Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell says it is not a fait accompli that James Sicily will grow to be the membership’s subsequent captain, with the Hawks to make use of a coaching camp subsequent week to find out their management construction.
The Hawks are in want of a brand new skipper following the retirement of Ben McEvoy on the finish of final season.
McEvoy was a part of a mass exodus of expertise from the membership, with Jaeger O’Meara (Fremantle), Jack Gunston (Brisbane Lions), Tom Mitchell (Collingwood) and Liam Shiels (North Melbourne) among the many departures.
Sicily crammed in as captain at occasions final yr when McEvoy was out injured, and the 28-year-old’s career-best marketing campaign was rewarded with Hawthorn’s greatest and fairest award.
Veteran ahead Luke Breust is another choice as captain. But at 32 years of age, it appears unlikely Hawthorn will go in that route.
Defender Blake Hardwick could be a left-field possibility, whereas 21-year-old rising star Jai Newcombe is nearly sure to be given extra time to develop earlier than being thought of for such a taxing position.
Mitchell is effectively conscious of the groundswell of assist constructing for Sicily, however he stated discussions between the participant and training group at subsequent week’s coaching camp in Gippsland will assist give them extra readability about who the subsequent chief ought to be.
“It’s obvious that on the external that James Sicily is the big obvious one,” Mitchell stated.
“But there’s a lot of players who I wouldn’t underestimate their influence on our group.
“You take a look at any soccer membership from the skin, and you may’t actually inform (who’s the very best chief). You see what they do on the sector solely, nevertheless it’s such a small portion of what occurs.
“What you need to look at is the collective understanding of the group and what we need to take us on that next step on our journey.”
Mitchell is not nervous concerning the current mass exodus of expertise on the membership.
“I go back to my early days, and I remember when Shane Crawford retired,” Mitchell stated.
“It was like, ‘how is this club going to run without Shane Crawford?’
“It was fairly superb that shedding somebody of such significance … each membership finds their equilibrium once they come again.
“We lost some experienced players, some good players of course. But the group comes together, and they just find this groove and equilibrium.”
The Hawks completed thirteenth with an 8-14 document in Mitchell’s first yr as coach.
With the membership within the midst of a giant rebuild, there could possibly be extra ache to come back.
But Mitchell would not suppose that ache is inevitable.
“Our playing group is really clear on the direction and the desire we have to go to the top and to stay there,” Mitchell stated.
“There’s not a quick easy fix to get there, and we know it will take hard work. But there’s nothing that says we can’t do it straight away, and there’s nothing that says it’s going to take six or seven years.
“It’s as much as us to go as quick as we will and see how shortly we will get there.”