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Co-Captains. WHY?

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I think it's more of things like, who's going to address the players in the huddle. Remember Hodge's infamous "I hope they come out and kick the first 4 goals, then we'll rise and show them speech." If he had a co-captain on equal footing they may say "don't say stupid stuff like that to them" and then there's a conflict.
Are our co-captains 15 years old in this scenario?
 
So tapping into the different strengths of two different minded, but equally inviolable and popular leaders is weak? Some serious boomer stuff right there..

Personally I don't care whether we have Co-Captains - if the players and the coach are behind the idea and the appointments then so be it.

But to your point, that could (and should) be happening anyway regardless of whether someone is a Captain or not. That's relevant to all leaders at the club.
 

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What would have to happen for you to be proven wrong?

Just that team camaraderie remains the way it has been over the last few years and that we're not unsettling something that appears to be working from the outside .. and we continue playing good footy. I trust Sam - he knows what he's doing - I think Slainte makes a good point about the modern day commitments of a skipper. So sharing may be a positive.

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I personally am not a fan of co-captains, I think it's a slippery slope from co-captains, to long sleeve jumpers and sun glasses at grand final parades.
If having co-captains results in our players appearing in grand final parades then sign me up.
 
Anyone that thinks that this two captains' choice was to avoid Sic being embarrassed or him getting pissed or some sort of appeasement doesn't know Sam Mitchell. Everything that Sam does is meticulously planned and thought out with input from other coaches and past player leaders. Sam also knows what it is to be captain and then relinquish it to someone else.

This is an objective decision by Sam and Hawthorn there is no emotion involved. Sam thinks this is the best way forward knowing the strengths and weaknesses of both players and the playing group. Moorey is stiff but he would understand that this decision hasn't come about lightly.
Sam has been planning Jai's ascension for some time. He is no fool.

This is just another step.
 
No, but one of them is James Sicily.



Ok, so lets just pretend Sicily is still 20 years old like he is in the video evidence you've chosen to bring to the table to declare he could be stupid enough to start an argument with a co-captain in front of the team before the ball is bounced.

(I'm going to just ignore a preseason scrap in a match sim, as its something we see multiple times every summer.)

Are you silly enough to think that despite all the emotional intelligence training, mental development and team building exercises the players step through, that he'd still decide to throw shade at Newcombe in front of the playing group?

Sicily has had his issues when the game is on the line, in the heat of the battle. The idea that he would disrespect or berate a co-captain is quite ridiculous.
 
Anyone that thinks that this two captains' choice was to avoid Sic being embarrassed or him getting pissed or some sort of appeasement doesn't know Sam Mitchell. Everything that Sam does is meticulously planned and thought out with input from other coaches and past player leaders. Sam also knows what it is to be captain and then relinquish it to someone else.

This is an objective decision by Sam and Hawthorn there is no emotion involved. Sam thinks this is the best way forward knowing the strengths and weaknesses of both players and the playing group. Moorey is stiff but he would understand that this decision hasn't come about lightly.

It's not as if Sicily is the only voice of authority in the side, or as if Hodge was when he was captain.

Hodge marshalled whatever area he was playing in, which was generally the defence and whilst he did that it was Mitchell and Lewis organising the midfield. It was Roughy organising the forward line.

As long as Sicily and Newcombe are instructing the players around them (primarily defence for Sicily, midfield for Newcombe) based on the gameplan and team expectations then there won't be any issues. We have others like Gunston, Moore, Hardwick and Day that do this too.
 

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Made a joke to my son about a king with multiple wives "how would he manage that mate"..... My son : "Dad, you cant even handle one wife"
When you're single, the idea of multiple wives sounds great. When you're married, the idea of multiple wives sounds rough!
 
I feel Day's body has been a bit of a spanner in terms of captaincy tbh.

I've come around to co-captains because ultimately, I don't think Sicily is a great captain in his own right and Newc hasn't even been in the leadership group. He will need time to grow into it.

Given we are contending, I don't think we could have gone with either solo in 2026. The 2 collectively I'm happy will give us the best chance this year. Newc solo from 2027 onwards.
 
Modern captaincy is pretty demanding - especially off field. Sharing the load makes sense to me.

That's what Tess Crosley said.
 

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Having co-captains makes sense as nowadays there's a lot more focus for off-field duties rather than on the ground on match day.

Onfield captaincy mattered a lot more in the old days when coaches were pretty much confined to the box and the captain ordered what was going on around the ground.
Nowadays the coaches are on the boundary speaking to the players plus there are more runners going out so on-field leadership is largely a thing of the past

Having a co-captain takes the strain off one bloke dealing with every off-field issue/interview etc.

It makes complete sense and I'm glad we've done it.
__________________
 
Sam: Hey Fages what’s the go around the co captain deal up there.
Fages: Bit of secret sauce Sam now that you ask, but hey not complaining.
Sam: Ah the secret sauce, hadn’t thought of that.
Fages: Yeah, funny you just never can tell.
Sam: Thanks mate, hope ya lose.
Fages: You 2 mate, good to chat.
 
Years ago Jeff Kennett wrote a letter to all members explaining the reasons Hawthorn would never have co captains, and I know Kennett isn't very popular around here but I did enjoy that letter.

He also said we would only ever have players as captain who had only played for Hawthorn.
 

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