Hodge, Ellis, Roughead, Buddy
They picked up Hodge at the end of 2001 after finishing 6th and got the priority pick from Fremantle in a trade so it had nothing to do with any tanking.
Roughead and Franklin were taken at the end of a miserable season that saw Hawthorn on the bottom of the ladder at the half way point with 2 wins from 11 games. In Round 19 they beat the 3rd bottom side by 11 points and in round 21 they beat the bottom side by 23 points. Both of these sides they beat also qualified for priority picks they were so bad and Hawthorn's performance was so good it then went out and sacked it's coach. So please point out to me just 1 game in 2004 that Hawthorn tanked in to allow themselves to pick up a priority pick - just 1 game to back up the theory that they tanked to get Roughead and Franklin.
They picked up Ellis at the end of 2005 after finishing 14th and he was always going to be their 1st pick regardless - Kennedy was always going to Carlton with their 2nd pick and Pendlebury was always going to Collingwood with theirs so Hawthorn were always getting Ellis, priority pick or not. Their #6 pick is the 'actual' extra player they got and that pick (Beau Dowler) hasn't exactly changed the face or fortunes of the club has he?
So summing all that up it would appear you are suggesting that Ellis won Hawthorn their flag? I disagree.
And regardless, their tanking appears to be paying off in spades now doesn't it? Karma is a funny thing and I don't want to invite it into our club in any negative sense whatsoever - we have been paying for the sins of our past for way too long as it is.
Ellis was BoG in my opinion.
Hawthorn won the flag because of a unique game plan that sides hadn't figured out how to counter, Geelong getting it's choke on and a core of young players that were on the list prior to Clarkson getting the job. Players such as Bateman, Gilham, Hodge, Sewell, Osborne, Brown, Williams, Mitchell plus some more experienced campaigners like Crawford, Croad & Dew. They all had nothing to do with tanking.
