Batemans Bay Tiger captain-coach Jake Hawkins prepares for milestone match

Hawkins will be running out for his 200th first grade game against the formidable Eden Tigers who currently sit fourth on the Betta Electrical Group 16 ladder, Sunday, June 2.

"It's a pretty crazy achievement and stat, I guess, I didn't realise until Mick Rowley told me five games ago that I was 195," Hawkins said.

"I've never really thought about the numbers, but as a kid I remember saying at 17 that I was going to play until I was 40," the 34-year-old added.

Prior to joining the Tigers in 2024 as both captain and coach, Hawkins played at the top level, for NRL clubs Melbourne Storm, Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, and St. George Illawarra Dragons, as well as a number of other country and regional clubs.

"I [also] played for Dapto and won a comp there in 2016, captain-coached Port Macquarie Sharks in 2018 and won a comp there as well," he said.

"Canberra last year, and here this year."

Hawkins said the season hadn't gone how he would have liked, having lost all first grade games so far, however, he said bringing change to a club takes time.

"We're close but just haven't been able to get the wins we think we deserved, but no discredit to the other teams in Bega," Hawkins said.

"They've obviously been better than us on the day, we just need to be a bit better."

Batemans Bay secretary and statistic-lover, Mick Rowley, said unlike in the NRL where players could play up to 24 games in a season, country footy clubs only played about 12 games per year.

"To achieve 200 when you're only playing 12 to 14 games a year, it's a lot of years," Rowley said.

"[In the past] Jake was going to play NRL for the Storm, but he broke his arm during the week he was named to play and was replaced by Cameron Smith."

Danny Whitter, the president of the Batemans Bay Tigers, said it was a very impressive milestone for any rugby league player.

"To reach 200 games in any career whether it being amateur or professional is a massive achievement, so to be still be playing country football, it's a massive achievement for Jake," Whitter said.

"Hopefully the boys will rip in on Sunday and get him the win as well."