This says it all

Scary to compare our drafting in the same years....

2001

Luke Hodge (1) — 250 games, 3 x All-Australian, 2 x best and fairest, 3 x premierships, 2 x Norm Smith Medal

Rick Ladson (16) — 125 games, 1 x premiership

Campbell Brown (32) — 159 games, 1 x All-Australian, 1 x premiership

Sam Mitchell (36) — 261 games, 2 x All-Australian, 4 x best and fairest, 3 x premierships

2004

Jarryd Roughead (2) — 207 games, 441 goals, 2 x All-Australian, 1 x Coleman Medal, 3 x premierships

Lance Franklin (5) — 182 games, 580 goals, 5 x All-Australian, 3 x Coleman Medal, 2 x premierships

Jordan Lewis (7) — 217 games, 1 x All-Australian, 1 x best and fairest, 3 x premierships

Tom Murphy (21) — 95 games

Simon Taylor (53) — 85 games

All you need is 2 good drafts to set you up. I reckon we've got it spot on this time round. Hopefully we can keep this group together.

Other than playing for Hawthorn, what does this team have in common (nothing to do with premierships)?

B: Guerra, Lake, Hodge

HF: Vanden Berg, Martello, Schwab

C: Dippa, Wallace, Lewis

HF: Osborne, Brereton, Bateman

F Everett, Peck, Brown

F: Scott, Matthews, Mitchell

Int: K Matthews, J Kennedy Snr., McGlyn, Dickson

Emg: Dawson, Franklin, Bateman

  On 27/09/2015 at 06:20, Queanbeyan Demon said:

Other than playing for Hawthorn, what does this team have in common (nothing to do with premierships)?

B: Guerra, Lake, Hodge

HF: Vanden Berg, Martello, Schwab

C: Dippa, Wallace, Lewis

HF: Osborne, Brereton, Bateman

F Everett, Peck, Brown

F: Scott, Matthews, Mitchell

Int: K Matthews, J Kennedy Snr., McGlyn, Dickson

Emg: Dawson, Franklin, Bateman

Hmm, I was closing in on two possibles -

* They have all seriously injured an opponent with a behind-play dog act? Not quite all. Very close though.

* They all have a record of major off-field misdemeanors? Again, not quite, but maybe even closer.

Combined you'd just about cover it.

But bastardry aside, sorry, 'unsociability' aside. Hmm..

Did they all play into their 30s? Is that significant enough to mention?

Except then of course you'd have Crawford. Hrmm..

I'm going to go back to option 1, scaled down to just "they are all in the top rankings for weeks suspended."

I took my nephew (sporting his Hawthorn jumper) to a shopping center yesterday.I was a little shocked how many strangers made flattering comments about Hawthorn to him as wearing red and blue doesn't generate that kind of attention.

The Priority Pick system helped them immeasurably in uncompromised drafts.

It's not that simple, but gees it's a bloody good start.

Now we have Free Agency for them to top up with - McEvoy, Lake, Frawley.

It's not the playing field it was a decade ago.

I'd argue that priority picks are more important now under FA. Allow the bottom 4 clubs to bring in more talent and then give them time to develop it. If not then the players now have the ability to leave and chase success, or even ask for a mutually beneficial trade (look at how FA has impacted negotiations for none FA players). If Carlton had 2 top 5 picks this year then they could trade one of them for a player who a club might lose under FA the next year, and still bring in a young player for the future. So maybe the answer is a 'must trade' top 5 pick. I haven't done the math on it - but I bet if the rumours are correct Adelaide are kicking themselves for not taking the Dangerfield trade for a top 2 pick from Melbourne last year. Clubs will get better at it, and will wrestle back the player skewed system as it stands currently. The AFL could help with a tweak to the system too.

  On 27/09/2015 at 06:54, Little Goffy said:

Hmm, I was closing in on two possibles -

* They have all seriously injured an opponent with a behind-play dog act? Not quite all. Very close though.

