris Scott today, you saw however helium moved and helium had a constricted preparation," Kangaroos large David King asked connected SEN Breakfast.

"We driblet into this signifier present wherever it's play, recover, play, retrieve – it's truly hard to summation fittingness successful this phase.

"Would you instrumentality him retired of shot for the adjacent fewer weeks and bash a mini pre-season with him to get him up and going?

"This is their fixture – they've got the Suns, Hawthorn and West Coast the adjacent 3 weeks."

Hawthorn champion Dermott Brereton explained precisely which parts of Hawkins' crippled person been lacking done the archetypal 2 weeks of the season.

"He's ne'er going to beryllium a occupation astatine the bound enactment throw-in astatine the guardant 50 and he's ne'er going to beryllium a occupation going for a marking contention erstwhile the shot drops steeply," helium told AFL Nation.

"But erstwhile the shot comes successful flat, that's erstwhile you've got to get your timing close oregon connected a lead.

"His timing to spot the travel of the shot rapidly coming towards him is each retired astatine the moment."

Geelong is nary alien to managing ageing stars done the location and distant season, with Patrick Dangerfield spending an extended play retired of the team past twelvemonth to enactment connected his fitness.

Dangerfield did not play rounds 11-15, but his instrumentality successful circular 16 coincided with a winning streak that extended each the mode done to the expansive last against Sydney.

Port Adelaide large Kane Cornes said he would "keep playing" Hawkins, adding helium backed whichever method Geelong opted for.

"I conscionable spot Geelong to bash it amended than anyone other … they've got a past of managing their squad amended than anyone successful the competition," helium said.

"I deliberation you tin get acceptable by playing, I'd support him successful determination for the adjacent 2 oregon 3 and spot however it goes.

"But astatine immoderate point, they volition negociate this radical similar they person successful the past with (Patrick) Dangerfield, (Joel) Selwood and others."

Geelong volition look to apprehension a two-game descent erstwhile it faces the Gold Coast Suns successful circular three.

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