James Sicily reined in his on-field aggression after a clip from coach Alastair Clarkson

When James Sicily got word that his coach Alastair Clarkson wanted a chat, he anticipated what was coming. Now the passionate Hawk is learning to temper his on-field ways as he eyes a possible leadership role.

THE clip came hard and fast.

When James Sicily got word that his coach Alastair Clarkson wanted a chat, he anticipated what might be coming.

Just three weeks after serving a one-match ban for kneeing Geelong skipper Joel Selwood in the head in Round 3, Sicily was slapped with a second one-game penalty for standing on the leg of Kangaroos opponent Shaun Atley.

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Something had to give, which the firebrand Hawk now admits was a message delivered loud and clear.

And it was heard.

James Sicily drops a knee on Joel Selwood.

Sicily’s run-in with Shaun Atley.

“I think the writing was on the wall there for a bit, because I’d obviously gotten suspended twice in six weeks,” Sicily told the Sunday Herald Sun.

“So Clarko kind of called me in and gave me a bit of a clip. Glassy (former Eagle captain Darren Glass), who was our new backline coach at the time said, ‘Come on mate, we need you out there … you’re letting the team down and letting the boys down’.

“So that kind of hit home a little bit and obviously I had to change because it’s not a good feeling letting your team down.”

He’s pretty good when it comes to feedback, Sicily says. He took it on the chin — he had to.

“I kind of changed, and fixed it a little bit,” he said.

Clarkson admitted at the time that it had frustrated him to have a then-All-Australian prospect watching from the stands.

“It’s a big learning curve for him,” the coach said.

Coach Alastair Clarkson had to have a word to James Sicily. Picture: Mark Stewart

The 23-year-old knows it is a balance.

Well — and at times quietly — spoken, the Melbourne product couldn’t seem more different than the passionate — and at times antagonistic — Hawthorn defender ruffling feathers on-field.

He can be misconstrued, he says, but knows that if the shoe was on the other foot, he might at times not like what he sees, either.

“Sometimes (people take it the wrong way),” he concedes.

“It’s probably a little bit harder when if we’re losing and things aren’t going the way I like them to be going, then sometimes it gets a bit hard.

“But then that’s a good check to kind of assess where I’m at and what’s happening and try to move on to what’s important now and what I’ve got to do next, rather than reflecting and letting it stew inside of me.

“Sometimes (it’s misinterpreted). It’d be hard as well, if I was looking at some of the things I’ve done from an outsider’s point of view without even knowing the person, I’d probably think I was a tosser as well. But it is (misread) sometimes, but it’s funny.”

Isaac Smith knows Sicily wears his heart on his sleeve. Pic: Getty Images

Teammate Isaac Smith gets the feeling Sicily is maturing.

He has even been touted by some as a left-field contender for the vacant captaincy.

Smith, who is considered a frontrunner for the gig, admits the defender has a line.

“I think the thing was that he wasn’t ever that bad — he was just emotional and he wears his heart on his sleeve,” Smith said.

“When he’s out playing, depending on the player you are, some fans love it and some fans hate it.

“And I know oppositions, when they could get under his skin they’d enjoy it but when he was playing that tough, hard footy, they were hating it.

“There’s a fine line, but he seems to be finding that line more often than not.”

The whacks from his coaches hit home after the brain fades, but there are elements of his on-field nature the Hawk intends to hang on to as the team looks to avenge its straight-sets finals ousting of this year in 2019.

The “chilled and laid-back” character off the field looked for the fun when things got tough this year, which he said helped him recognise what he needed to change.

“The last half of the year, I had a focus on enjoying footy a bit more and not taking it as seriously,” he said.

Sicily has emerged into a key weapon for the Hawks across halfback. Pic: Michael Klein

“Obviously I still get a bit over the top at times but I just want to focus on enjoying it and having fun with the backline group.

“I think it served me better than the way I was going about things earlier in the year.”

He — like many Hawks — enjoys hitting Melbourne’s sandbelt with his spare time, but the standard of golfers at the club means his handicap of 10 puts him as “one of the worst at the club”.

There was a trip to the US, with a few rounds included, then Mexico over the off-season.

Earlier in the year he and teammates — including Smith, Grant Birchall and Jack Gunston — took to the top-ranked Barnbougle Dunes, with Sicily saying jelling back into the groove with Birchall and new teammate Jack Scrimshaw was a focus.

The captaincy remains a talking point — and will all summer, before the Hawks vote in late January or early February — and while Sicily says a number of candidates are in the mix, the prospect of leadership does interest him.

“Leadership does interest me a bit now that I’m probably a bit more comfortable within the club and getting a little bit more experience,” he said.

“We’ll see how that goes. We’ve got some older guys that are 10-year plus and getting towards the end of their careers that are well-suited and could step into the role.

“We’re in no rush and it’s not like we’re losing Roughy — he’s still around the club, he’s still playing, he’s still someone that’s considered a strong leader around the group. Just because there’s a title change, I don’t think our leadership drops.”

Leader? James Sicily Pic: AAP