JAMES Sicily's "white line fever" continues to be a work in progress, according to Hawthorn vice-captain Isaac Smith.

Sicily's move to defence has seen him become one of the Hawks' most important players as he grows into one of the premier half-backs of the competition. 

But the 23-year-old has found himself in hot water this year, suspended twice for separate off-the-ball incidents.  

"Yeah, we speak to him and along with everyone else we've all got room for improvement in our games, that might be just his," Smith told AFL.com.au this week.  

"I think 'Clarko' (coach Alastair Clarkson) and a few others speak to him, they're guys that have had a fair bit of white line fever over the years. I'm not one that tends to get too fired up.  

"He's straight out of Melton South and playing footy back in Ballarat we always knew we were going to get tough games against the Melton South boys. I think he's brought a bit of that to Hawthorn."

But Smith believes his teammate's hard-nosed approach does have its benefits.

"'Sis' is someone who's growing, he's obviously got some pretty good skill sets. His anger sometimes gets the better of him," he said.

"It's nice playing with guys that do have a little bit of that white line fever." 

One of the Hawks' elite outside runners, Smith has been targeted at times this season as opposition clubs look to curb his influence.

And while experts have questioned the club's lack of speed, Smith said they should look internally for the future.  

"I think Harry Morrison and Ryan Burton are two who are showing a fair bit in that area, I think Ricky Henderson is having a really good year to date," he said.

"We've probably improved a bit in the last six months in that area." 

Smith said this week's trip to Launceston to play Port Adelaide loomed as a season-defining clash.  

"We've lost three of our last four… we're right back in the bunch," Smith said.  

"We've got the bye after this game, if you can go in 6-5 it's a hell of a lot better than going 5-6. 

"To get ahead of the ledger and launch into the second half of the year is pretty important."