St Kilda hard nut Jack Steven anticipates Nathan Freeman will be an important cog for the club next year, despite the injury-prone youngster suffering another blow.
Freeman, whose fragile body has succumbed to multiple hamstring injuries, has this season played 13 VFL games - his longest sequence of appearances since under-18s.
But the No.10 pick in the 2013 draft suffered another devastating setback at the weekend, injuring his ankle playing for VFL affiliate Sandringham in its clash against Geelong.
Steven expects Freeman, who is yet to make is AFL debut, to be hardened by his cursed run.
"Obviously he's had a lot of injuries. He's put together some good games, which I think has given him confidence," Steven told ESPN.
"I think they're [the coaches] keen to get him in [the senior side]. I think this is the most games he's played in a row ever.
"He's got to step it up at AFL level. He's definitely gone better this year."