And as such, the 49-year-old is always around the club. He lives and breathes his footy.

So when a group of the club's old boys, including Tulevu, tossed up the idea of perhaps coaching Hawks' under 18s side throughout the 2021 season the former flying Fijian jumped at the chance to help out the group of silver Hawks where he could.

But it was always going to be as part of a group.

"And then next minute they rang me up and asked me to be coach," he laughed, Tulevu set to lead the under 18s coaching team in 2021.

"We were talking about it, together, and we thought if one of the ex-players was approached to do the job we all said we'll make sure we round up all the old players and support him.

"I'm not going to back down from the job. I'll take on the challenge."

As he has since moving to Orange in the late 90s, which was a challenge in itself for a Fijian.

"I didn't know where Orange was ... no one told me about the cold weather," he smiled.

Now well accustomed, the former international says there's no reason Hawks can't push for a title in the juniors in 2021.

It's a sentiment shared across all five senior Hawks grades ahead of the new season.

On Monday evening Hawks unveiled their senior coaches for the 2021 Group 10 season, with Willie Heta and Bobby Wykamp returning to guide the club's premier league side while Adam Hamling (first division), Steve Pearson (league tag) and David Griffiths (under 18s league tag) joining Tulevu as the two blues' mentors for next winter.

Having missed out on playing in 2020 due to COVID-19, Heta and the senior Hawks boys have been in pre-season training now for nearly a month eyeing off redemption of sorts after winning the 2019 minor premiership and then losing two straight finals, at home, to be bundled out of the top grade unceremoniously.

Tulevu, though, will take the reins of a Hawks side that pushed most in the 2020 Maas Group Western League title race last winter, as a bottom-age outfit too.

A host of those boys will again play in the under 18s, and their new coach is excited to mix a little bit of old boy culture with the youthful exuberance of the club's generation next.

"I was brought here to play footy, and I've been here ever since," Tulevu said.

"I was playing for Fiji when they saw me. Our Fiji captain was retired and playing here, and Hawks was looking for backs and they picked me.

"I have a family here. I came here as a young fella ... it's been a great move.

"I'm always here. I've told the club that. I'll give it a crack coaching while I'm still a bit younger."

Hawks have been taking to the paddock at Country Club Oval during the 2021 pre-season.