Geelong star defender Tom Stewart is the latest Grand Final heartbreak story, with his concussion following a dangerous tackle by Hawthorn forward Mabior Chol ruling him out of the final weekend of September.
He may be joined by Lions midfielder Jarrod Berry, with the 27-year-old's availability for the decider in doubt following a second left shoulder dislocation within a month.
These two aren't the only players to face the devastation of a missed premiership opportunity in recent years, however.
Since 2013, there have been six notable instances of key players being ruled out of a Grand Final due to an injury suffered in the penultimate week of the Finals Series.
Here's every premiership heartbreak story in the last 13 AFL seasons.
1Brendan Whitecross (2013)
Perhaps the most brutal of missed premierships in recent memory belongs to former Hawthorn utility Brendan Whitecross.
Whitecross suffered an ACL injury in the 2012 qualifying final against Collingwood, causing him to miss out on Hawthorn's Grand Final appearance that year. It was a career year for Whitecross, averaging 20.2 disposals and 7.3 score involvements per game.
He rehabbed from the season-ending injury strongly to be named back in the senior side in Round 14 of the 2013 season and built into the year in style, peaking in the Hawks' dominant qualifying final win over Sydney with 21 disposals, nine marks and eight score involvements.
But his season would again end tragically, rupturing his right ACL again in the final quarter of Hawthorn's curse-breaking preliminary final win against Geelong, causing him to miss the Grand Final he was certain to be a part of.
Whitecross would then miss out on all of the 2014 season and played just four matches in 2015, ultimately absent in all of the Hawks' three consecutive premierships in that era.
