AFL 2025: Hawthorn captain James Sicily on the extra benefit boom recruits Josh Battle and Tom Barrass provide

Hawthorn captain James Sicily has revealed a hidden benefit the club is getting out of boom off-season recruits Tom Barrass and Josh Battle.

James Sicily says recruits Tom Barrass and Josh Battle have “taken the mental load” off his shoulders, allowing him to be a better Hawthorn captain.

The Hawks are 4-0 heading into their bye this weekend, largely due to the on-field feats of Battle and Barrass.

The trio shared 20 intercept possessions in the round 1 win over Essendon before Battle held dual Coleman Medal winner Charlie Curnow to five touches in round 2.

“I have enjoyed playing with ‘TB’ and ‘JB’, they have added so much to our group,” Sicily said.

“I think a lot of mental, I don’t know how to explain it, but they’ve taken the mental load off my shoulders a bit.”

Sicily took the captaincy on amid Hawthorn’s extremely brief rebuild.

He wanted to be a skipper who led by example and as a result inflicted a nearly unachievable expectation upon himself.

Hawthorn captain James Sicily has revealed a hidden benefit the club is getting out of boom off-season recruits Tom Barrass and Josh Battle. Picture: Steve Bell/Getty Images

Sicily felt the high internal pressure and its weight made him an unapproachable leader.

But since the arrival of Barrass and Battle, Sicily says he can “fit into the system” and deliver only what coach Sam Mitchell needs of him.

“When we were going through what we were going through the last three years, the expectation I put on myself to perform was so, so high,” he said.

“I think it was a real weight off my shoulders, now I can just go out there and play my role, fit into the system and do what the team needs.

“Rather than this added expectation, I still am quite a high achiever and demand a lot of myself, but sometimes it was to my own detriment.

“It kind of made me unapproachable as a leader and I hated that.”