Every childโs dream is to play on that one day in September.
The bubbling desire for glory is the petrol that fuels all teams and players.
Players like 426-game Hawthorn star Michael Tuck have been fortunate enough to win seven premierships, while other players like St Kilda Legend Trevor Barker, didnโt even get to run out in a final across his 230-game career.
*Editor's note: This article was originally written the week before the 2021 AFL Grand Final.
The Nathan Jones story is a particularly heart-breaking one. Captain for six-years, three-time Keith โBlueyโ Truscott Medallist, 302 games, 198 losses and one admirable decision to fly home back to Melbourne and be with his wife for the birth of twins. A choice that is likely to leave a lump in the throat of any footy lover.
As a man who did so much for a club when they needed a leader, Jones now wonโt be able to join in the potential success of breaking the 57-year drought he worked his backside to topple.
Sport is unquestionably hard, and that is why we love it.
Only a matter of days before one club tastes September glory, we are looking at some of the unluckiest grand final stories in history, and the players behind them.
1. Brendan Whitecross - Hawthorn (2008-2018)
You would struggle to find a player who understands the cruelty of football more than Brendan Whitecross.
Whitecross spent a decade on the Hawks playing list during a period where they won four Premierships and is the unlucky holder of a set of hard-luck story for the ages.
On the list in 2008, Whitecross tore his ACL in the opening minutes of the 2012 qualifying final against Collingwood, missing a chance to play in the Grand Final.
The next year, Whitecross fought his way back into the side, but it was sadly not to be again, as he ruptured the same ACL in the last quarter of the 2013 preliminary final and watched from the sidelines as his teammates celebrated two Premierships in 2013 and 2014.
After a long road to recovery in 2015, Whitecross slowly make his way back into the fold. He only played four games and missed out on a third premiership cup. To make matters worse, Whitecross played in the 2015 losing VFL Grand Final with the Box Hill Hawks.
A career that would quite frankly, break any footballerโs heart. Whitecross in his last year at the Hawks, was finally able to taste premiership success in 2018 with Box Hill, showing the footballing community, he rode the bumps with a grin.
