The teenager flew to Papua New Guinea to take part in Hawthorn’s initiation ceremony - walking the Kokoda Track. It was there that he came across the grave of World War II soldier Lyle Hicks - his grandfather’s brother.
“I knew a bit about him going over there. My grandma had spoken about him but I didn’t think I'd come across the grave at all,” Whitecross told hawthornfc.com.au.
“It was mixed feelings. Not knowing a lot about him but also knowing I had family who played a part in the Kokoda track was a bit overwhelming.”
Whitecross said the discovery was a perfect example of the opportunities and privileges afforded to AFL players.
“A lot of people these days don’t really understand what Kokoda is all about and I probably wouldn’t either if I didn’t have the chance [to go over]. I recommend it to a lot of people now,” he said.
Whitecross spent his first season with VFL team Box Hill before cracking into the Hawthorn side for 13 games last year.
Once again he started this season in the VFL but has played the last five straight, improving with every passing week.
He says the continuity at AFL level has been a big reason for his improvement in 2010.
“It does make it a lot easier. Coming and playing one week in the seniors then going back to VFL is not great for the confidence,” he said.
“Playing a number of games does help the confidence and it gets the skills up to scratch with the speed of the game.”
Whitecross has played at both ends of the ground but one suspects he enjoys the thrill of kicking a goal more than preventing them.
“The past couple of weeks playing up forward has been good. I’ve been able to break the shackles a bit and run around a bit more,” he said.
“I’m finding a bit of the footy but not as much as I’d like. I’ve played five games this year and it’s all about improvement now and trying to get a bit more out of myself.”
The Hawks have languished near the bottom of the ladder for the past few weeks but Whitecross says they are not far off getting back to their best.
“It hasn’t been the greatest start to the season but the last two or three weeks have been a bit better,” he said.
“The win on the weekend helped us. We’re still looking to improve, there’s no doubt about that.”
