Many would suggest that, had he not injured his hand in Round 17 and missed the final six games of last year’s home and away season, James Sicily was firmly in line for a maiden All Australian selection.

Averaging 24 disposals, 7.5 marks and 4.7 rebound 50s across his 14 appearances to that point, it certainly would have been difficult to keep him out of the side’s back six.

The 24-year-old was ultimately overlooked but it seems his name will be once again in the mix in 2019 if his numbers through the first six rounds are anything to go by.

One of the most in vogue statistics in the modern game is metres gained – a number that can give a greater illustration of the value of a player’s disposal in driving the ball forward for his team.

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Sicily is the number one player in the competition in this area.

With 519.4m per game, he held the second-greatest average last year, behind only Richmond’s Jayden Short.

But this year, he has gone to another level again, averaging 581.3m per game – nearly 40 more metres than second-placed Swan Jake Lloyd.

The value of his 24.3 touches per game so far this year simply cannot be undermined, given he also leads the league in intercept possessions and intercept marks.

Nearly 10 of these possessions per game have been intercepts, highlighting Sicily’s importance to the Hawks and their ability to win the ball back off the opposition.

The fact that the defender also ranks first league-wide for rebound 50s underlines how important these interceptions are.

Just as Sicily reached high in the sky to pluck a game-saving grab against Carlton in Round 6, so many of the number six’s impacts have come when the Hawks have needed it most.