Despite the back injury, he managed to play twenty-two matches for the season kicking forty-nine goals and he was Geelong's leading goalkicker for the second consecutive year. Described as returning to being a "genuine match winner" during the 2014 season by teammate Tom Lonergan, Hawkins overcame his back injury to replicate his form from the 2012 season. He kicked sixty-eight goals for the season including a career-high seven goals against the in round 23. He had strong performances against Hawthorn, kicking five goals and , kicking four goals in rounds five and ten respectively; his performance against Hawthorn earned him the maximum three Brownlow votes making him the best player on the ground adjudged by the field umpires. During the qualifying final match against , he was scrutinised for a jumper punch against Ben Stratton, which was pondered whether Hawkins would face a suspension; he was ultimately cleared of the incident, which allowed him to play in the semi-final loss against North Melbourne. His season was rewarded with selection in the initial forty man All-Australian squad, although he missed out on the final team. In addition, he finished second in the best and fairest count behind Joel Selwood, he finished second in the Coleman Medal and he was Geelong's leading goalkicker for the third consecutive season. Personal tragedy hit Hawkins early in the 2015 season when his mother, Jenny, died in April. He subsequently missed the round three match against before returning the next week against North Melbourne in which he paid tribute to his mother after his only goal in the match; in addition, the game saw him reach his 150th AFL match milestone. He missed only one match for the remainder of the season, the round seven match against . Since joining Geelong, it was the first season the club missed the finals series, and he ultimately played nineteen games for the season and kicked forty-six goals, making him Geelong's leading goalkicker for the fourth consecutive season. Entering the season, he remained unsigned, meaning he would become a free agent if he remained out of contract at the end of the season. He ultimately ignored the lure of free agency, and he signed a five-year contract in July, tying him to the club until the end of the 2020 season. The first half of the 2016 season saw Hawkins play inconsistently due to his form wavering, with Geelong