Simon Hawking (born 5 March 1973) is a former

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

er who played with Fitzroy in the

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the pre-eminent professional sports, professional competition of Australian rules football. It was originally named the Victorian Football League (VFL) and was founded in 1896 as a breakaway competition ...

(AFL). Hawking was a key position player and made seven appearances for Fitzroy in 1993, his first season. He played all 22 games the following year, as a defender. His efforts at fullback in Fitzroy's round 13 against Hawthorn at Waverley Park, where he kept

Jason Dunstall Jason Hadfield Dunstall (born 14 August 1964) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Dunstall is arguably the greatest Australian rules footballer to come from ...

goalless, earned him a

1994 AFL Rising Star The Norwich AFL Rising Star award is given annually to a standout young player in the Australian Football League. The 1994 medal was won by player Chris Scott. Eligibility Every round, an Australian Football League The Australian Footba ...

nomination. He took 10 marks and had 20 disposals in the win. Hawking was third in the 'best and fairest' award for the '94 season. At the end of

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

, the

Brisbane Lions The Brisbane Lions are a professional Australian rules football in Australia, Australian rules football club based in Brisbane, Queensland, that compete in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. Brisbane are the ...

were formed, and Hawking was one of the Fitzroy players selected to join the new club. He had been recommended to Brisbane by his former Fitzroy teammate

Alastair Lynch Alastair Graeme Lynch (born 19 June 1968) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played in the Australian Football League (AFL). He is best known as a three-time premiership full-forward for the Brisbane Lions. The Tasmanian ...

and needed a knee reconstruction before arriving at Brisbane. Hawking was one of eight players that the Lions picked up from Fitzroy's list, but would be the only one not to play an AFL match. He had been an emergency for the club's first ever league game in 1997. Brisbane traded him to the

Sydney Swans The Sydney Swans are a professional Australian rules football club based in Sydney, New South Wales. The men's team competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), and the women's team in the AFL Women's (AFLW). The Swans also field a Austral ...

, along with Brent Green, in return for the 31st selection of the

1997 AFL Draft The 1997 AFL Draft was held at the conclusion of the 1997 Australian Football League (AFL) season. A Pre-season Draft and the second Rookie Draft were held prior to the 1998 season. It is considered to have been one of the most successful draf ...

, used on future

Brownlow Medal The Charles Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal (and informally as Charlie), is awarded to the best and fairest player in the Australian Football League (AFL) during the home-and-away season, as determined by votes cast by the f ...

ist

Simon Black Simon Black (born 3 April 1979) is a former Australian rules football player and current assistant coach, who played his whole career with the Brisbane Lions in the Australian Football League (AFL). Black was a midfielder with a reputation fo ...

.''

Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper in ...

'
"So close yet so far"
25 March 2005, Richard Hinds Plagued by injuries, Hawking didn't make any league appearances for the Swans and retired at the end of the '98 season. After a year out of football he made a return to the AFL, being secured by Collingwood with the 10th selection of the 2000 Pre-season Draft. He was again plagued by injuries and unable to make it into the seniors, announced his (permanent) retirement, four years after playing his last AFL game.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hawking, Simon 1973 births Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state) Fitzroy Football Club players Living people