Taken aback: Newcombe's reaction to being named Hawks co-captain

For the first time in the club's history, Hawthorn have announced co-captains for the 2026 season.

Midfielder Jai Newcombe will join James Sicily as part of the club's leadership for the forthcoming season.

Sicily is preparing for his fourth season at the helm and he will be buoyed by the support of Newcombe who is just 24-years-old.

“It is an honour to continue to lead this Club as captain, alongside one of my great mates in Jai," Sicily said.

“Being co-captains allows us to share the load and give greater opportunity for Jai to lead the club.

“I couldn’t be prouder of Jai’s development as a leader since he joined the club, and we are both extremely passionate about the direction we are headed as we strive for the ultimate success.”

Praising the decision from the club and the maturity from Sicily, Kane Cornes welcomed the co-captaincy model.

"My first reaction to it was I didn't see him as a captain (Newcombe)," he said. "I love him as a player, he can be a devastating force. I thought he was reversed and shy. I was shocked.

"Then I moved on to Sicily who clearly as struggled a little bit with the captaincy. We saw his form issues at times. Maybe he struggled a bit.

"It's pretty smart. If you feel Sicily has struggled with being the sole captain...give him some help.

"The third part is that clubs copy what successful clubs do. It's always been that way. I don't know if Sam Mitchell has done that but I think this could work for us.

"My last point is how much of a selfless decision this is from Sicily. He has graciously said he needs help and done what is best for the team. It feels to me Sicily has done that. It's a mature decision."

Joining SEN Captain's Run in the wake of the announcement, Newcombe admits he was taken aback when asked if he wanted to join Sicily as captain.

The midfielder also detailed how he plans to lead in his own way.

“When I was asked and when it was sort of posed to me that it might be something that may happen this year, I was sort of taken aback a bit,” Newcombe said.

“In terms of my personal leadership journey, it wasn't necessarily something that I was chasing and had marked that I wanted to really tick off as a player.

“I’m more than comfortable within myself, my game and my leadership skills, but to take on the role and join in on leading the club, it was definitely surprising early days.

“My style around the club is definitely very action first. I'll lead the way with my actions and how I go about it and make it really easy for others to follow.

“I want to show what we accept around this place. But in general, I think I’m someone that’s very easy to follow through my actions.

“I wouldn’t say I put a foot wrong very often, so I'm very consistent in the way I go about things.”

Listen to Newcombe's full chat here