By Jon Pierik
Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell has launched a passionate defence of his captain, declaring James Sicily does not have an issue with his kicking, and is not hampered by a groin issue.
Outside the pandemic-impacted 2020 season, Sicily’s kicking percentage of 70.4 this season is his lowest since 2016. It’s almost 10 per cent worse than last year, and almost 12 per cent down on his career high of 82.1 per cent in 2023.
A dejected James Sicily after Hawthorn’s loss to the Brisbane Lions.Credit: AFL Photos
However, as Mitchell pointed out to journalists after his weekly press conference on Wednesday, having quickly spoken with his captain, Sicily went at 100 per cent by foot against the Brisbane Lions last weekend.
Hawks premiership great Luke Hodge said on Tuesday there had been “murmurs” that Sicily was carrying a groin issue and that this could be impacting his kicking, but Mitchell stressed that this was not the case.
“His groins are fine, his groins are fine … he is playing every week. There is no reason why his kicking has anything to do with his groins. His groins are fine,” Mitchell said on Wednesday.
“He kicked the ball reasonably well last week, I thought. I am really happy with how he is kicking. I can get you all the kicks that he has done that hardly anyone else in the competition can pull off, and he has done them over the last month. The kicking – that is a storm in a teacup.
“I am not concerned about his kicking.”
Sicily trained strongly in the rain on Wednesday, and took part in all kicking drills.
Ahead of Friday night’s blockbuster against Collingwood, Sicily is also averaging his fewest marks and uncontested possessions since 2016 (outside 2020), although his intercept numbers are similar to last year. His 20.1 disposals a game is his fewest since 2017 (outside 2020), although that is not down considerably from last year.
When swung forward, he has managed six goals in 11 games, but hasn’t had the impact he would have liked.
“Has he played perfect footy this year? No, of course, but no one has,” Mitchell said.
“But I thought he improved significantly last week, took a lot of intercept marks and a lot of intercept possessions. And, even in the part of the game, the progress he has made this year, which doesn’t get the accolades on the outside, he has defended really well.
“His first half [against the Lions], he didn’t win a lot of footy, but he was spoiling well, he defended really well, then he came into his own offensively after that. He has become a very reliable player, on top of being the superstar that we have seen over the last few years.”
Sicily told Seven leading into the recent clash against Gold Coast in Darwin that his groin issue was “part of footy” and that the Hawks “were on top of it”, but AFL great Matthew Lloyd said this week Sicily is “better off not playing”, pointing to the groin issues James Hird had in the 2001 grand final.
Hodge said Sicily had to play with freedom.
“Football is a rollercoaster – you have to learn to go through the good and the bad,” Hodge said on The Agenda Setters.
“He is going through some stages now where people are questioning [whether] his kicking is as good as what we thought it is. There are murmurs going around that his groins are affecting how he is playing. But that is what you have to deal with when you are a player, for one, and when you are a captain. What you have to do is, almost relax.
“As hard as it sounds, you have to go out there and play football with freedom, play like you used to. If you make a mistake, who cares? That’s the mindset that got him to be as good as what he was, an All-Australian. He needs to get back to that mindset.”
Mitchell and his brains trust have more to worry about than just Sicily. Over the past fortnight, the Hawks have conceded 104 points to the Suns in Darwin (Port Adelaide are the only other team they have allowed more than 100 points), and 93 to the Lions. In three straight wins before this, they allowed only 74 by West Coast, 44 by Richmond and 56 by Melbourne.
“We know we are working on some things that will come. We have proven over time to ourselves more than anyone when we work hard on things, we improve them,” Mitchell said.
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