If long-term Bulldogs fan were surveyed and asked which name first comes to mind when prompted by the term ‘lovable larrikin’, there's little doubt that the Doug Hawkins win the poll by the length of the straight.
And the Dogs' very own lovable larrikin will no doubt be celebrating today, his 60th birthday.
For the last 42 of his 60 years, ‘Dougie’, as he is simply known to most fans, has held a special place in the hearts of Bulldogs, not just because of his cheeky smile and heart of gold, but also through the sublime skills he displayed over 17 seasons and 329 games at Whitten Oval.
Hawkins came under the notice of Footscray talent scouts when he was plying his trade as a teenager at Braybrook. Legend has it that Doug had the ball on a string most of the time, and he would send it long into attack where another young Braybrook star, Robert Groenewegen, would mark everything in sight and finish off Dougie's good work.
In 1978 the pair both made their way to the Kennel and have immediate impact. While 'Wagon' would spend 10 seasons with the Dogs, early knee injuries largely prevented him from repeating his spectacular Braybrook efforts.
But his best mate Dougie Hawkins went on to establish himself as one of the best the game has seen.
Hawkins debuted in Round 1, 1978 and became a permanent member of the Dogs team from the very beginning. He quickly settled into a role on the wing, where his sublime evasive skills and dash allowed him to deliver pinpoint passes to leading forwards.
A superstar by the time Mick Malthouse arrived at Footscray in 1984, Hawkins was instructed by the new Bulldogs coach to play on the outer wing at the Western Oval — where the Bulldogs' coaching box was located — no matter which way the Bulldogs were kicking.
Some say Malthouse made that call purely so he could enjoy watching Dougie's brilliance up close. No one would blame Mick for doing so.
That outer wing at VU Whitten Oval became known as the Doug Hawkins Wing, informally at first, but is now enshrined in signage at the Kennel.
Hawkins was perhaps at his very peak in 1985, and he was a key part of the Bulldogs' meteoric rise up the ladder that year. Coach Malthouse has described Hawkins' 38-possession game against North Melbourne in that year's semi-final as one of the greatest individual performances he has witnessed on a football field.
Dougie capped off that season by winning the Charlie Sutton Medal, no mean feat considering his teammate Brad Hardie won the Brownlow Medal!
Hawkins broke club legend Ted Whitten's club games record against Geelong in 1994, a typically fine display from Doug helping the Dogs to a 28-point win at the ground that bears Whitten's name, earning him a Brownlow vote.
1994 was Doug's last with the Dogs. After 329 games he spent a final season with Fitzroy to take his total to an even 350 before hanging up the boots.
Playing days over, Dougie quickly restored his ties with the Bulldogs, and he remains a key figure in the minds and hearts of all Western Bulldogs to this day.
On the eve of Hawkins' 60th birthday, Groenewegen — still very close friends with the man his teammates call 'Hawk' — revealed that Doug is still very much the lovable larrikin.
“Hawk always rings up and asks about my family and better half. Then as you start to go through it all, he says ‘okay - back to me now’,” he said.
As cheeky as ever. Happy birthday, Doug, and thanks for everything!
