The AFL fines Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley $20,000 for targeting Hawthorn forward Jack Ginnivan after the Power's thrilling semi-final win at Adelaide Oval.
Hinkley sparked backlash for taunting Ginnivan immediately after the game, leading to a furious reaction from Hawks captain James Sicily, coach Sam Mitchell, and a host of former Hawthorn players in the media.
Having issued the Power coach with a 'please explain', the AFL announced that the club has been fined $20,000 for for breaching AFL Rule 2.3(a), conduct unbecoming.
"We understand it is a passionate game with a lot at stake for all clubs, however Ken made a decision to engage with opposition players post-match - a decision he has since admitted was the wrong one," AFL General Counsel Stephen Meade said.
"Ken has acknowledged that his emotions got the better of him in the moment, however as a senior coach his actions fell well below what is expected by the AFL."
Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley admits he shouldn't have been drawn into a verbal post-match altercation with Hawthorn players on Friday night, conceding he had responded emotionally to opposition comments during the build-up to a thrilling semi-final.
Hinkley approached Hawks forward Jack Ginnivan after the three-point win and was then involved in a tense exchange with opposition captain James Sicily.
"There was an incident after the game where I had some words with a Hawthorn player that I wish I hadn't had in a moment that I shouldn't have had," Hinkley said.
"It was an emotional game, a big result, and there was stuff said during last week that I certainly didn't enjoy, but I shouldn't have let that moment get to me.
"I've now made it known to them through this that I shouldn't have approached the moment that I did, but what was done during the week was done and I responded to it in an emotional state, which shouldn't be the case."
The AFL issues a 'please explain' to Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley following his post-game interaction with Hawthorn players Jack Ginnivan and James Sicily.
"I can't recall exactly what was said. He (Hinkley) was talking to our players and said something to Ginni," Sicily said about the incident.
"I think what I do as a leader is I always have my teammates' back and I will stick up for them regardless of who is in the right or the wrong.
"It is something I pride myself on and I don't regret it one bit really."
James Sicily comes under fire after derogatory comments he made about Tasmania's ability to recruit players if it secured the 19th license, comments for which he subsequently apologised for via social media.
"He's got to learn, but by the same token he is frustrated because it's not what he meant. We've been going there 20 years, we have a great time there, we love playing there," Hawks coach Sam Mitchell said of Sicily's comments.
"He obviously didn't handle his media commitments very well yesterday. He'll learn from that. It's not a reflection of his thinking and that's the frustrating part."
James Sicily will captain the Hawks for the next four months as they reassess their leadership structure in the absence of regular skipper Ben McEvoy.
"His passion for the game, his understanding of it and his ability to read what's happening live, as well as post-game (is outstanding)," Hawks coach Sam Mitchell said of Sicily.
"His passion for not just his own performance but the team's collective performance and the direction that we're going has been significant."
Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson admits that James Sicily is struggling to adapt to being played up forward since being moved there in the last two weeks.
"Do we keep trying that or do we take him back to where he's played his best footy in the last 18 months? We just need to explore that, but we're continuing to try things," Clarkson said.
"That one hasn't worked for us, but it's only been two games."
James Sicily is set to miss six weeks after suffering a broken scaphoid in Hawthorn's loss to Brisbane.
Prior to his injury, Sicily averaged 24 disposals, 7.5 marks and 4.7 rebound 50s in his 14 games, placing him in Hawthorn's best 2 or 3 players for the 2018 season.
James Sicily will miss Hawthorn's round six clash against St Kilda after pleading guilty to a serious misconduct charge.
Sicily was referred directly to the Tribunal for standing on North Melbourne forward Shaun Atley's lower leg at Etihad Stadium.
"(I'm) disappointed in myself that I guess I've done an undisciplined act and that's something that I need to get out of my game," Sicily said.
"It's definitely something I've learned from this whole experience."
Sicily's legal representative, Peter O'Farrell, had earlier told the Tribunal his client had been "admonished" by Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson and football manager Graham Wright for his lack of discipline.
"Like me they were disappointed in what happened with my actions, but they've still got my back in a sense and they still want me to do well," an emotional Sicily said after the hearing.
Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson does not agree with the notion that fiery defender James Sicily plays his best football "on the edge".
"I think he plays his best footy when he's just in the moment; reading the game and feeling confident with his game and confident with the system we play," Clarkson said.
"He's adapting to a new phase of (his career) and that's that he's become an influential player in the game and particularly for our side, so he's going to start drawing attention from opposition teams.
"He needs to cope with that and it's not easy. We ask him to accept those challenges and learn as he's going along,"
James Sicily is seen kneeing Joel Selwood in the head as the pair engage in a tussle during the Hawks' Easter Monday clash against Geelong.
Both engaged in a lengthy conversation after the siren as they shook hands, with Selwood initiating the conversation and Sicily seeming aggrieved.
"Those games, they bring out huge emotions. I obviously wasn't happy at the time with the incident, but it is what it is," Selwood said after the game.
"He probably picked the wrong bloke to do it to too, because I don't react too well to a lot of things like that.
"It happened quick to be honest. I'm fine tonight. I'm not, hopefully, going to say anything silly. It's just one of those footy incidents."
Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson believes James Sicily has the tools to become an outstanding AFL player.
"His ability to read the ball off the boot in play either as a forward or back is as good as some of the best players I have seen in terms of aerial ability in the last 10 to 15 years," Clarkson said of Sicily.
"That's a big statement and one that will carry some pressure with it. But we have some high hopes about what he can become as a player. He was a third-round pick who can become an A-grader."
But Clarkson did acknowledge that his temperament remains the one major flaw in his game.
