HAWTHORN has secured reborn defender James Sicily until the end of 2020, with the young Hawk confirming a three-year contract extension.
Young tall Tim O'Brien has also signed a new contract, committing for a further two seasons until the end of 2019.
Sicily was due to come out of contract at the end of this season and had attracted opposition attention after settling in defence in the second half of the year.
The 22-year-old was always happy to remain at Waverley, however, and shapes as a long-term replacement for retiring premiership defender Josh Gibson.
Between rounds 14 and 21, Sicily averaged 9.6 marks as an intercepting defender who could zone off and then use the ball on the rebound.
He attracted a lockdown opponent against Carlton on Saturday night, however, with Jed Lamb pestering the young Hawk all night and keeping him to just 13 possessions and two marks.
WATCH: Lamb v Sicily: Pesky Blue irritates Hawk
Sicily also gave away seven free kicks in a match that coach Alastair Clarkson hoped would be a learning curve for the feisty Keilor product.
List manager Graham Wright said Sicily was an important signing for the Hawks.
"His passion and determination is on display every time he plays, and he’ll continue to hone those qualities as he develops," Wright said on the club's website.
"He plays an important role within our young backline, and we’re looking forward to seeing where this emerging group of players can take us."
Recruited with pick No.28 in the 2012 NAB AFL Draft, O'Brien has played 15 games this season and kicked 18 goals.
He enjoyed the best game of his 33-game career in round seven when he took 10 marks (five contested) and booted two goals in a three-point win over Melbourne at the MCG.
Tim O'Brien has enjoyed his best year in 2017. Picture: AFL Photos
Wright said the club was pleased to lock away the promising tall, who has averaged four marks a game and 10.3 possessions in the best of his five seasons.
"We can see a really promising future for Tim in the brown and gold," Wright said.
"He’s shown some good signs this season, particularly as a strong marking target up forward and the role he has been as a backup ruckman.
"We’ve got a number of talented youngsters coming through our ranks, Tim included, so we’re excited to watch our list develop and see what we can achieve in the coming years."
