Tom Hawkins is one of the premier key forwards of his generation, but that has not translated into a reliable conveyance for use in fantasy competitions. Like all classic spearmen his statistical output is too reliant on goals, with a fairly low scoring floor on those rare games when starved of opportunities. The advent of Jeremy Cameron has attracted interest both from his teammates with ball in hand and fantasy coaches, with Jezza often preferred in daily fantasy formats when the Cats look like piling on. The Tomahawk often comes in late for a live kill, though.
Tom Hawkins is one of the premier key forwards of his generation, but that has not translated into a reliable conveyance for use in fantasy competitions. Like all classic spearmen his statistical output is too reliant on goals, with a fairly low scoring floor on those rare games when starved of opportunities. The advent of Jeremy Cameron has attracted interest both from his teammates with ball in hand and fantasy coaches, with Jezza often preferred in daily fantasy formats when the Cats look like piling on. The Tomahawk often comes in late for a live kill, though.
Tomahawk sunk deep
With 52 home & away goals, Tom Hawkins dominated as Geelong's key forward target once again. However, Esava Ratugolea's return and Gary Rohan's induction meant Hawkins sat deeper and shared the workload, resulting in his lowest goal, mark, and disposal tallies over the last four years. Hawkins will play full forward and will continue to be the Cats' number one goalkicker. He'll play every game when fit and if you can look past occasional ice-cold games, he's a valuable back end addition to forward lines. Worthy of a later pick if you can handle the usual key forward blips.
Hawkins flies high
Tom Hawkins was a weapon in attack for Geelong in 2018, kicking 60 goals and returning a career-high fantasy average. He had more touches and disposals than in previous seasons, but is prone to inconsistency, like most key forwards. With another big target in Esava Ratugolea returning from injury and likely sliding into the starting lineup, Hawkins may have some of the weight taken off of his shoulders. Unfortunately, this could mean a drop in fantasy numbers. The full-forward will be a serviceable choice for a one of the final spots in fantasy coaches’ forward lines.
A pound for Hawkins
In 11 games where he scored over the fantasy baseline for forwards in 2017, Tom Hawkins booted 37 goals, with just 11 in the other eight. The Tomahawk is a classic example of a key forward whose scoring relies on quality midfield supply to the right areas with a manageable opponent. Geelong's fixture is going to be tough again in 2018, which means Hawkins is likely a match up play whom you will be tempted to bench when up against the tougher defences, particularly last year's grand finalists. Don't be fooled by his average, you should discount him in drafts.
