Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell has backed in captain James Siciliy's performance amid a season that has seen the Hawks leader fall below his best form.
Not for the first time this year, Sicily was swung forward in Thursday's Darwin clash with Gold Coast to have a larger impact on the game, with the Hawks falling to the Queensland club by eight points in a close contest.
Matching up on Suns forward Ben Long, Sicily couldn't tame the in-form small forward and also continued to struggle to move the ball by foot - a trait that has often been the All-Australian's trademark skill.
Sicily moved forward in the second half and looked to have a bigger say on the game as the Hawks clawed their way back late, with Mitchell seeking more "energy and vibrancy" in attack.
Quizzed on his captain's form, Mitchell said Sicily "was pretty good" and led the side well.
"He had a couple of games where he wasn't as good, but I was pretty pleased with his game," the Hawthorn coach said.
"Last week he got coaches votes and this week he was pretty good. We moved him forward and I thought he gave us something. We needed a bit of energy and vibrancy in the front half.
"I thought he was pretty good. He's maybe not kicking the ball quite as well as he has, but other than that I think he's playing some good footy for us, and I thought he led well tonight."
The Hawks got through the testing Northern Territory conditions unscathed, with Josh Battle not expected to miss any action with a corky concern.
Mitchell lauded the efforts of ruckman Ned Reeves, who returned for his first game in over 12 months to take on Suns duo Jarrod Witts and Ned Moyle in the absence of Lloyd Meek.
Small forward Nick Watson was also among the Hawks' standouts, booting three first-half goals to be a key contributor before the main break.
Mitchell was pleased with Watson's ability to stand tall while other Hawks struggled, with the Hawks coach hoping to see a full-game of Watson's best after a strong first two terms against the Suns.
"When the rest of the game or the rest of the teammates are not going that well, it's quite hard to be one who stands out and does the right thing at the right time and really has key moments," Mitchell said.
"For someone so young to be the one we needed to rely on. Without him in the first 40 minutes of the game I think we were going to be well and truly out of it.
"His challenge is to be able to do it for longer. He's going to have to work on some things in his game to make sure he can play that style of footy more often. Not just game-to-game, but also within one game to be able to do it for a longer period of time. That's what happens when you're 20 years old."
Hawthorn's record now sits at seven wins and three losses, with the Waverley side set to face scheduled to take on Brisbane, Collingwood, the Western Bulldogs and Adelaide in their next four matches.
