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Sport Nation
In the gun: Hawks skipper called to lift amid poor run of form
Luke Mathews • May 30th, 2025 1:56 pm
David King has put Hawthorn's James Sicily in the gun ahead of Friday night’s blockbuster clash with Collingwood.
The Hawks captain has made a name for himself as a reliable defender and precise kick, however his start to the season has been well below his own lofty standards.
Through the first 11 rounds, the former All-Australian finds himself down on disposals, marks and efficiency from the heights of 2024, with a significant rise in clangers and turnovers per game.
King feels that Sicily needs to lift in order to increase his output, particularly as the club navigates a difficult schedule.
“We’re just looking for a change," King told SEN's Fireball.
"Whether it’s a change in output, a change in effective kicking, decision-making or whatever it is.
“I think the footy world are probably looking at four or five magnets more than most this weekend.
“He’s probably the number one magnet discussed on all review shows over the last couple of weeks. He hasn’t done anything to get himself off the charts.
“I’m hoping that’s tonight, we’re all hoping that’s tonight because we want to see great footy and this guy delivers great footy.”
The comments come just two days after Sam Mitchell went into bat for his skipper after he was quizzed about the defender’s form.
Mitchell reaffirmed that the 2022 best and fairest winner has been working really hard on his game and felt that he played really well in the loss against the Lions.
“I mean he’s working really hard on his game, I thought he played really well last week,” Mitchell said.
“The thing about 'Sic' is he’s led us really well.
“At the moment his leadership has been really strong through the tougher periods in particular.
“You look at the last couple of years when we’ve really needed players to stand up, he’s often been that guy.
“I look at his leadership and I’m really pleased that he’s the captain of the club and that we’ve got him doing the things that he’s doing
“Has he played perfect footy this year? No, of course not, but no one has.
“I thought he improved significantly last week, took a lot of intercept marks had a lot of intercept possessions.
“I’m pretty pleased with how Sic is going overall.”
The Hawks will be looking for Sicily to stand up on Friday night at the MCG when they take on an in-form Collingwood side.
