The nimble 21-year-old is one of two players from the area to be selected in the New Zealand men’s university team for the 2022 FISU University Futsal Championships in Portugal later this month.
The Dunedin City Royals midfielder will be joined by Mosgiel’s Rahan Ali in the 14-strong squad.
Hawkins plays in the flanker position where his 1.7m, 64kg frame is actually an asset. He is light on his feet and can change direction much quicker than some of the ocean liners who pack down on the side of a scrum.
He is also one of those creative players you cannot take your eyes off for a second if you are in the opposition.
Hawkins is hoping those skills will help New Zealand remain competitive against a couple of the heavyweights the team has been unlucky enough to draw during the round-robin stage.
The likes of Argentina and Portugal set the benchmark in the sport and, yep, New Zealand is in a pool with both.
Israel also finds itself in the pool of death. It shapes as New Zealand’s best prospect of victory.
But if that all that sounds a tad defeatist, it is not. Hawkins, who has played for the national side, reckons the team is capable of improving on history.
"I’d love to say we’ll give it a good crack," he said when asked whether a top two finish in the pool was possible.
"But the expectation from everyone is we all want to beat Israel — target them for a win in pool play and really push the other teams."
New Zealand beat Israel 2-1 at the 2018 tournament. That was its only win, but Hawkins is more optimistic.
"I would expect us to do quite well in comparison with the past. Getting a singular win is very much the lowest bar we are setting for each other."
The team gathered in Auckland on Friday for a training camp before departing for Portugal this morning.
The tournament runs from July 18-24.
