Having been dropped after the Round 1 loss to Essendon, James Sicily was challenged to earn his spot back through strong performances with Box Hill.

While some players might approach a demotion to the reserves with a poor attitude or a negative mindset, Sicily went back and quickly proved that he was a class above.

The 22-year old picked up 54 possessions across his fortnight playing with Box Hill, earning plaudits from Box Hill senior coach Chris Newman.

"Sicily had 28 disposals predominately playing back. He took 11 marks and then went forward in the last quarter and kicked three goals for us so it’s great to see that he can play multiple positions,” Newman said of Sicily’s performance against Coburg that saw him promoted back to the senior side the following week.

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After being trialled in defence for much of the pre-season, Sicily played predominantly as a forward against the Cats and was the Hawks most dangerous forward on the day.

Sicily’s key strengths were on display as he finished with 15 disposals, 10 marks and kicked two goals to be named as the Hawks best on a tough day for Hawk forwards.

In his breakout year in 2016, Sicily showed his value at the elite level, finishing in the top 35 league-wide at marks inside 50.

He was able to highlight his season, in which he played 22 games, with 30 goals.