TOM HAWKINS' ability to stand up in big moments has him on track to become one of the competition's dominant players, according to Geelong coach Chris Scott.
With Monday's clash against Hawthorn on the line in the fourth quarter, Hawkins grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck to boot three of his five goals in a 10-minute match-winning burst.
He was forced to wear teammate Josh Walker's No.34 jumper after two of his own had been torn apart, but there was no mistaking the 25-year-old, whose reputation in big games is growing.
"That is the thing we value more than any other – players that stand up when it really counts, in the crucial contests and the crucial moments of the game when the heat is really on," Scott said.
"It's easy to do it when you're front-running and there's not much at stake but to do it when it counts, in my view that is the mark of a great player.
"He's moving so much better this year. We're confident he can keep moving towards being a really dominant player in the competition."
Scott said the Cats were well aware of the undersized Hawks backline they encountered on Monday and Hawkins would be more likely to match up on Brian Lake than Kyle Cheney when the sides meet next.
Hawkins, meanwhile, said his five-goal haul was due to the service he received up the ground.
"The ability for them to be able to see the space in front of not only me but the forwards in general was really great," he said.
"It was nice to get on the end of a few and I'll get a bit of confidence out of that.
"The way we're starting to play as a forward line group, we're slowly getting to know how each other plays and we're a really selfless group.
"It was my turn today and it'll be George Burbury and Jordan Murdoch's turn next week. It's great to play with those young guys."
With the Cats winning their 12th clash against the Hawks in the past 13 meetings, Hawkins said Geelong had a "pretty good handle on how they play".
He joked that he had been looking forward to keeping a jumper with his name on it as part of the AFL's round five trial, but was out of luck.
"I've got to take Josh Walker's," he said.
