HAWTHORN captain James Sicily is receiving staunch backing from his coach amid queries from AFL legend Leigh Matthews over his swingman role.
Matthew has questioned whether Sicily’s “psyche” is being adversely impacted by frequently being switched positions during games.
“We have moved him most games this year,” Mitchell told reporters on Friday.
“And I would say prior to the weekend, he has probably been our most consistent performer.
“I would have said – probably coaches always think this about their own players – I would have said he was an All-Australian lock before last week.
“Now, one game where he didn’t perform at his best, does that change that?
“Do we need to worry about everything to do with James Sicily because he didn’t catch the ball or kick the ball well for one game?
“I don’t believe so.
“He’s a pro. He handles it really well, he’s a resilient character and he will have a good performance this week.”
Sicily was again likely to play dual roles when the Hawks face West Coast on Sunday.
“He’s having a fantastic season,” Mitchell said.
“He didn’t use the ball well and he didn’t catch the ball well (against Geelong).
“But at this stage that was one out of the box for him … a one-game outlier.”
