As the Hawks gear up for Friday night’s game against Collingwood, James Sicily’s recent form has come under scrutiny. While his intercept numbers remain consistent with last year, he’s averaging his fewest marks and uncontested possessions since 2016 (excluding 2020). His average of 20.1 disposals per game is also his lowest as 2017 (again, excluding 2020), though the drop from last year isn’t significant.

When playing as a forward, Sicily has kicked six goals in 11 games, but hasn’t made the impact he desired.

mitchell Defends Sicily’s Contributions

Coach Sam Mitchell has defended Sicily, acknowledging that while his performances haven’t been perfect, his contributions are still valuable. “Has he played perfect footy this year? No, of course, but no one has,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell highlighted Sicily’s betterment in the previous week’s game, noting his intercept marks and possessions. “But I thought he improved substantially last week, took a lot of intercept marks and a lot of intercept possessions. And, even in the part of the game, the progress he has made this year, which doesn’t get the accolades on the outside, he has defended really well.”

Mitchell also praised Sicily’s defensive efforts, stating, “His frist half [against the Lions]he didn’t win a lot of footy, but he was spoiling well, he defended really well, then he came into his own offensively after that. He has become a very reliable player, on top of being the superstar that we have seen over the last few years.”

“Football is a rollercoaster – you have to learn to go through the good and the bad,”

Concerns Over Groin Injury

Concerns have been raised about a groin issue potentially affecting Sicily’s performance. Sicily mentioned that his groin issue was “part of footy” and that the Hawks “were on top of it” before the match against Gold Coast in Darwin. Though, AFL great Matthew Lloyd suggested that Sicily might be “better off not playing,” drawing parallels to James Hird’s groin issues in the 2001 grand final.

Hodge emphasized the importance of Sicily playing with freedom, stating on The Agenda Setters, “What you have to do is, almost relax.”

Hodge added, “He is going through some stages now where people are questioning [whether] his kicking is as good as what we thought it is. There are murmurs going around that his groins are affecting how he is playing.But that is what you have to deal with when you are a player, for one, and when you are a captain.”

“As hard as it sounds, you have to go out there and play football with freedom, play like you used to. If you make a mistake, who cares? That’s the mindset that got him to be as good as what he was, an All-Australian. He needs to get back to that mindset.”

Hawks’ Defensive Woes

Beyond Sicily’s form, Mitchell and the coaching staff are grappling with broader defensive issues. In the past two weeks, the Hawks have conceded 104 points to the Suns in Darwin and 93 to the Lions. This contrasts sharply with their previous three games, where they allowed only 74 points to West Coast, 44 to Richmond, and 56 to Melbourne.

mitchell remains optimistic about addressing these challenges. “We certainly know we are working on some things that will come. We have proven over time to ourselves more than anyone when we work hard on things, we improve them,” Mitchell said.