Hawthorn captain James Sicily has cautioned that “there’s still a long way to go” before West Coast star Tom Barrass becomes a Hawk.

Barrass officially requested a trade to Waverley Park during his exit meeting on Tuesday, with Hawthorn likely to include its first-round pick in a deal for the contracted defender.

The 28-year-old Eagle is among several players linked to the Hawks, and Sicily is encouraged by the interest from other players.

“It’s exciting that players see Hawthorn as a desirable destination – that’s a great feeling,” Sicily said on Wednesday.

“If the list management team needs my input down the line, I’m open to it, but I trust them to do their job.”

Sicily expressed excitement upon hearing about Barrass’s trade request but acknowledged that much still needs to happen before he could line up in defense alongside the 2018 premiership player.

“I’m pretty excited by that prospect, but there’s still a long way to go,” Sicily said.

West Coast football boss Gavin Bell acknowledged Barrass’s request and emphasized the need for a fair deal.

“While the club respects Tom’s wishes, he is still contracted for another three years and serves as our vice-captain,” Bell said.

“We will work to fulfill Tom’s request while ensuring the best interests of the West Coast Eagles are protected.”

Sicily was vague when asked about St Kilda free agent Josh Battle, who seems likely to leave and could potentially strengthen the Hawks’ key defensive lineup.

“I have quite a few mutual friends with Josh Battle. I’m good friends with Bradley Hill, and so is he, so we see each other quite a bit,” he said.

The Hawks are gearing up for a busy trade and free agency period following a finals run that Sicily admitted came sooner than expected.

He said it was not until after a scrappy round 13 win over GWS in Launceston that he truly believed Hawthorn could contend this season.

“In terms of belief that we could get there, it was probably after either the Giants game or the Fremantle game, where we won, but we didn’t win playing our best footy,” he said.

“It was a bit ugly, and you need to win that way during the season. You get a lot of belief out of that, that you’re not firing on all cylinders but you can get the job done.

“It’s an interesting one, I hope we can find some comfort in the fact we’ve played in five or six (effective) elimination finals.”

Sicily gathered Hawthorn’s football staff and players at his house on Sunday to watch the other games and enjoy gathering together.

The Hawks resumed training on Wednesday after two days off, with Will Day remaining on a heavily modified program as he tries to overcome the pain of an SC joint injury in time to face the Western Bulldogs next Friday.

“I think he ran on the weekend – it’s just all about mobility and pain at the moment with (Day),” Sicily said.

“He’s obviously a really important player, and fortunately enough we get a bye before the finals, which should help him.”

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