A New Chapter for James Sicily
James Sicily, co-captain of Hawthorn, is embracing a return to his fiery on-field persona after a period of suppressing his emotions. The tall utility player admits he had gone too far in toning down his AFL aggression and passion, describing himself as “numb” and feeling like “the lights were on, but no-one’s home.”
Early in his career, Sicily was known for his on-field incidents, which led to an informal “Sicily Tax” at Hawthorn due to his reputation. However, the 2023 All-Australian player believes he plays best when he’s on the edge.
“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 said during an interview with SEN. “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.”
He continued, “Sometimes I’d walk down the corridor and the lights were on, but no-one was home. 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 that he wasn’t concerned about Hawthorn not revealing much about his injury problems last year. He dealt with shoulder and hip issues that affected his form, but now feels “cherry-ripe” again.
“I sort-of live by that, there’s no excuses and no room for feeling sorry for yourself,” he said. “I’m not the most empathetic person myself, so I don’t expect other people to feel sorry for me. I don’t mind it, not being common knowledge.”
After three years as sole captain, Sicily will now share the role with Jai Newcombe. He explained that the change came from open dialogue at the club about leadership.
“Just because we’ve done something for three years doesn’t mean we continue to roll out the same thing,” he said. “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.”
Despite missing out on recruiting Zach Merrett and Will Day being injured again, Sicily remains optimistic about his team’s pre-season. He highlighted players such as Josh Ward, Josh Weddle, Massimo D’Ambrosio, Connor Macdonald, and Cam Mackenzie.
“It’s a bit of the boys becoming men, the third- to fifth-year players,” he said. “They’re a lot stronger – what they’re good at, they’re becoming even better at.”
Sicily also praised Jack Ginnivan and Nick Watson, calling them “real highlights” in training. His renewed energy and focus suggest a promising season ahead for both him and the Hawthorn team.
