I struggle with all this blaming Roly, recruiting and not playing youth stuff.
If you look at Hawthorn's 2015 premiership team, these are the players that came from the 2011 draft onwards;
2014, James Frawley, (From) Melbourne, Free Agency
2013, Ben McEvoy, St Kilda, Trade
2012, Brian Lake, Western Bulldogs, Trade
2011, Jack Gunston, Adelaide, Trade
2011, Bradley Hill, WAFL, Draft (Pick #33)
So out of 33 pickups from 2011-2014 (inclusive), the Hawks found 5 new players in their 2015 premiership team and all but one was from trade and Free Agency.
Meanwhile, Freo played the following 7 players in their Preliminary Final loss to Hawthorn in 2015;
2011, Tom Sheridan, Draft (#16)
2011, Lachie Neale, Draft (#58)
2011, Cameron Sutcliffe, Draft (#71)
2011, Zac Dawson, PreSeason, St Kilda
2011, Lee Spurr, Rookie
2012, Danyle Pearce, Free Agency, Port Adelaide
2012, Matthew Taberner, Rookie
All that tells me, is that Hawthorn have simply managed to recruit better via the Trade, by virtue of (EDIT the fact ) possibly that more players want to be traded to Hawthorn. Freo have had to scrape the bottom of the barrel with such attempts as Colin Sylvia and Gumbleton.
Instead of just arguing generalised philosophies, I really wish some supporters would go to a little more effort to do a little fact finding and make up their own informed beliefs instead of just regurgitating what they read elsewhere.
And for the argument ... I'd rather have Lachie Neale than Bradley Hill every day of the week.