By Greg Baum
The way the footy world spins, it’s easy to forget that James Sicily was around in Hawthorn’s now-receding golden age. He was drafted just after the 2013 premiership and was a squaddie in the premiership teams of 2014 and 2015.
What he remembers from that time is how hard the leaders drove each other. “Sometimes at training as a young guy, I’d think, ‘Far out. Do these guys hate each other?’” Sicily said. “That was just the standard. If it wasn’t to the standard they expected, they would let each other know.”
Hawthorn captain James Sicily.Credit: Justin McManus
The alpha figure, of course, was captain Luke Hodge. “The funny thing about Hodgey was that he wasn’t always right, but even if he was wrong, he made you believe that it was the right thing to do,” Sicily said. “You’d be scratching your head, thinking, ‘I don’t know if that’s right, Hodgey, but I’m on board anyway. I trust you. I believe you.’”
Sicily’s talent was obvious from the start, and so was his volatility. The Hawks handled him with care. So what would 2024 skipper Sicily say to that precocious tyro? “Just calm down a bit, mate!” he said.
The years rolled by and Sicily gradually smoothed out his act and evolved into one of the competition’s premium defenders, but as the Hawks declined he also looked to be a classic case of having missed the boat.
The fulcrum for him was the COVID period when he missed 18 months because of an ACL injury, his contract ran down and the club went through an infamously protracted and messy change of coach.
Luke Hodge with spoils from the Hawks’ golden era.Credit: Joe Armao
Candidly, Sicily said it impacted him. “There was a bit of uncertainty, a bit of doubt,” he said. “Who’s steering the ship here? It was Clarko [Alastair Clarkson] then, and Mitch [Sam Mitchell] was going to be in charge in the future.
“How do you juggle that? It was a bit confusing. I don’t think anyone’s done a successful handover yet. We’ll wait and see if someone can.”
Sicily in the Hawthorn museum.Credit: Justin McManus
Sicily said Clarkson and Mitchell were philosophical chalk and cheese, but both had shaped him. “Clarko’s had a significant role in my career, and a lot of my learning about the game is from him,” he said. “He’s a brilliant teacher.”
But Mitchell’s ascent was personally timely. “I’ve found it really rejuvenating, to be honest, the change of head coach,” Sicily said. “Two different philosophies, two great coaches. One more defensively minded, one more offensive. I’ve found that really refreshing.”
Early in Mitchell’s first season, though the Hawks were languishing, Sicily signed a five-year contract extension. He said he had always seen himself as a one-club player, and besides, after that long stretch out of the game he was not sure if or when he would get back to his best.
“I didn’t have much insurance,” he said. “I was happy to sign the deal and get my head around what the club was going to look like. I was happy to be on board for that.”
Hawthorn won only 15 of Mitchell’s first 50 games as coach, none of their first five this year. It looked grim. Then someone threw a switch and the Hawks have won 14 of 18 since, and almost without anyone noticing are in the finals again.
“It’s pretty crazy,” admitted Sicily. He put it down to the trust that develops as players reach 40 or 50 games together, and the confidence that compounds from winning. “There’s a whole lot of confidence and belief at the moment,” he said. “It’s been a pretty awesome turnaround.”
James Sicily in action as Hawthorn beat Carlton last month.Credit: AFL Photos
It’s not accidental, of course. “We always talk about learning quickly,” said Sicily. “Don’t make the same mistake twice.”
An early and abject thrashing from Gold Coast and a later defeat snatched from the jaws of victory against Port Adelaide were salutary. “The Gold Coast game was a fork in the road,” he said. “That was pretty embarrassing, and we didn’t want to feel like that again. And the Port game was pretty devastating.”
Then there were the wins. They come in a range, and Sicily said the lesser wins sometimes mattered more. “Winning ugly. Not playing our best against the Giants and Freo down in Tassie. I feel like days like those are really good for teams, knowing that we weren’t that sharp, not at our best, but we were still able to win,” he said. “We take confidence out of that. I do, personally.”
Against Fremantle, Sicily dislocated his shoulder, but instead of retreating from the game, he parked himself in the forward pocket and unearthed three match-winning goals. He’s proud not to have missed a minute on the day or since.
He says his shoulder is fine now. “When it pops out, the first two weeks are really hard because you still have swelling and you’re in a bit of pain, and there were times I was protecting myself,” he said. “After six or seven weeks, it feels back to normal.”
Hawthorn’s 0-5 start to the year now looks like the exception, not the rule. Injuries were only a part explanation. “At the same time, us senior players were all down in form,” he said. “When you’re expecting the younger players to perform and lead, and they’re playing better than the senior players, that’s not sustainable.
“You might be a chance for a quarter or two quarters when the young guys are shouldering most of the load, but when we [senior players] cleaned up our own backyard, we started to perform better.”
Then-president Jeff Kennett announces Hawthorn’s Alastair Clarkson/Sam Mitchell succession plan in 2021.Credit: Hawthorn Football Club
As a second-year captain, Sicily did it hard then. “I was playing pretty average and we were losing,” he said. “That’s something I’ve really struggled with – separating leadership from performance.
“I feel like my one-wood is just getting the job done and leading by example and having an influence on the game. Something I’ve learnt this year is separating those two. Even if I’m not playing well, I can still lead well.”
As captain, Sicily can still put himself in his rookie’s boots. One thing he remembers is that he didn’t start to play consistently good footy until he felt he truly belonged, at the club and at the level.
Another was the Hawks’ relentless maintenance of standards. “I got to be in an environment where it was all about elite standards and high performance, and now we’re travelling in that direction as well,” Sicily said. “I have the feeling of what it was like back then and what works.
“Now we’re coming out of that phase of development and rebuilding and heading in a direction. It’s exciting.”
Yet another abiding and now rekindled memory is of the atmosphere during the finals: spring weather, firm ground, Waverley packed for training, expectant faces everywhere.
Sicily leads from the front.Credit: AFL Photos
“I was pretty fortunate to be able to train even though there was no prospect of me playing,” he said. “I knew that. But just to be involved was awesome. I thought, this is what could be if I work hard and knuckle down.”
Then the worm turned, and Sicily has played in only three finals, for no wins. His excitement now can’t be called child-like, but it is all around him.
Incongruously, Hawthorn have played only one night game this season, and only two Friday night games in the past three years. “We’re calling all the young fellows mosquitoes,” Sicily said. “When the lights come on, they start buzzing around. They’re attracted by the bright lights. It’s very exciting.”
As a young player, Sicily did not have the guile to hide behind cliches. As captain, he does not bother. Typically, an elimination final captain would not countenance a question about premiership prospects in the back of his mind.
Sicily did. “Oh yeah, that’s what makes it exciting,” he said. “There’s the opportunity to make the hope and dream of playing in the grand final. It’s not a bad thing to think about. It can be quite motivating for what we’re about to do.
“Of course, this week there’s no forward-thinking. Once you get close to the game, you really narrow in on the game you’re about to play. But I think everyone is human and has visualised themselves out there on grand final day.”
Follow our live coverage of Friday night’s elimination final between the Western Bulldogs and Hawthorn online from 6.30pm (AEST).
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