St Kilda name Nathan Freeman to make long-awaited debut

Tom Naghten

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St Kilda name Nathan Freeman to make long-awaited debut image

St Kilda have named midfielder Nathan Freeman to make his long-awaited senior debut this Saturday night against Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium.

Freeman has finally overcome a nightmare run with injuries and put together a solid run of form to earn his crack at the AFL.

The 23-year-old was selected by Collingwood with pick 10 in the 2013 draft before a string of hamstring injuries hampered his time at the club.

He was traded to the Saints for a late-round pick upgrade ahead of the 2016 season.

MORE: The AFL Rover's rant: Grow up Freo and get rid of the Harley

Freeman dealt with a shoulder injury earlier this year before returning to the VFL and pushing his case for a debut.

37 touches in the reserves last week sealed the deal for the selection panel.


Freeman joins a host of other headline making selections for round 20, including Swan Alex Johnson's first game since the 2012 grand final and Demon Aaron vandenBerg's first AFL game in almost two years.

The young Saint will become just the second top 10 draft pick in VFL/AFL history to make their senior debut five years after being picked up.


 

Tom Naghten

Tom Naghten Photo

Tom Naghten is a senior editor at The Sporting News Australia where he's been part of the team since 2017. He predominantly covers boxing and MMA. In his spare time, he likes to watch Robbie Ahmat's goal against the Kangaroos at the SCG in 2000.