3 months ago
9
Hawthorn skipper James Sicily is confident the Hawks boast the ideal weapon in case there is a break-glass moment in Saturday’s elimination final against Greater Western Sydney.
Josh Battle has enjoyed a superb season with the Hawks since crossing from St Kilda, the versatile defender earning a maiden All-Australian selection last week.
James Sicily of the Hawks flies for a mark.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
Battle’s ability to match up on talls or speedier forwards has been instrumental in the Hawks earning a second-straight trip to the finals.
So good has Battle been that he has lost only 10 of 54 one-on-one defensive contests, the second-best record of any player who featured in 50 or more contested defensive one-on-ones.
“He has had a great year. Another luxury really, because you can have a [Jeremy] Cameron or a Charlie Curnow, and you say: ‘JB, you just take him’,” Sicily said.
“Sometimes that can be an hour of what ifs in the coach’s mind around: ‘OK, if this happens, and [an opponent] gets off the chain, who are we going to go to?’.
“Being able to say: ‘Just put Josh Battle on him – that’s it’. That’s a pretty good luxury.”
Sicily, who has spent the bulk of the season in defence, said the recruitment of Battle and former Eagle Tom Barrass had transformed the Hawks’ back line.
“I think they have offered a high-level of consistency. They rarely get beaten. They make everyone else’s job around them easier. They are older guys as well,” Sicily said.
“They are leaders, so people look to them. Particularly being the captain, you don’t have to have the answers all the time, because you have got guys like Josh, Tom, Jarman [Impey], to get on the same page quickly, because we are all seeing the same thing. They have been part of situations before, because of their experience.”
Battle has played 146 games, but only two finals with the Saints since being drafted in 2016. Now comes a chance for a deep finals run with a team likely to be in premiership contention for some time.
“To be back playing finals, I love it. We are a young list, we are an optimistic list, I think to see some of the young players coming through, it’s pretty cool,” Battle said.
A star junior cricketer who was a Victorian under-17 representative, Battle described himself as a modest allrounder who “could bowl a little bit, bat a little bit”.
He chose football over cricket, the decision now leaving him well positioned to taste the ultimate success in the AFL, whether that be this year or next.
