Hawthorn will be without captain James Sicily for at least their next two matches, in a further blow for the struggling Hawks.

Sicily, whose form has been well below his best in 2024 to mimic the Hawks’ spluttering recent run, has been dealing with abdominal and hip issues, with scans on Monday confirming they had worsened.

It comes after the Hawks and coach Sam Mitchell maintained for weeks that the veteran defender’s obvious struggles, particularly with his usually reliable kicking, had nothing to do with any injury concerns.

Just a week ago, Mitchell said Sicily’s groins ‘aren’t an issue’, while bristling at suggestions his disposal efficiency was worse than usual.

“His groins are fine – he’s playing every week, there’s no reason that his kicking has anything to do with his groins,” he said.

“Go watch all of his kicks and tell me which ones you think he could do better. Bring me back, show me some vision, but I’m really happy with how he’s kicking.”

Mitchell hasn’t been the only one to defend the Hawks captain, with club football general manager Rob McCartney telling News Corp last week criticism of Sicily’s leadership was ‘ridiculous’.

“To say his leadership is in question, that is bulls–t and you can quote me on that,” he said.

However, Hawks club doctor Liam West said in a statement the injury had only deteriorated following the Hawks’ loss to Collingwood on Friday night, in which the 30-year old managed just six disposals.

“Unfortunately, James’ injury has flared up post the Collingwood game on Friday night after showing improvement in the weeks prior,” West said.

“Having played every game this season, we were always looking to give James an extended break around the bye, so we’ve decided to bring this forward.”

The Hawks are set to have their bye in Round 15, with Sicily to miss at least matches against the Western Bulldogs and Adelaide in Rounds 13 and 14.

Those clashes against in-form opposition look to be season-defining for last year’s semi-finalists, who are in danger of dropping out of the top eight with a loss to the Bulldogs on Thursday night.

The Hawks currently sit sixth with a 7-5 record after 12 matches, but have lost three consecutive games to premiership contenders Gold Coast, Brisbane and Collingwood.