Hawthorn captain James Sicily has caused a storm of controversy with his recent comments about Tasmania.
The state is a significant supporter of his club, with the Tasmanian government serving as a naming rights sponsor and Hawthorn playing four home matches at UTAS Stadium in Launceston this season.
However, Sicily revealed in a recent interview that he has ‘no interest’ in living in Tasmania, raising concerns about the challenge of attracting players to the state.
“I think so, particularly as a young guy, because there’s not much happening down there, it could be difficult,” he said. “I couldn’t imagine myself living there. It would be hard.”
His comments have been met with outrage from fans and former players, including Tasmanians Mitch Robinson and Jacob Despard, who took to Twitter to express their displeasure.
“Absolutely ridiculous comment considering how much money the state pumps into the Hawthorn Football Club,” Despard wrote.
“I’m sure sponsors love hearing that, considering Tassie pumps $13.5 million into a club that’s currently on struggle street,” said Robbinson.
James Sicily has since ‘apologised to anyone he offended’, taking to Instagram late on Wednesday night to say his opinions related to his “personal situation” and he would “find it hard to live in Tassie full time given his “attachment to Melbourne”.
“I love coming down to Tassie to stay and play, I visit Tassie yearly outside of football to enjoy its golf courses and food,” he said.
“I’m proud of our long term relationship with the State and I continue to support Tasmania getting its own team”.