* They all have a record of major off-field misdemeanors? Again, not quite, but maybe even closer.

Combined you'd just about cover it.

But bastardry aside, sorry, 'unsociability' aside. Hmm..

Did they all play into their 30s? Is that significant enough to mention?

Except then of course you'd have Crawford. Hrmm..

I'm going to go back to option 1, scaled down to just "they are all in the top rankings for weeks suspended."

You're a legend Little Goffy. All thugs.

Do you think this aspect of 'Hawthug' is a major contributor to their success over 50 years?

Try picking a Melbourne side with this characteristic. I can get to about six players over the same period of time.

Again, well done LG.

QD.

Well folks, you can line up to pelt me with vegetables but what I'll say here I believe to be true and will transpire, again.

Once the AFL support leaves our club, the vacuum it creates will once again attract people who, whilst some will be will be football people, others will be attracted to the bright lights of the G and the social standing they feel the presidency and other positions will bring and we'll be dragged back into the crapper.

Hawthorn are away from all of that but we are cursed by it!

  On 27/09/2015 at 08:44, Melbman2 said:

Well folks, you can line up to pelt me with vegetables but what I'll say here I believe to be true and will transpire, again.

Once the AFL support leaves our club, the vacuum it creates will once again attract people who, whilst some will be will be football people, others will be attracted to the bright lights of the G and the social standing they feel the presidency and other positions will bring and we'll be dragged back into the crapper.

Hawthorn are away from all of that but we are cursed by it!

Well, why couldn't we break the curse too? That's just a load of MFCSS [censored].

  On 27/09/2015 at 08:10, Queanbeyan Demon said:

You're a legend Little Goffy. All thugs.

Do you think this aspect of 'Hawthug' is a major contributor to their success over 50 years?

Try picking a Melbourne side with this characteristic. I can get to about six players over the same period of time.

Again, well done LG.

QD.

What? Wallace, McGlynn, Dickson, Schwab and Bateman were not thugs. They may have got a suspension, but they were not thugs.

Durnan Biffin O'Dwyer

Whelan Hughes McMahen

Yeats Barassi Pickett

Grinter Croswell Clayton

Keenan Jackson Coles

Ditterich Carman Viney

How is that for starters?

Lyon wasn't a thug, Red.

  On 27/09/2015 at 10:55, AdamFarr said:

Lyon wasn't a thug, Red.

Was known to hand a few out, but we can replace him.

https://youtu.be/tp8owxamcRQ

Ah let the self loathing begin!

I blame the old orange big screen at Waverley! It was made with Uranium and the Hawks have benefited from the exposure, like the incredible Hulk. But instead of being green they are Poo's and Wee's coloured. So take a leaf out old Silas the albino Monk and Bitter but Optimistic's book and give yourself a jolly good flogging!

Hawforne can suck a fat one. I barrack for the Dees, when we lose to Essendon, and I barrack for them when we won against Handbaggers at Geelong.

  On 27/09/2015 at 08:44, Melbman2 said:

Hawthorn are away from all of that but we are cursed by it!

Jeff.

Kennett.

In the 50's the dees were a very successful club and in 1964 delivered it's last flag.The club had the choice to pick up two potential champions in Polly Farmer and Darryl Baldock however these players were overlooked,was this out of the coach's control?.Was there outside influences like the MCC members or did the committee lack vision. Past coaches in Northey,Balme and Daniher all got us to finals with no silverware.We had good reseves and U19 teams at times yet most players from those teams became invisible.Under Bailey,Neeld/Craig seniors and reserves were not up to scratch,again we have to have another clearance sale. Recruiting decent players thru the draft and having a coach with vision helps in team success. What the Hawks do best is they develop players,a player is given specific tasks to work on in order to overcome any weaknesses . If Watts is given task to run thru brick walls( far fetched) imagine how much he would be and hence the MFC. The Hawks don't waste time on [censored] critiquing their reserves and the fact is the reports are not written by the coach.