Saint set to put bad run of injuries in past

DAVID Armitage says he is only weeks away from a return to full training after two seasons ravaged by serious injury.

The flint-hard Saints midfielder had his 2017 ruined by groin issues after spending the previous year playing through a painful back injury.

St Kilda fans are searching for the A-Graders on their list, but if the 29-year-old can return to his 2015 form he is the perfect addition to the St Kilda midfield.

Instead he played the first game of this season then endured a year of setbacks, surgery and frustration.

Armitage and the club’s doctors ultimately shut down his season to give his groin two months of total rest.

The Saints leadership group member is cautiously optimistic after building up training to be on the verge of a return.

“I am going really well. I don’t want to say I am flying because it’s a scary injury. I thought I was over it midway through the year and it snuck back up on me,’’ he said.

“But I have had a good five or six weeks of running and am slowly building up. I am starting to do agility and repeat speed stuff so I am not too far off getting back with the main group. I feel like a new recruit.”

Armitage somehow managed to play every game of 2016 despite debilitating back issues but had no idea his body was going to let him down in a more dramatic way.

“I played Round 1 and (the groin soreness) came on and I missed Round 2 and 3 and played four then had surgery a week later,’’ he said.

“The surgery worked then I started running and it was still there so in another two or three weeks I got hernia repair surgery and then it flared up.

“I had eight weeks off completely and slowly built up with weights, bike and boxing and … golf and walking. So far, so good.”

If those events seem exhausting, Armitage says the opposite is true.

“You can take footy for granted and I missed a year so I am pretty keen to get stuck into it.”

I DON’T WANT TO SAY I AM FLYING BECAUSE IT’S A SCARY INJURY. I THOUGHT I WAS OVER IT MIDWAY THROUGH THE YEAR AND IT SNUCK BACK UP ON ME DAVID ARMITAGE