As the AFL prepares for this week’s pivotal ladder clash between Hawthorn and Fremantle, all early signs point to Hawthorn skipper James Sicily suiting up for Thursday night’s blockbuster at Perth Stadium, despite the ankle injury he sustained during last week’s dramatic draw against Collingwood. Sicily suffered an ankle roll during the match against the Magpies, leaving the turf multiple times throughout the tense contest and prompting widespread fan and media speculation over his availability for the upcoming high-stakes game. But speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Hawthorn head coach Sam Mitchell downplayed concerns over the star defender’s fitness, playfully dismissing the hype around Sicily’s injury as nothing more than “a bit of carry on”. “Yeah, he’ll be fine. He’ll play,” Mitchell confirmed bluntly. “He’s good to go, he’ll be fine, he just rolled his ankle … a bit of carry on from him, probably. Technically, club doctors will say he has to get through a final training session to confirm his spot, but I’m fully expecting him to take the field on Thursday.” A win for Hawthorn would catapult the club into outright second position on the AFL premiership ladder, making the encounter one of the most anticipated matches of the round. Hawthorn currently sits two points behind Thursday’s opponent Fremantle, coming off the hard-fought draw against Collingwood last week. Beyond the fitness update on Sicily, Mitchell also offered high praise for mercurial young small forward Nick Watson, who has emerged as one of the club’s most impactful players through the opening third of the 2025 season. The coach highlighted Watson’s relentless dedication to refining his forward craft, noting that the young star has prioritized improving his core strengths rather than seeking a permanent shift to the midfield, a common path for many rising small forwards looking to expand their roles. “The thing with Nick is that he’s pretty passionate about his forward craft. I know a lot of people are excited about the idea of seeing him spend more time in the midfield, but there’s lots of small forwards that love to be midfielders — he loves being a forward,” Mitchell explained. “He’s been that his whole career since his junior days. I think the smartest thing he’s done is double down on what he’s already good at. It’s not just his goalkicking, finishing around goal and crumbing that stand out; his pressure and intensity around the ball is very, very difficult to replicate if you don’t put the training work in.” Mitchell added that Watson has made massive physical and skill-based improvements over the past nine months, dating back to the end of the 2024 season, crediting the young forward’s work ethic and the support of the club’s program for his rapid development. “I don’t think anyone at the club has made bigger gains physically than he has over that period. Credit to him and the environment around him,” the coach said. “He’s only just started to blossom, and I honestly don’t think we’ve seen the best of ‘Wizard’ just yet.”
AFL 2026: Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell on James Sicily concern, Nick Watson’s progression
