Tomahawk to be thrown into CHFL action this weekend

BEAUFORT Football Netball Club president Nick Franc says if the effort and teamwork displayed behind the scenes in the lead-up to Geelong legend Tom Hawkins’ one-off appearance this weekend can be matched on-field, the Crows will be tough to beat against Hepburn.

Franc said the whole town had rallied behind the club ahead of tomorrow’s (Saturday, May 31) Central Highlands Football League clash at Goldfields Recreation Reserve.

From schools and service groups to the town’s CFA brigade, everyone is bending over backwards to ensure the Crows’ big day is a success.

The support has been so overwhelming that Franc is adamant the football side of things are in good hands.

“It’s just the logistics of it all. We really don’t know how many people are coming,” he said.

“The football part is the easy part.

“I think we are organised. We have tripled our canteen; we’ve got more food.

“Apex are doing stuff, Rotary are doing the gate, the high school are doing the parking, so we are trying to incorporate as many community groups as we can.

“We don’t know what’s coming, that’s the unknown of it all. But we are prepared.”

Hawkins has made his way to Beaufort via the Carlton Draft, an initiative that gives struggling clubs a chance to access a former AFL star for a one-off game.

The Crows had pick one in the draft and wasted no time in selecting Hawkins over Brett Deledio, Matthew Pavlich, Travis Cloke and Will Schofield.

Thanks to a fabulous gesture by Crows captain Cormac Mahony, Hawkins will don the number 26 he wore with such distinction across 359 games for the Cats.

Mahony was only too happy to relinquish the number to accommodate the three-time AFL premiership winner.

With both sides entering the battle with only one win to their name this season, Franc is hoping the five-time All-Australian’s 796 goals of experience can prove telling.

“It should be pretty even,” he said. “Surprisingly, there a lot of blokes who were injured the last game we played that are available this week.

“We should have a full list and when we do the team isn’t too bad.

“Potentially, we should have won a few more games. We were up against Skipton and Clunes in the last quarter, but they overran us.”

The Crows will be hoping for a different outcome to their last involvement in a Carlton Draft game.

In 2023, they were on the receiving end of a 79-point loss to Carngham-Linton, which was bolstered by the inclusion of former Fremantle Dockers star David Mundy, who kicked six goals.

Hawkins should be in good shape, having already lined up for his hometown club Finlay against Deniliquin this season.

He managed four goals in a 15-point win on Good Friday.

The 2020 Coleman medallist is excited to be helping the Crows.

“I thought about possibly participating in The Carlton Draft at the end of last year and am extremely glad I took up the offer when the phone rang,” Hawkins said.

“It’s fantastic to see how much it means for all the clubs; it’s so exciting.

“I was pretty stoked I went pick one. I was pick 41 in the AFL National Draft in 2006, so it’s nice to move up the order a bit.

“I’m hoping I can have a pretty good day out and kick a few goals, but more importantly, I want to get a win on the board for Beaufort and give back to the community that turns out.”