Star Hawthorn defender James Sicily has turned his back on free agency and signed a five-year contract extension, tying him to the club until the end of 2027.
After missing the second half of the 2020 campaign and all of 2021 while recovering from a knee reconstruction, the 27-year-old Sicily has not missed a beat on his return to AFL action.
He has averaged a career-high 23.3 disposals and almost three intercept marks per game in nine outings this season and shared the honours in a thrilling match-up with Richmond spearhead and Coleman Medal leader Tom Lynch last weekend.
Sicily has played 102 games since joining Hawthorn with pick 56 in the 2013 national draft and is currently the stand-in captain, with Ben McEvoy on the injured list.
"We couldn't be happier to make James a Hawk for life with this contract extension," Hawthorn list manager Mark McKenzie said.
"This deal demonstrates James' strong commitment to the club, as he continues to develop his leadership capabilities.
"After starting his career up forward, James has since become one of our most reliable defenders, with elite rebounding capacity."
