Mitchell informed reporters on Thursday that “Umpires do their scouting the same way that the players do.”
“If James is in a particular place, you can be sure that others will be searching for something, and you’ll find what you’re looking for.
“He is aware that he must give it his all and ensures that he plays by the rules, just like everyone else.”
After getting under Sicily’s skin, Essendon effectively used Matt Guelfi as a defensive forward to stifle the attacking performance of the 135-game defender in the second half.
Mitchell said that Sicily’s actions on the pitch had recently drawn attention from within.
Every week, Mitchell said, “we have discussions. This week, there was a little bit of focus about how he’s performing and how his role is.”
“I’m really confident that he has everything in his kitbag right now to ensure that he can perform well as a leader and as a player on the pitch.”
Mitchell is certain that coming forward, the Hawks and Sicily will be able to handle a defensive forward from the opposition “better than we have.”
Teams don’t do that every week because it’s hard to make it work, but we’re still working through how that occurs, he said.
“Essendon performed admirably last week, and James, along with (defence coach) Kade Simpson, will put in a lot of effort to ensure that ‘Sic’ can have a positive impact on the squad.
“He’s widely known for his interceptions, and sometimes that will be offensive. However, he’s also an excellent defender, so sometimes you have to go back to your origins and make sure you play excellent defence.
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