ST KILDA fans: don’t worry too much about the scoreboard; just take note of the opposition.

If you look closely, you might just get a glimpse of what your future could look like towards the end of this decade.

Hawthorn will take on St Kilda at Etihad Stadium on Sunday. No one expects the Saints to win, even though their form has been very solid this season.

The Hawks, after all, have been the measuring stick of the competition in recent seasons, having won three of the past seven Grand Finals.

The Saints have had their fair share of pain since their last finals appearance in 2011. But the hard yards of the past few seasons could have a very silver lining. By silver, I mean a silver premiership cup.

This footy club has won only one premiership in more than 125 years. But there is every chance that it can be back once more in the flag window by 2018 to 2020.

And even though stars such as Nick Riewoldt and Leigh Montagna won’t be there to see it, I’m confident the Saints can be in a position to win that elusive second flag by the end of 2018.

It won’t be easy, not with the likes of Greater Western Sydney set for real success.

But I’m liking what I’m seeing at St Kilda now. That’s because I reckon I’ve seen it all before, and from my experience, it can work.

media_camera The Saints are in a strong position to challenge for a premiership in three years, but skipper Nick Riewoldt may not be there.

The Saints are currently using the Hawks’ 2004-05 playbook on how to rebuild a football club. It’s a courageous move. So many other clubs talk about a rebuild, but when push comes to shove, they often lack the guts to follow it through.

They are reluctant to sacrifice players and wins in the present for the promise of success in the future. The Saints have had the courage to do it.

The St Kilda of 2015 reminds me a lot of Hawthorn of 2005.

The Saints have a detailed plan in operation that follows so much of what made Hawthorn the team it is today, and part of that was devised by a man who played a role in reshaping both clubs, list expert Chris Pelchen.

Pelchen is no longer at the Saints, but he will deserve a fair amount of the kudos when the Saints have success in the coming years.

I’ll never forget when, in late 2004, Pelchen put the model of Hawthorn’s next premiership team on a whiteboard.

My name wasn’t there and neither were several other senior players desperate for success.

There were plenty of young names up there, and more than a few question marks.

I wasn’t happy. I wanted a flag and it seemed as if they didn’t expect me to be there when we could win one. Fortunately, I was still there when we won the 2008 flag — earlier than many people expected.

I’ve heard they did a similar thing at St Kilda during this current rebuild, which just shows how much they are using the Hawthorn model, and how confronting it can be.

Just as Hawthorn did a decade ago, the Saints are not just building a competitive side, they are building a side capable of winning a premiership.

media_camera Luke Dunstan and Jack Billings are among the young talent the Saints can build a team around. Picture: George Salpigtidis

There will be some more blips on the road ahead — perhaps even today — but they are building, nevertheless.

And here are the links with Hawthorn that should bring a smile to Saints’ fans everywhere.

* St Kilda’s strategic plan is similar to those undertaken by Port Adelaide from 1997 onwards, and Hawthorn from 2005, aiming to build a model based on the successful teams over the past 15 years. The plan — largely set up by Pelchen — shapes the team around recent premiership sides.

* The Saints had the highest salary cap spend in the AFL in 2011. It is believed to be one of the lowest this year, just as Hawthorn reshaped its cap system after Alastair Clarkson arrived. This means the Saints will be cashed up during the free agency period over the next two years.

* A stronger focus on kicking efficiency — and drafting elite kicks such as Jack Billings — was introduced at St Kilda. It was a similar theme at the Hawks as they became one of the best disposing teams in the AFL. And it is not a coincidence that the Saints have the second-most left footers in the AFL right now, behind ... (you guessed it) Hawthorn.

* The Saints appointed a strong development coach (Alan Richardson) who had previously coached his own side when it replaced Scott Watters in late 2013. Hawthorn did the same with Clarkson in late 2004.

* The draft was seen as the Saints’ salvation. They’ve had six picks inside the top 22 over the past two seasons, without draft concessions. And with their most important pick so far, last year’s No.1 selection, they went for a power forward in Paddy McCartin. The Hawks got two of them in the 2004 draft — Lance Franklin and Jarryd Roughead.

* The bold decision to sacrifice Brendon Goddard, Nick Dal Santo and Ben McEvoy for draft options and salary cap relief is not dissimilar to what the Hawks did in allowing Peter Everitt, Nathan Thompson and Jonathan Hay to leave.

* Player development was pinpointed as critical, just as it was at Hawthorn in the early Clarkson years. St Kilda introduced a players’ academy’ in 2012 and has increased its full-time development staff from one to four, now headed by ex-WAFL flag-winning coach Simon McPhee.

* Hawthorn had a massive turnover of its list in the years after Clarkson joined the club. St Kilda has turned over 34 players over the past three seasons — which is surely the most aggressive of all the clubs in an effort to rebuild.