Geelong Cats star Tom Hawkins could be forced to AMPUTATE after nasty injury
AFL star Tom Hawkins has revealed he could be forced to amputate his toe.
The Geelong Cats great has been ruled since June with an injury to his left foot and he hopes to be back in time for the finals.
He suffered a similar but unrelated injury in 2022 – leading him to undergo surgery that shortened his toe by 8mm.
The toe injury came back again in 2023 and three specialists suggested amputation as an option, saying he would only have to miss two or three weeks of footy.
Hawkins, 36, decided against having his toe removed but told the Herald Sun he would consider it if the problem flares up again.
‘There is still the possibility that if it flares up and annoys me, I can lob it off. It is functional but it probably works at about 40 per cent,’ he said.
‘Touch wood it continues to be healthy. But there is always the possibility that is needs to come off.’
Hawkins, a one-club man who has played a record 359 games for the Cats, plans to retire at the end of the season and spend more time with his wife Emma and three children.
After Hawkins announced his retirement earlier this week, Geelong football boss Andrew Mackie, who was Hawkins’ teammate for more than a decade, said the star forward was a ‘generational player’.
‘Tom has been an incredible presence both on and off the field at Geelong for the past 18 years, with his ability to play consistently at an elite level, along with humility and care for his teammates, trademarks of his career,’ Mackie said.
‘He is a generational player who will rightly be celebrated for his achievements on field, as well as the role he has played shaping our club into what it is today.
‘We thank Tom, his wife Emma, and their children Arabella, Primrose and Henry for all they’ve given our club.’
Hawkins played in Geelong’s 2009 flag in his third season, booting a controversial goal which appeared to shave the post but was crucial to the Cats’ win over St Kilda.
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