"He has some things in his temperament and with being able to push aside the emotions of the game and we still see evidence in stages of games when he just loses it," Clarkson said.
"But if he can manage that temperament, he’s got leadership written all over him and he has star quality written all over him, but he is impulsive and he has a temper, as does his coach, so I have empathy with him."
Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson says James Sicily will learn not to retaliate to his antagonists on the field as he matures.
Sicily gave away seven free kicks in the Hawks' seven-point loss to Carlton at Etihad Stadium, losing his composure in front of umpires and retaliating against opponent Jed Lamb, who was unrelenting in his defensive forward role on the young Hawk.
"It'll be a really great learning game for him. That's AFL footy and I'd much rather it happen now early in his career when it's a dead-rubber game," Clarkson said.
"He was getting smacked a fair bit and he's the retaliator. The umpires pay the retaliator rather than apply the discipline to the Carlton player in the first instance who is doing the hitting.
"We're on the receiving end this time, but plenty of other times we've been the team to dish that sort of stuff out."
James Sicily says he is making a conscious effort in trying to control his emotions, particularly towards umpires, which he acknowledges has been a problem.
"At the moment, I truly believe I play my best footy when I'm on the edge," he said.
"I've made a little bit of a conscious effort on handling my temperament a bit, particularly towards the umpires as well, (because) I know that's been a bit of a problem. I'm a very competitive person, but I kind of do need to tone it down a little bit."
Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson says he wants swingman James Sicily to continue to play on the edge, insisting he doesn't need to talk to the 22-year-old about his fiery nature on the field.
"He's just grown as a player and he's got some good guys around him who try to keep him out of strife when his temper flares a little bit," Clarkson said.
"But guys that play on the edge like that sometimes they're going to go over the top, sometimes you've just got to keep them underneath the line but he's played some really important football for us in the last few weeks and he'll continue to learn about himself."
Taylor Duryea has laughed off his heated on-field exchange with teammate James Sicily.
"A minute later, it was forgotten about," Duryea said.
"Those conversations, although probably not to that level, happen all the time out on the ground and you have to be able to move on, otherwise you get left in that moment in the game, so there was nothing much to it."
Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson says he doesn't have a problem with James Sicily’s on-field outburst at teammate Taylor Duryea during the Hawks’ 52-point win over Fremantle.
The clash just before half-time at Domain Stadium was pre-empted by Sicily being struck in the face by a ball kicked by Docker Hayden Ballantyne.
Sicily was arguing vehemently with a field umpire after being denied a kicking-in-danger free kick when Duryea came in and tried to calm him down.
But Sicily reacted by abusing his teammate which eventually led to captain Jarryd Roughead counselling him as they left the field at half-time.
“I think ‘Sicers’ got belted in the head with the footy and was a little bit away with the fairies for a time, but Dr Duryea was just trying to settle him down a bit. He was a bit grumpy he got hit in the scone,” Clarkson said.
“He’s a passionate player (Sicily) and he’s playing some good footy for us in the back half.
“It was a pretty significant event that led to it and how passionate and emotional about it he was, and I love the fact that one of our players came in to try to help settle him down and get composed and get back into the game again.
“I reckon it’s really good leadership from Duryea and I love the passion of Sicily so it’s all fine.”
James Sicily and Brendon Goddard forged a lifelong link by achieving an extraordinary sporting double during the off-season after both had a hole-in-one playing in the same group in a mid-week golf competition.
Playing on opposing teams, Sicily hit the perfect shot with a seven-iron at the 161m par-three 12th hole at the prestigious Huntingdale course in Melbourne. And just three holes later, Goddard incredibly matched the feat when his eight-iron shot at the 141m 15th-hole took one bounce and hopped into the cup.
Hawthorn will persist using James Sicily predominantly in defence, but won't be afraid to throw him into attack when the need arises.
"We like the fact he can (play) both ends, so we're not going to give up on the fact he can (play) down back and that's probably going to be his priority," Hawks assistant coach Adem Yze said.
"Having that flexibility of going forward and back, we like to have two or three players that can do that.
"I probably prefer him to start back and be our swingman for now."
James Sicily kicks a career-high five goals in Hawthorn's nine-point win over North Melbourne to clinch the round 13 NAB AFL Rising Star nomination.
"I've done a fair bit of work on my goal kicking in the last few weeks because I haven't been kicking as well in front of goal as I would like," Sicily said.
"I've done a fair bit of work with (specialist coach) David Rath on my goal-kicking.
"It was good I was able to kick straight and get a bit of confidence back because that's something I was lacking the last few games."
James Sicily says Hawks teammate Jarryd Roughead has been a great mentor to him as a young forward.
"He's someone I lean on for advice and I try to pick his brain with tips and tricks," Sicily said.
"He's given me some advice on leading patterns and little things you can do to create separation as a forward. As well as some mindset things when things aren't going your way."
James Sicily has shaped as a possible round-one replacement for injured Hawk Jarryd Roughead after some strong form in the NAB Challenge.
"Sicily's got a fair bit of X-factor about him. He's got things that he's working on with Brett Ratten that we've been pleased with," Hawks assistant coach Cameron Bruce said.
"With all of our forwards we want them to have that ability to hit the scoreboard but also to offer an ‘oppo-ball’ aspect to the game, and James is working on that and he showed some really good signs tonight.
"He'll be putting his hand up to be one of those players vying for Roughy's spot."
James Sicily makes his AFL debut for Hawthorn at the MCG with 10 disposals (4 kicks and 6 handballs), a mark, a tackle, 1 hitouts and a goal in a 2-point loss to Essendon.