James Sicilia endured a rollercoaster of emotions before kicking hawthorn to a thrilling 14.14 (98) to 14.7 (91) win over Western Bulldogs on Sunday.
The 29-year-old dislocated his shoulder in a heavy fall but returned to action, only to suffer another blow later when he rolled his ankle.
WATCH VIDEO ABOVE: Hawks captain caught in angry outburst against own player.
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He was subsequently moved into the forward line and scored a crucial goal late on to seal the win – only toning given what happened minutes earlier.
Sicilia had broken free and was all alone in the forward’s 50 when the ball was snapped in his direction, with the Hawks holding a five-point lead with seven and a half minutes to go.
He acquired the ball with a ball but, looking the wrong way, opted to use the run of young gun Nick Watson for a clearer shot at goal.
A rough handball ensued and Watson could only dribble it behind.
Sherrin had barely crossed the line and Sicilia was jumping up and down in frustration as the captain sent a few choice words to his teammate.
But it wasn’t long before Sicilia realized his mistake and sought out Watson to apologize.
“I was pretty numb when he missed the goal, but then I tried to make sure I had a smile on my face,” the captain told Fox Sports after the win.
“You don’t want young guys to lose confidence for too long. I was just making sure that “hey it’s okay, I’m sorry for the way I reacted.”
“He said he was a little scared, so I’ll have to follow him.”
Sicilia settled the contest when he used his only good hand to chip away at Buku Khamis to score a deep 50.
His first goal since Round 7 of 2023 — coincidentally against the Bulldogs — followed, and that too led to a loud celebration.
Sicilia later said he was lucky to even be there after the shoulder injury.
“It was embarrassing, but I consider myself very lucky. It could have been a lot worse, I wasn’t in much pain to be honest,” he said.
“I don’t know if it was the panadeins or the adrenaline, but very lucky it wasn’t anything worse.”
The ankle roller tore through the tape the physical therapist had to convince him to wear.
“I’m stoked that he recorded it,” Sicilia said.
“I couldn’t really jump, so I thought why not, instead of being passive at the back with (Aaron) Naughton and Jamara (Ugle-Hagan) and Sam Darcy, sit deep and hopefully score.”
The narrow win pushes Hawthorn further off the bottom of the ladder while the Bulldogs’ finals hopes have taken another hit, putting even more pressure on coach Luke Beveridge.
The Dogs now have two wins from their top eight ahead of next week’s clash with Richmond.
