Hawthorn free agent James Sicily is confident an agreement will be reached for him to remain at the Hawks beyond this season as he wins plaudits from his new coach for his leadership.

The 27-year-old defender has made a brilliant return from the knee injury that sidelined him last season and took nine marks in the first quarter against Geelong on his way to earning nine coaches votes.

His management is in discussions with the club about a new contract that could lock him in as a one-club player. Sicily is one of the game’s best defenders and a likely future captain.

Sicily said there was no rush to sign as details were worked through, but he was confident discussions were tracking in the right direction, with all parties comfortable at the rate they were progressing.

“I think it’ll get done, in due time. [We’re] sort of working through it now. [We are] not in a hurry,” Sicily said.

The 27-year-old said he was enjoying being a leader in defence, and he had continued to mature during his time recovering from the ruptured ACL that he suffered midway through 2020.

“I think I’ve become a little bit more mature and am able to not be so hot-headed and be more approachable and sort of direct and defer what I’m seeing in the game to the other guys to help calm them down, establish the patterns and get them settled,” Sicily said.

Sam Mitchell said Sicily’s strong start to the season was evident but less well know was the overall contribution he made to the team’s performance.