Hawthorn's Brendan Whitecross is the heartbreaking story of Grand Final 2013 Victim ... Brendan Whitecross will miss a second straight Grand Final Source: News Limited JOSH Gibson calls it heartbreaking, Lance Franklin describes it as devastating for Hawthorn, yet Brendan Whitecross just carries on with a smile. Whitecross, 23, knew as soon as he went down in the last quarter of the preliminary final that his knee injury would keep him out for much of next season and, of course, Saturday's Grand Final. It would be a sickening blow for any player, but particularly Whitecross considering he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in the qualifying final last year _ a setback that kept him on the sidelines until Round 14. Despite the anguish, he was still in middle of the MCG after the game last Friday night to sign autographs and give mini-footballs to Hawks fans. Hawk veteran Jordan Lewis was not surprised. "He's an interesting guy, Whitey - I don't think he's ever had a bad day," Lewis said. Heartbreaker ... Brendan Whitecross watches on at training. "We had recovery the next morning and he walked in with a smile on his face and we're just like, `How can someone do that after experiencing an ACL tear last year and also this year?."" Other teammates reserved similar praise for the Queenslander. Gibson: "He's probably the nicest guy at the club in all honesty, he'll bend over backwards for anyone. He's so positive and you've seen that two years in a row now. He puts the club before himself, that's why he's such a good team player and that's why he's so loved here. Franklin: "He's a big part of the footy club and to see such a great player and a great person go down with a serious knee injury is devastating for the football club. My thoughts are with him and all the boys are getting around him too. Casulties ... Alex Woodward, Ryan Schoenmakers, Matt Suckling and Brendan Whitecross. In an interview with the Herald Sun this month Whitecross described himself as a "pretty positive person." He is said to have joked this week that after injuring himself in the qualifying final last year and now the preliminary final that surely he can make it one step further to a Grand Final next year. A colleague wrote this week that premierships are earned, not deserved. But few would argue that Whitecross isn't deserving of his shot at a premiership medal if he were to get his chance one day.