Geelong great Tom Hawkins is still some ways apart from agreeing to a new contract with the club, according to SEN’s Josh Jenkins.
Hawkins, 35, is out of contract, and while he wants to play on in 2024, is yet to sign on for an 18th AFL season.
SEN’s Tom Morris reported on Monday that earlier this season Hawkins was ready to look elsewhere if the right deal wasn’t struck with the Cats, and Jenkins says he’s still no closer to agreeing to terms.
Jenkins shared a phone call with his former teammate on Wednesday afternoon where he quizzed him on his future, and Hawkins was happy to reveal that there’s still some ground to be covered before he locks in his 2024 plans with Geelong.
While Jenkins doesn’t expect Hawkins to depart the Cattery, he was surprised to learn of the contract stalemate between the two parties.
“I was talking to a man who's become a very, very good friend of mine,” Jenkins told AFL Trade Radio.
“He has really found himself as a part of Trade Radio conversation in the past three, four, five days and that’s Tom Hawkins, I’ve heard his name mentioned a little bit.
“I actually owed him a call and he and I have got a few other things that we often talk to each other about, we share a small share in a racehorse together.
“I thought he must have been ringing me about that, but I gave him a call back and I said, ‘Look, your name is coming up a bit, is there anything you'd like to tell me? I’d prefer to find out you were leaving the Cats from your mouth rather than on the phone’.
“He was willing enough to tell me that he and the Cats are still some ways apart with his new contract.
“I actually thought it'd be on someone's desk already signed off on. But he and the Cats were just a little ways apart from him signing on for next year.
“I don't think there's any real doubt on him playing in the Cats jumper next year.
“But I was pretty surprised to learn that there was still some ground to be covered when it comes to ‘Hawk’ and the Cats.”
After posing the question to the key forward, Jenkins was expecting Hawkins to tell him that he couldn’t reveal that negotiations had stalled to the public.
Given that Hawkins was happy for the information to come to light, Jenkins believes that shows a sense of frustration from the veteran.
In saying that, he says he would be flabbergasted if it resulted in him leaving the club this off-season.
“I thought I'd ask him expecting him to say, ‘No mate, you can't say it’,” Jenkins said.
“I think that just speaks to a little bit of frustration.
“Tom Hawkins is a Geelong player, his dad was a Geelong player, he is a Geelong person.
“He's got a huge, big farm down there worth any amount of money. So, I'd be absolutely flabbergasted, I would fall over if he was to play somewhere else next year.”
While Hawkins is holding out for better contract terms, Jenkins says the 35-year-old understands that he won’t earn top-dollar at the Cats given his age.
“Speaking to the big fella, he's more than aware that he is not to be paid what I guess typical key forwards are getting when they are up in the top five or six key forwards in the competition, which is a place I still think he lives in,” Jenkins said.
“He's still a top six to top eight key forward on productivity.”
While rival clubs would no doubt be interested in Hawkins’ services if he were to explore his options, Jenkins doesn’t expect things to escalate to that point.
“He is a guy who just loves to play the game,” Jenkins said.
“I’m sure he'll be playing footy for the Cats next year, I am.”
Hawkins has kicked 781 goals from 347 games in the blue and white hoops.
