Well let's not mention the father/son picks(EDIT:i.e.What Bruce said).......but look at the "assistance" most of the other premiers this decade have recieved through either concessions (Sydney & Brisbane) given for failing to attract supporters, players and being basket cases both on & off the field, or draft picks gained from deliberately losing (West Coast & Hawthorn).
Not to mention challengers like St.Kilda and up & comers like Carlton, Freo & Melbourne.
The only side I personally have witnessed deliberately lose a game is Melbourne. There seems to be a consessus that carlton also did. Most of the others you mention I would have thought were just shit anyway. (I hadn't heard West Coast and Hawthorn being mentioned as cheats before).
If you look at the teams that have received priority picks, we are the only one to have remained perennially shit.
In the 2004 draft we had a priority pick as did Whorethorn and Footscray. We Had picks 1 and 4. Yet look what they have done since compared to us?
Last year we had the most top 10 draft picks on our list (6 I think) yet were the worst team in the league, by a long way.
We have had our fair share of early picks but there is more to success than just getting these picks.
You need to use the pick correctly and then develop the players properly. This is where the club has failed, (amongst many other things). If we cant change that, then it doesnt matter what picks we have in future drafts. Is there really that much differences between 4 and 6 anyway?
The nature of the task ahead means that we will get early picks in the next two years without having to deliberately lose games. Being smarter and more professional as a football club is what will bring long term success, with out having to cheat and lower ourselves to the level of Carlton and Melbourne.
Recently an English cricket side was offered $8.5M to fix matches. If you want to go down that path, then at least get a decent return like that.