James Sicily will not face the Tigers this week, having accepted a one-match ban from the MRP for kneeing Geelong’s Joel Selwood in Hawthorn’s Round 2 clash. 

“Sis is not playing this weekend and I think Richmond would be happy that that’s the case, because he is arguably in our best two or three players to start off the year,” Jarryd Roughead told Triple M on Wednesday. 

Despite the young player coming under much media scrutiny this week, he has the support of his captain, who sees shades of past club heroes in the 23-year-old.

“There’s been enough said about the way [Sis] goes about things,” Roughead said.

“I love that kind of aggression… and it’s not too dissimilar to what [Luke] Hodge and [Jordan] Lewis were like in the early days as well. 

“The thing now will be just trying to get it out of his game a lot sooner than we did with Hodgey,” he added, with a laugh.

Roughead reiterated his sentiment while speaking on Fox Footy’s On the Couch, inferring that the benefits Sicily brings to Hawthorn’s line up far outweigh the occasional outbursts resulting in penalties against. 

“You point out the 50m penalty, but how many [goals] has he stopped with his intercept marking and possessions?

“He’s a second year defender who plays with spirit and a bit of white line fever too.

“Yes, you don’t want that, but he’s not always going to do that.

“He’s got to learn to control it as well, but I still like to see [his passion].” 

Sicily will serve his one-match sanction this week, and will be free to return for the Hawks Round 4 clash with the Demons the following Sunday.