Jake Carlisle and Jack Steele to be eased into St Kilda pre-season training

The Saints first to fourth-year players return to training at Seaford on Monday after a superb off-season trade period.

Not only did the club secure an extra first-round pick next year, it lured Western Bulldogs midfielder Koby Stevens, GWS inside midfielder Steele and Magpies free agent Nathan Brown.

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But to cash in on that trade period after an improved 12-win season in 2016 the Saints must overcome a handful of lingering injury concerns.

Freeman will this week travel to Germany for advanced treatment on his hamstring after failing to play a senior game in three years at Collingwood and St Kilda.

Encouragingly, he was able to play six of the last seven games of the year in the VFL and its development league.

Senior coach Alan Richardson had flagged an overseas fact-finding mission in June when Freeman pulled out of a VFL game with hamstring tightness.

The Saints continue to enthuse publicly about Freeman’s ability to eventually overcome his issues, with the 21-year-old winning 46 touches in three quarters of a VFL development game in Round 3.

But he has rarely if ever been able to string together long periods of football without again breaking down or needing to be nursed through games.

Marcus Bontempelli, taken six spots higher than Freeman at pick No.4 in the 2013 national draft, has already played 63 AFL games.

AFL players including Max Rooke and Ben Reid have travelled to Germany to see world-renowned soft-tissue experts and returned to play regular football.

Steele said this month he will make a full recovery from a broken foot suffering while training during the finals.

“It’s feeling good, hopefully I’m running in a couple of weeks,” Steele said.

“I think I’m going to do a bit of rehab before Christmas and then maybe run on the Christmas break and then when I get back from the Christmas break in January is when I’m into full training.”

Carlisle had hip surgery early in the year after missing the season through his ASADA ban but said in October he wouldn’t immediately start running.

He says the year off has not only refreshed him mentally but allowed longstanding issues to be fixed.

“I have had ongoing knee tendonitis for 4-5 years and I carried a hip for two years,’’ he said.

“But I have got over those niggles now. It will be a long year if I start running now so give me a few more months until I start running.

“But the main thing is if I get my legs going and my glutes nice and strong and build my frame the footy smarts will still be there.