Sicily said he was looking forward to sharing the honour with Newcombe as well as being able to celebrate the highs and lean on him during the lows.
McCartney said the time was right to split the role.
“James has been, and continues to be, an integral leader of the club. After undertaking an internal process, we believe the co-captain model will deliver the best result for our group in the long term, as well as leverage the complementary strengths of two distinct leaders to cover the vast responsibilities required of a modern AFL captain,” McCartney said.
“Jai emerged as the clear candidate to step into the captaincy role alongside James. He leads by example, performs with elite consistency week-to-week, and has proven his ability to raise the bar on the biggest stages.”
The Hawks will once again be reliant on a big season from Newcombe after confirming Will Day would miss the first half of the season recovering from a shoulder operation and the loss of James Worpel to Geelong.
– Peter Ryan
May, Prestia ask court for brawl charges to be withdrawn
Two AFL premiership players say they were not present during a brawl at a coastal town as they fight to have criminal charges withdrawn.
Richmond’s Dion Prestia, 33, and Melbourne’s Steven May, 34, appeared at Dromana Magistrates Court on Thursday via videolink for a brief hearing.
Footballers Steven May (left) and Dion Prestia are contesting charges.Credit: Getty Images
They were charged with criminal offences in October, about 10 months after a brawl on Point Nepean Road in Sorrento on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.
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Police allege two groups were involved in an altercation about 2am on December 27, 2024, with two men taken to hospital with injuries.
Prestia has been charged on summons with recklessly causing serious injury, intentionally causing injury and affray.
May has been charged on summons with affray.
However, both players deny they were present during the brawl and proclaim their innocence.
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Their lawyer Tony Hargreaves told the court on Thursday he had provided detailed written submissions to police setting out why the charges ought to be withdrawn.
This included a witness statement, which claims neither Prestia nor May were present during the fight, he said.
Hargreaves said Victoria Police were considering their submission and asked for the case to be adjourned to February for a contest mention.
Prosecutor Alex Turner said the matter had just been referred to his unit and agreed to the adjournment.
Prestia and May, who remain charged on summons, will face Frankston Magistrates Court on February 20.
The pair, who started their AFL careers together at Gold Coast, previously released statements through their clubs proclaiming their innocence.
“I was not involved in the fight. I was not even physically present when it apparently took place,” Prestia said, in a statement issued by Richmond in October.
Premiership Tiger Dion Prestia wants the charges withdrawn.Credit: via Getty Images
“I deny that I am guilty of these offences and will strenuously defend these charges.”
Melbourne said May had advised them he was not involved, and he would “strongly defend” the charge in court.
Both AFL clubs are supportive of the players.
Prestia is a three-time premiership player with Richmond, and won the club’s best-and-fairest award in 2019.
May played for Melbourne in the 2021 premiership and is a dual All-Australian player.
AAP