After setting the footy world alight with electrifying back-to-back performances, first-year forward and Geelong star recruit Tom Hawkins has been nominated for the NAB AFL Rising Star award.

 

Hawkins won the round three nomination for his four-goal haul against the Demons on Sunday – just over a week after he made his AFL debut against the Blues, where he kicked three.

 

Despite experts tagging the burly 18-year-old "the next Tony Lockett", Hawkins is taking it all in his stride and is quite modest regarding his startling entrance to AFL football.

 

"It's exciting. It's a bit of a shock, actually. I wasn't really expecting it, but it's a huge honour," he told afl.com.au after his nomination.

 

"I'd heard about it but I didn't really know too much about the award. I didn't really think about getting nominated, but I do know some of the players who have won it.

 

"It's a huge honour, to be named and to be noticed by the selectors. It means a fair bit to me, and it's a great thing to win."

 

His performance on the weekend was nothing short of impressive, as he was thrown more responsibility than expected due to the late withdrawal of Nathan Ablett.

 

Hawkins was named to start the match on the pine, but lined up at full-forward after Ablett withdrew with a hamstring injury. By half time, he had kicked four goals.

 

"Tom was planning to start on the bench, so it wasn't a bad move because he started pretty well," coach Mark Thompson said with a wry smile after the game.

 

"You see it in many occasions that the second week up after a big first week, they don't play that well.

 

"He really did set us alight early. It's so good to have people in your forward line who can mark the ball with someone right on them in a contested situation."

 

While admitting to being a little surprised at how much impact he has made in just two games of senior football, Hawkins said he is coping well with the attention he has received in the past fortnight.

 

"It's been alright. It hasn't been too bad, and I don't read into (the hype)," he said.

 

"I suppose I've been coping with it alright. I've got a good family here in Geelong, and the club and my manager help me out with all that stuff.

 

"We work through it, and I don't read into it, even though I'm not really used to it."

 

Hawkins took six marks in his first match and five in his second, and has been a large part of the Cats' two consecutive landslide wins over sides that finished in the top eight last year.

 

He attributes his promising form to his relaxed attitude, and said he's just "loving" the chance to fulfil his dream of playing football at the highest level.

 

"I just go out there, and Bomber and the coaches have just said to have fun. That's the reason I've been playing alright," he said.

 

"I haven't been worrying about all the other stuff. I've just been playing footy and having fun. That's been the most enjoyable thing."

 

Hawkins joins Essendon's Paddy Ryder and Brisbane's Cameron Wood as the third nomination for this year's award.