Match review officer fines Tom Hawkins after James Sicily incident

He was involved in a highly controversial free kick earlier in the month and now James Sicily has been left to wonder ‘what about me?’ after a similar altercation went unpunished. At least until today.

Luke Dahlhaus has fitted in well at the Cats. Picture: AAP Images

Geelong spearhead Tom Hawkins has been fined $2000 for striking Hawthorn defender James Sicily.

Hawkins forcefully elbowed Sicily from behind, flooring the Hawks’ playmaker in the Cats’ 23-point Easter Monday win.

Match review officer Michael Christian graded the incident as intentional conduct with low impact to the body.

OFF-FIELD: HOW LEADING TEAMS HELP CLUBS

BAROMETER: YOUR CLUB’S INJURY LIST AT ROUND 5

MALTHOUSE: WHO IS THE BEST RUCKMAN IN THE COMP?

Sicily complained to the umpire about the incident but played out the match.

Hawkins is free to play reigning premier West Coast at GMHBA Stadium on Sunday.

The man who gave away that controversial late free kick against the Western Bulldogs a few weeks ago copped one from Geelong spearhead Tom Hawkins behind play.

Replays showed Hawkins smacked into Sicily’s back, with his left shoulder and elbow, at the top of the goal square.

Tom Hawkins was involved in an incident with James Sicily. Picture: Michael Klein

Meanwhile, Alastair Clarkson won’t back away from bold experiments to turn his side into a premiership contender after a “gallant loss” to arch rival Geelong.

The Hawks were still within 17 points halfway through the last term on Monday as a more polished Geelong side eventually triumphed in a 23-point victory.

Clarkson’s Hawks started with Jack Gunston on a back flank against Gary Ablett as third-gamer Mitchell Lewis showed some exciting signs with a goal and 14 possessions.

Clarkson admitted the Hawks needed to find another three goals a game to regularly beat rivals and on Monday’s effort aren’t quite there yet.

Hawthorn is now 2-3 and face a resurgent Carlton next week in Launceston, but Clarkson clearly has one eye on the win-loss record and one on the future.

We are regularly kicking 12 or 13 goals a game, and we think to win consistently we need to kick 15 or 16 goals. So we are searching. We are searching for how to do it better,” he said.

“We needed good rebound from the back half and leadership and experience with (Ben) Stratton out of the side.

Not everything worked for Alastair Clarkson on Monday. Picture: AAP Images

“We needed an opportunity for Lewis to be able to draw the footy and if Gunston is down there it doesn’t give him an opportunity to fly at the footy and present at the target.

“You try different things in games and when they come off you are a supposed genius and when they don’t you are a clown. So clown today for me.”

Hawthorn’s medical staff ruled out Stratton with concussion late, with Clarkson optimistic he will be ready to take on Carlton.

Liam Shiels should be ready to return after a Round 2 hamstring injury, while Shaun Burgoyne will also push to play after his own hamstring strain.

“Stratts was a really difficult call,” Clarkson said.

“He was concussed with an eight day break and we were really confident he would play. At the end of the day he presented pretty well and wanted to play but we chose with the medical staff we wouldn’t take that punt so we are really hopeful he plays this week.”

“Shiels and Burgoyne will be roundabouts. They won’t be too far away.”

Updates