Hawthorn duo James Sicily and Sam Butler made headlines on Thursday after the pair got into a scuffle in a pre-season training session in Morwell.
While it was just a small tussle, news cameras were there to capture footage, leading fans to make their observations of the incident.
James Sicily has put his captaincy credentials to the test after he was involved in a heated scuffle with a Hawks teammate at a training camp in Morwell. And he wasn't the only one fired up. https://t.co/5zYfOfGqUb @NatYoannidis @7AFL #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/iaFMwSo5Fb
— 7NEWS Melbourne (@7NewsMelbourne) February 2, 2023
Hawks defender Changkuoth Jiath played down the scuffle in the aftermath, stating that it’s simply a by-product of a highly competitive session.
“It’s just the competitive nature here at the Hawks,” Jiath told reporters.
“It’s something we’re trying to develop, playing really hard, attacking footy.
“It’s good to have a little punch on now and then.”
Having also watched the footage, Kane Cornes and David King weighed in on the fracas as both agreed with Jiath’s sentiment.
“I don’t mind it either,” Cornes said on SEN Breakfast.
“I reckon it shows you care, there’s competitive tensions and it’s been a long pre-season, you feel like you’re ready to go, so I have no issue with it.”
King jokingly said the only issue he had with it was that Sicily has to win such fights convincingly if he’s to become the club’s captain.
“Can you be captain if you get beat up at training?” King laughed.
“If you’re going to get involved in those scuffles you have to win them, Sicily has to win them.
“No, I think it’s great to see. It is a bit of an edge.”
Hawthorn opens their 2023 campaign with a Round 1 clash against Essendon at the MCG.