ST KILDA captain Nick Riewoldt says his team will head into next Saturday’s preliminary final showdown with Hawthorn confident it can match one of the best in the AFL.

However Riewoldt, who not only starred in Saturday night’s semi-final win over Collingwood but also against the Hawks when the two teams last met in round 16, is wary his Saints will be facing a far different line-up to the one his team beat by five goals almost two months ago.

“Obviously you take a little bit of confidence out of the last time we played them,” the Saints' champ said at his team’s recovery at St Kilda Sea Baths on Sunday morning.

“I think at that stage of the season they were guaranteed a top-two or three finish, so I’m not really sure what was up for grabs [for them], whereas we were vying for a spot in the eight.

“So motivation may [have been] a factor.

“We can take a bit of confidence out of it but it’s a preliminary final this week, so the stakes are a lot higher, and I’m sure they’ll be a lot tougher than last time.”

Riewoldt booted six goals in a dominant display against the Hawks last time out, while down the other end Lance Franklin kicked three.

At Telstra Dome that evening, the Saints kicked eight goals in a rampant third term to run over the top of Hawthorn and keep their finals dream alive. They went on to snare fourth position after the 22 home-and-away rounds.

Riewoldt believes St Kilda might still have its best football ahead of it, with Saturday night’s 34-point win over the Magpies instilling further belief among Ross Lyon’s players.

“We’re a happy team,” the captain said.

“Obviously last night was a terrific effort under a fair bit of adversity, with a player going down early, so we were 21 men for most of the game.

“For us to put in a performance like that … it was one of our most consistent, four-quarter performances for the year, so that was pleasing.”

While Jarryd Allen’s season might be over after he succumbed to a hip injury early in the match, Luke Ball will again come in for consideration this week.

And Riewoldt said if fit, the rugged midfielder was an automatic inclusion.

“Yeah, if he’s fully fit [he’d come straight back in],” he said.

“He’s obviously a terrific player. That’s going to be a coach’s decision but they’ll exhaust every possible test to ensure that he is fit.

“Obviously they erred on the side of caution this week. I think it was pretty touch and go [but] in retrospect I think it was a pretty good decision given the result."

As for Saturday night’s report of big man Justin Koschitzke, Riewoldt said he didn’t witness the incident and was yet to see a replay.

“The club will have a look at it and we’ll go from there.”