Every childโ€™s 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, didnโ€™t 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 โ€˜Blueyโ€™ 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 wonโ€™t 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.

9. Rod Lester-Smith - Hawthorn/Brisbane (1984-1991)

Between 1983 and 1991, Hawthorn won an incredible five Premierships.

It is amazing to think that someone who played 70 games during this era of dominance didnโ€™t win a flag, but to say the least, Lester-Smith was very unlucky.

He joined the Hawks in 1984 and played in their Grand Final loss to Essendon. The next year in 1985, was Lester-Smithโ€™s best season, polling the most Brownlow votes by a Hawk and played in all 26-games, including their back-to-back Grand Final loss at the hands of the Bombers yet again.

After another 19 games in 1986, Lester-Smith was dropped after the Hawks 28-point semi final loss to Carlton and became a late omission from the Grand Final side that beat the Blues by 42-points.

Lester-Smith struggled to break into the powerful Hawks side in 1987 and was again overlooked at the selection table for the 1987 finals. Regarded by some on the Hawks board as a liability in finals, Lester-Smith actually averaged more disposals (17.25) in during Septembers than he did during home-and-away season (15.76).

The former Hawk did taste success with the Brisbane Bears reserves in 1991 whilst playing under former teammate Rodney Eade.