Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell has poured cold water on speculation surrounding skipper James Sicily, insisting the defender’s groins are not an issue and calling recent media scrutiny “a storm in a teacup.”
With the Hawks preparing for a Friday night blockbuster against ladder-leaders Collingwood, questions have been raised about Sicily’s form, particularly his kicking.
But Mitchell was having none of it when he faced the press on Wednesday.
‘His leadership has been really strong’
“The groins aren't an issue. He's working really hard on his game,” Mitchell said. “He played really well last week. The thing about ‘Sic’ is he's led us really well… his leadership has been really strong through the tougher periods, in particular.”
MORE: St Kilda shouldn't 'b**** and moan, claims ex-AFL star
Sicily has been a key figure in Hawthorn’s recent rebuild, but a string of losses, most recently to Gold Coast and Brisbane, has seen pressure mount, with some pointing to the captain’s kicking efficiency as a sign of deeper problems. Mitchell dismissed that completely.
“His groins are fine – he's playing every week, there's no reason that his kicking has anything to do with his groins,” he said.
“Go watch all of his kicks and tell me which ones you think he could do better. Bring me back, show me some vision, but I'm really happy with how he's kicking.”
Mitchell even went so far as to challenge critics to analyse Sicily’s recent play in detail.
“I can get you all the kicks he's done, that hardly anyone in the competition can pull off, and he's done them over the last month. That's a storm in a teacup.”
Meanwhile, after a blistering 4-0 start to the season, the Hawks have dropped to sixth with a 7-4 record. Mitchell, though, isn’t panicking and doesn’t want his players buying into the noise either.
“You're all much more frustrated as a media group than we are,” he said. “We were saying we're not quite as good as that [early run]. We're looking at it now and saying we're not quite as bad as that, either.”