RULED out of the Grand Final with a ruptured ACL, luckless Hawthorn forward Brendan Whitecross will serve as inspiration for the Hawthorn players according to Head of Coaching and Development, Chris Fagan.
The 23 year old suffered the injury for the second time in a year on Friday night and has once again shocked the players and coaching staff with his positive outlook and ability to provide positive energy at the Club.
Last year, Whitecross tore his ACL in the opening minutes of the Qualifying Final against Collingwood and after receiving the bad news in the rooms, returned to the bench to cheer on his teammates who went on to advance straight to the Preliminary Final.
On Friday night, Whitecross celebrated with the crowd after the match on the MCG and later congratulated his teammates in the rooms, who at the time were unaware that their teammate was already ruled out of the Grand Final.
Speaking to HawksTV for the Club’s weekly injury report, Fagan believes the thought of the unlucky Whitecross, who will miss his second Grand Final in two years will motivate his teammates.
“Brendan Whitecross is a really popular member of our playing group,” Fagan said.
“If you asked our players, they would say he’s one of the best teammates – he’s one of those blokes that looks out for others more than he looks out for himself.
“He’s an optimistic sort of a guy who puts the team first. He has been around the club this week and encouraging everybody, which you’d full expect from him.
“When we go out onto the ground on Saturday, I’m sure ‘Whitey’ will be there with us and part of the inspiration to try and achieve the victory in the biggest game of the season.”
The Hawks will need to find a replacement for Whitecross, though aren’t bereft of options.
Midfielder Jonathan Simpkin was best on ground in Box Hill’s VFL premiership win on Sunday, while Shane Savage, Jed Anderson, Michael Osborne and Taylor Duryea all put their hand up for selection with strong performances.