AFL star Tom Hawkins has revealed he may have to have his toe amputated.
The Geelong Cats star has been struggling with a left foot injury since June and is hoping to be back in time for the finals.
In 2022, he suffered a similar but unrelated injury, requiring surgery to shorten his toe by 8mm.
The injury to his toe recurred in 2023 and three specialists suggested amputating it, saying he would be out of football for two or three weeks.
Hawkins, 36, decided not to have his toe amputated, but told the Herald Sun He would consider it if the problem occurred again.
“There’s still the possibility that if it flares up and irritates me, I can throw it off. It’s functional, but it’s probably operating at about 40 percent,” he said.
‘Knock on wood, it’s still healthy. But there’s always the possibility that it might have to come off.’
Hawkins, who played for just one club and made a record 359 appearances for the Cats, plans to retire at the end of the season to spend more time with his wife Emma and three children.
AFL star Tom Hawkins has revealed he could be forced to have his toe amputated
The Geelong Cats great (pictured with his wife Emma) has been nursing an injury to his left foot since June and is hoping to be back in time for the finals.
After Hawkins announced his retirement earlier this week, Geelong football manager Andrew Mackie, a teammate of Hawkins for more than a decade, said the star player was a “generational player”.
“Tom has been an incredible presence both on and off the field at Geelong over the past 18 years. He consistently plays at the highest level, and is humble and caring towards his teammates. These have been the hallmarks of his career,” Mackie said.
‘He is a player of a generation who will rightly be praised for his achievements on the pitch, but also for the role he played in shaping our club into what it is today.
‘We would like to thank Tom, his wife Emma and their children Arabella, Primrose and Henry for everything they have done for our club.’
Hawkins, playing in his third season in Geelong’s 2009 flag, scored a controversial goal that appeared to hit the post but was crucial in the Cats’ victory over St Kilda.