Steven, the reigning Trevor Barker Medal winner and a member of the leadership group, is one of the key planks the Saints hope will form the foundation of their second premiership by 2020.

The Saints announced in 2014 their strategic blueprint, stating they wanted to return to the top four by 2018 and celebrate a premiership by the end of 2020.

They had expected the past two seasons to be "very challenging" - and that largely was the case - but this year they have they been hard to read. Heading into Saturday's clash against winless Fremantle at Etihad Stadium, they had only the two wins but had almost snatched victory over Hawthorn and North Melbourne, yet were mauled by 103 points by the Eagles in Perth.

In the likes of Seb Ross, Jack Billings, Paddy McCartin, Hugh Goddard and Jack Newnes, the Saints have what Steven hopes will be a similar group of players from a decade ago who, under skipper Nick Riewoldt, would ultimately feature in grand finals in successive years.

"If you look at our list, there is such a big group that is all in that [young] age bracket. They are coming through together and are looking pretty good. Rooey's (Riewoldt's) sort of gang - they had it as well. They had about 10 guys that played about 100 or 200 games together. Hopefully, we have that gang and can have some success," Steven said.

The Saints' list largely comprises players under the age of 25. On the eve of the season, they had only nine players in the 25-29-year-old bracket - the equal fourth fewest in the league.

"It's way more exciting playing this year. I feel we could win any game we play in at the moment, where in previous years that probably was not the case. We play a good pressure footy. We seem to be able to mix it with the better teams," Steven said.

That's also been helped by the strong form of the evergreen Riewoldt, who has moved further up the field, and a potent forward line with Josh Bruce, Tim Membrey and, against Essendon last week, McCartin, who is adjusting to the requirements of elite football.

"He [McCartin] is a naturally gifted footballer. He is a great mark, crashes the packs and stuff, but these days you have got to be able to tackle and pressure and second efforts," Steven said.

"Obviously, the big boys take a bit longer. It is only his second year. He has done one full pre-season. He is only going to get better."

The Saints' list will have greater depth when former Bomber Jake Carlisle returns from an anti-doping suspension next season, while Nathan Freeman - should his hamstrings ever allow - will provide more dash in the midfield.

Champion Data's pre-season list analysis maintained "patience is required" but "the building blocks are well and truly in place".

Steven, who pledged his commitment to the club's plans by inking a five-year contract in March, has also continued to get better. He has averaged 28.5 disposals, including 40 in the win over the Bombers last Sunday.

"I feel like I am getting more consistent. I am pretty comfortable the moment with the training and my body. If you get your body right, going into games you feel more comfortable and a bit more confident," he said.

Once the Dockers' clash is done, the Saints face Adelaide (Adelaide Oval) and Carlton. Should they win at least two of these three matches, they should be on track for at least an eight-win season - improving on the six of last year and confirming progress is being made under coach Alan Richardson.

Steven, 26, and a Puma ambassador, said finals were not yet an agenda item among the playing group.

"We are not at that stage to think about that yet because we have shown that we mix it with some of the good teams but we can also get flogged by them," he said.

"I think we are developing but we still have patches. That's our main thing - consistency over four quarters."