Hawthorn have been handed a huge boost with the news James Sicily has committed his future to the club by penning a new five-year deal.
The Hawks are priced at 13/2 to make the top eight this season and the news that Sicily has penned the deal will give the whole club a big lift.
Hawk for life
The contract will run until the end of the 2027 AFL season. Sicily will then be the age of 32 and effectively means he will be a Hawthorn player for life.
Sicily believes the club is heading places under the leadership of first-year coach Sam Mitchell and is delighted to commit his future.
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The player was off-contract at the end of the year and is delighted to have ended all the speculation over his future.
“I found the period of being uncontracted a little bit uncomfortable and unsettling, but now that it's put behind me it’s a distraction no longer there,” Sicily told reporters.
“Now I can invest in my teammates and my coaches and get back to focusing on just winning and investing in myself.”
Back to his best
Sicily missed the entire 2021 season with a serious knee injury but is now back to full fitness and back to his best this season.
“There was no weighing up if I’d be here or not, I was always going to be here, but there’s still elements of doubt and I was still having to prove myself again,” he added.
“I’ve got a strong sense of belonging here and I can’t really see myself anywhere else.”
