TOM HAWKINS knew he was close at half-time. By the final change he had drawn level and only needed one more. When the moment arrived late in the last quarter, the Geelong veteran had reached unchartered personal territory, much to the surprise of his coach, his head of football and others in the club that were surprised he'd never kicked more than seven goals before.  

After reaching that mark three times – most recently in 2018 – the 34-year-old produced a vintage performance in the annual Country Game against Essendon at the MCG, finishing with 8.1 from 16 disposals and 12 marks to claim maximum coaches' votes and win the Tom Wills Medal after leading the Cats to a fourth straight win. 

Hawkins booted four goals inside the first 20 minutes of Sunday's 28-point win, sending statisticians, commentators and journalists scrambling at the first break. He then added two by the main break and kicked one in each of the final two quarters to not only eclipse his personal best, but also overtake Collingwood and North Melbourne great Saverio Rocca in the process to become just the 15th player in AFL/VFL history to reach 750 goals.  

While Chris Scott conceded post-game that he was surprised Hawkins had never kicked more than seven goals prior to Sunday, and Simon Lloyd was one of many inside the Cats' rooms that was also in the same boat, Hawkins knew. Power forwards always know how many they've kicked in a game and what their personal best haul sits at. 

"I could lie to you and say 'No, I wasn't aware'. But that would be ridiculous because most forwards are aware of what's happening," Hawkins said with a grin as he explained his day out to AFL.com.au on Sunday night. 

"I got some great looks early in the game. We had great isolation which is what we're always trying to do in the forward line. Got some wonderful looks and wonderful ball use. The last couple of weeks I've kicked straighter which has helped. When I've been around for so long, it is nice to celebrate those little things along the way."

It was only a month ago that those on the outside of GMHBA Stadium were suggesting a mini pre-season might be the best course of action for a player who started his 17th season clearly underdone after beating the clock to be fit in time for round one, following major foot surgery in October. 

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But after starting the season with three goals in the first three rounds, the five-time All-Australian has booted 17 majors in the past three weeks to move to equal third in the Coleman Medal race on 22 goals after seven rounds. 

With his two daughters standing at his feet, amongst a handful of other kids running around the Geelong rooms on Sunday night, Hawkins said he was confident he had done enough work away from the main group over summer that it wouldn't take him too long to get up to speed quickly in 2023.

"It depends who you ask, because if you ask my teammates, it felt like I did nothing and then came good at the end. I did a power of work, but it always looks slightly different when you're injured,” Hawkins said.

"I'm used to being out there and doing basically everything throughout the pre-season period. This year was very different for me ... so it probably gave the impression that I hadn't done a heap and quickly got thrown in.

"I was really happy with how things had progressed and know at the same time, and kept in the back of my mind, that I'm going to continue to get better and better as I get more footy and more load. I'm happy enough with how things are tracking.

"I think if you look back at history with my seasons, I've always started a little bit slower and worked my way into the pace of a season. I was out on the field and available in the first three rounds, but we weren't going that well as a footy club. We've started to produce more consistent periods, which helps as a key forward ahead of the ball. I'm really enjoying my football and enjoying playing in a forward line that is so dynamic. It is fun; football is fun right now."

Much like Hawkins, Brownlow Medallist Patrick Dangerfield has clicked into gear across the past month, following a slow start to the year where Geelong became the first defending champions since North Melbourne in 1976 to start its premiership defence 0-3. 

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After polling 24 coaches' votes in the past three wins over Hawthorn, West Coast and Sydney, Dangerfield polled another eight coaches' votes and the second most votes in the Tom Wills Award on Sunday, following a vintage performance where he accumulated 28 touches, 15 inside 50s, 14 contested possession, 10 clearances and 681m gained.

Hawkins said the eight-time All-Australian has struck the right balance since succeeding Joel Selwood – the longest-serving captain in AFL/VFL history – at the start of the season.

"They are big shoes to fill, and Joel had big shoes to fill before he took over as captain of the Cats, but he has been consistent in his approach in the way that he is around the group," he said.

"You heard me reference fun before, Patty drives the game so much internally. We enjoyed some great times with Joel in recent years, while Patty keeps driving high standards, working hard when you need to and having fun when you can. You can see that when we play well, we enjoy ourselves. He has been outstanding right from the word go."

The timing of the Finley product's personal best bag couldn't have been more apt, arriving in a game that honours Australian farmers and celebrates the impact country football and netball clubs have on the community. 

"It is a wonderful concept. I was a country boy that grew up in Finley, three and a half hours away from Melbourne, so I didn't come to too many games of footy down here," he said. 

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"Footy clubs and netball clubs in the country are so important to your community. You go through all the ups and downs, particularly in the ag sector, which most country towns are heavily associated with. 

"Football becomes such an important part of the community. To celebrate not only little towns like Finley but Geelong. There are so many communities in Geelong. It's nice to be able to recognise and celebrate."