James Sicily, the captain of Hawthorn, is “optimistic” that he will be able to play St Kilda in Launceston this weekend despite dislocating his shoulder during the Hawks’ thrilling victory on Sunday.
When Sicily left the pitch to be handled by trainers, it appeared as though his day was over, but he came back to make a significant difference and kick the goal that put the Western Bulldogs out of the game during time-on in the last term.
He expressed his pride in Hawthorn’s improved defensive play after the team suffered a crushing defeat to Sydney in round 7. He also expressed regret to first-year Hawk Nick Watson for his on-field outburst after the No. 5 pick missed an easy opportunity to score in the closing seconds of the game.
Sicily told RSN he was “optimistic” he would be ready to play against the Saints in an exciting Saturday afternoon matchup and expressed hope that his dislocated shoulder would not sustain any major structural damage.
Even though (I’m) pretty sore this morning, it was all worthwhile to wake up on a Monday following an incredible victory. Receiving some credit for work was a good thing, he remarked.
You truly experience a slight state of shock. I had the impression that I was probably done for a while.Although it was a very uncomfortable sensation, the doctors were able to insert it quite easily, and I was left with all of my strength and minimal pain. It was strange, and I wish I hadn’t had my shoulder done, but it pulled up fine. This morning, it’s a little stiff, but we’ll see.”
The captain complimented the small forward for his outstanding response in winning a crucial one-against-two contest to keep the ball in Hawthorn’s hands with a minute remaining, but admitted that he was embarrassed to watch the replay of his blow-up at Watson after his miss in the closing moments.
“I threw a fit… When I saw it on TV, I realised it didn’t look that juvenile,” Sicily remarked.
“(Watson) made some incredible defensive efforts after that. Wiz, he’s going to score a tonne of goals for us; he’s got plenty of opportunities to shoot.
He claimed that after I yelled at him, he was a little shaken. It’s more important to follow up (after the game) because it can be challenging to attend to people’s feelings when you’re working under pressure.
Along with father-son debutant Calsher Dear, who Sicily was ecstatic to see stand up with his second goal midway through the final term, Watson celebrated his first victory for the Hawks.
“We got to see why we selected (Dear) for the team this week, which was awesome,” Sicily remarked.
“When we got him, he was a bloody raw kid. Gunners (Jack Gunston) has worked a lot with him.”
As a teammate, it’s always exciting and refreshing to see debutants during the week. It is extremely wholesome stuff.
