Forecasting that the Hawks could face up to two years of mediocrity, Ling said: "They're happy to be average for a year or two, and be outstanding in the following three years."

And the Cat backed coach Alastair Clarkson to defy the football odds currently stacked against him.

"He's the one to see it through," said Ling.

"No one coaching is as good as him."

With Geelong hoping to crush the Hawks' finals aspirations in the traditional Easter Monday clash, Ling said he would watch with interest as Hawthorn tries to build for another premiership tilt.

"They're trying to buck the system," Ling said.

"Teams are supposed to bottom out, get early draft picks and come back up the ladder.

"But Hawthorn, like Sydney and Geelong before them, are trying to beat the system.

"While the Hawks have been winning premierships, they haven't had access to elite talent [in the draft] meaning they should fall down the ladder and finish well down the bottom for a few years and get access to the elite talent."

Hawthorn have been heavily criticised for their trading of club legends Sam Mitchell and Jordan Lewis in an off-season that saw them bring in Jaeger O'Meara and Tom Mitchell as replacements.

As a result, the club does not have access to a first-round draft pick this year, after completing a side deal with St Kilda to help get the O'Meara trade across the line.

Ling, pointing out that Geelong and Sydney had managed to stay competitive at the top end of the ladder while regenerating their lists, warned that Hawthorn lacked the significant advantages boasted by their rivals.

"Sydney have done it with big-time targeting of players: Tippet and Franklin, they've had access to Heeney and Mills despite finishing up the top of the ladder with the help of their academies. Geelong have been able to get Patrick Dangerfield through different circumstances, and recruited strongly from other clubs with the likes of Henderson, Tuohy, Stanley, Smith.

"Hawthorn have said to themselves: we don't have an academy, we're not getting a Dangerfield type who grew up down the road. Hawthorn is trying to get top-end talent in another way, a very aggressive way, while maybe lulling for a year or two, not fully falling away, and then back to being genuine premiership contenders.

"They're happy to be average for a year or two, and be outstanding in the following three years."

Ling said while he was surprised at the extent of Hawthorn's loss to Gold Coast on Sunday, a year of missing the finals would be accepted within the club if it meant achieving the ultimate success again in the next five years.

"Geelong showed two years ago that missing the finals wasn't the end of the world if you can show you have a plan in place to rise up to a top-four level.

"Sydney did it as well. Missing finals isn't a worry. Who's to say they don't shoot straight up the ladder next year?"

Since winning the premiership in 2007, Geelong have missed the finals only once, in 2015.

Similarly, Sydney have only missed September action once since 2003, in 2009.

More recently, the Cats have become more aggressive in their pursuit of players from other clubs, and have arguably prioritised it over investing heavily in the draft.

They have seven players on their list from rival clubs; Patrick Dangerfield, Lachie Henderson, Scott Selwood, Zac Smith, Rhys Stanley, Zach Tuohy and Aaron Black.

Mitch Clark, Hamish McIntosh, Jared Rivers, Josh Caddy, Sam Blease, who are no longer on the list, all came from other clubs.

Ling believes Hawthorn will be aggressive again in the trade period this year, and says they're only one or two players away from again being a premiership threat.

"Yes, absolutely, and I would say it would be based around a key defender

"Their forward line is still very dangerous and still got years ahead of it, their midfield with what they've done is strong.

"With Gibson getting older, Birchall getting older, it's just their next important hole that needs to be filled up with a key defender next to James Frawley."