AFL 2022: James Sicily will captain Hawthorn for the first time

A player Hawthorn knows opposition fans hate has been elevated to club captain.

James Sicily is loved at Hawthorn. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

Star defender James Sicily will get the chance to push his case as Hawthorn’s next captain after being chosen to skipper the side against Melbourne this Saturday in his 100th game and for three matches that follow. .

New Hawks coach Sam Mitchell conceded the 27-year-old was a “polarising figure” in the AFL but said no one could doubt his passion for his team and his teammates.

With a new contract also looming, Sicily will take his role in the captaincy rotation at Hawthorn with Ben McEvoy still wearing a neck brace and unlikely to play before the second half of the season

Mitchell said he sat down with both Sicily and Jaeger O’Meara who showed “great promise” as potential captains and they opted to share the captaincy until at least Round 1o.

Having stamped himself on the competition as a star defender, after starting his career as a sometimes temperamental forward, Mitchell said Sicily had become a clear leader at the club.

“James Sicily is one of those polarising figures in the game,” Mitchell said on Wednesday.

“He’s probably the most asked-about player, “what’s James Sicily like”, and he’s matured significantly.

“His passion for the game, his understanding of it and his ability to read what’s happening live as well as post-game (is outstanding).

“His passion for not just his own performance but the team’s collective performance and the direction that we’re going has been significant.”

James Sicily has made a brilliant return from an ACL injury. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

Sicily missed all of the 2021 season with a knee injury but has returned with stunning effect in 2022 and, despite attracting interest from other clubs, has already declared his intention to sign a new deal with Hawthorn.

McEvoy was re-appointed captain this year but at 32 the Hawks could look to make a change in 2023 and Sicily and O’Meara, who has also acted as stand-in skipper, loom as potential choices.

“They’ve both brought different things to the table, but we feel they’re both ready to captain the AFL team at the moment,” Mitchell said.

“We‘ll wait and see if anyone else steps up, but they’re the two standout candidates at the moment.”

Hawthorn is looking to bounce back from a second-half fade-out against Sydney last week when they confront the unbeaten Demons at the MCG on Saturday afternoon.

Mitchell said there would be “no ins” from the club’s injury list which includes dashing defender Changkuoth Jiath and key forward Mitch Lewis who haven’t recovered from their respective hamstring injuries.