‘Lights were on, no-one home’: Hawk to play on edge

Sicily Ready to Embrace the ‘Hawks’ Edge’ Again

Hawthorn’s co-captain, James Sicily, is signalling a return to his aggressive, passionate brand of AFL football after a period where he felt he had suppressed his natural intensity too much. The towering utility player admitted to a phase where he became almost emotionally detached on the field, describing it as a state where “the lights were on, but no-one’s home.”

In the earlier stages of his career, Sicily was known for his fiery on-field presence, which at times led to an informal “Sicily Tax” for the Hawks, a consequence of his reputation for pushing boundaries. However, Sicily, a 2023 All-Australian, now acknowledges that his most potent performances often come when he’s playing on the precipice of that intensity.

“I was so conscious of not stuffing up and making a dill out of myself – which I happened to do on occasion early in my career,” Sicily shared in a recent interview. “I don’t know, it was just this state of numbness. It was a weird feeling, because I didn’t want to show any emotion, so then it just became a little bit of who I was. Sometimes I’d walk down the corridor and the lights were on, but no-one was home.” He continued, “When I’m on the edge, I play my best footy and it’s definitely been the most enjoyable and fun for me.”

Sicily also expressed a lack of concern regarding the club’s decision not to extensively publicise his injury struggles last year. He battled through shoulder and hip issues that undoubtedly impacted his form.

“I’m feeling cherry-ripe now,” he declared. “I sort-of live by that, there’s no excuses and no room for feeling sorry for yourself. I’m not the most empathetic person myself, so I don’t expect people to feel sorry for me. I don’t mind it, not being common knowledge.”

Leadership Evolution at Hawthorn

This season marks a significant shift in leadership for the Hawks, with Sicily now sharing the captaincy duties after three years as the sole leader. He will co-captain alongside Jai Newcombe. Sicily explained that this change stemmed from open and honest discussions within the club about the future of its leadership structure.

“Just because we’ve done something for three years doesn’t mean we continue to role out the same thing,” Sicily stated. “It’s released a bit of bandwidth for myself, and there’s going to be room to focus on myself a little bit more, rather than the whole footy club.” This shared leadership model is expected to allow both captains to manage their workloads more effectively and focus on their individual development and on-field contributions.

Optimism for the Season Ahead

Despite the club missing out on key recruitment targets like Zach Merrett and facing another injury setback for Will Day, Sicily remains optimistic about the Hawks’ pre-season preparations and the team’s overall trajectory. He highlighted the development of several emerging talents as key indicators of progress.

Sicily specifically pointed to the growth of players in their third to fifth years, including:

• Josh Ward
• Josh Weddle
• Massimo D’Ambrosio
• Connor Macdonald
• Cam Mackenzie

“It’s a bit of the boys becoming men, the third- to fifth-year players,” Sicily observed. “They’re a lot stronger – what they’re good at, they’re becoming even better at.”

Adding to the positive outlook, Sicily noted that new recruits Jack Ginnivan and Nick Watson have been “real highlights” during training sessions. Their integration and early performances have injected further enthusiasm and competition into the squad, suggesting a renewed sense of purpose and potential for the Hawthorn Football Club as they look towards the upcoming season. The blend of experienced leadership and burgeoning talent appears to be creating a dynamic and motivated environment at the club.