With his skipper’s kicking under the spotlight and eyebrows raised over a positional gamble, Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell has stepped up to offer full-blooded support ahead of a milestone match at the MCG.
The Hawks are set to celebrate 100 years in the AFL/VFL on Sunday against Richmond, but some of the build-up has been clouded by criticism aimed at captain James Sicily’s recent ball use.
Despite helping steer Hawthorn to a thumping 50-point win over West Coast last weekend, Sicily has been singled out for his wayward kicking in recent rounds.
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Mitchell, though, is having none of it.
“He hasn’t lost his kicking skill”
“For the majority of the year, he has been in All-Australian form, I would say,” Mitchell said on Friday, ahead of the landmark clash.
“He’s a beautiful kick of the footy. He hasn’t kicked the ball well, but he’s still finding it, still defending well, and he’s not having scores scored on him. He just hasn’t kicked the ball well. But he’s still a good kick. I’m far from concerned. He’s a pro. He’s out here working on his craft. He hasn’t lost his kicking skill.”
Sicily isn’t the only talking point. Mitchell’s decision to push Tom Barrass, who had kicked just one goal in 156 games, into the forward line late against his former side raised questions of gamesmanship. Eagles coach Andrew McQualter was visibly unimpressed post-match, saying, “I haven’t seen Tom Barrass play forward too often in his career.”
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Mitchell, however, said the move had nothing to do with the opposition and everything to do with internal development.
“When we get the opportunity, we like to try and change a position to see if we can get a bit of development into our game,” he said. “We’re looking for ways to score and different avenues forward.”
Whatever the external chatter, the Hawks boss is clearly backing his men to handle the heat, with or without the footy in hand.