TOUGH St Kilda midfielder David Armitage is on track to return through the VFL this week after two bouts of groin surgery this season, with retired Saint Sean Dempster helping Armitage's recovery.
The veteran onballer is expected to face Geelong at Simonds Stadium on Saturday afternoon, assuming he pulls up well from Thursday's main training session. He will play restricted minutes if he lines up.
The left-footer played in the round one loss to Melbourne and took a couple of weeks off before returning for the round four win against Collingwood.
However, Armitage pulled up sore and was sent in for an adductor release operation.
The following month, he went under the knife again to rectify the problem.
Dempster has been at the club weekly helping Armitage with his rehab, and the pair have been running laps at training.
The defender retired in April after a concussion suffered in the pre-season caused him to re-think his future.
Armitage has played 152 matches in his career.
His career-best season was 2015, when he averaged 28 disposals per game, but he was hampered by a back injury last year that limited his running.
The St Kilda midfield has more options than it has for a few years, with Jack Steven and Seb Ross among the competition's stars, while Jack Steele (Greater Western Sydney) and Koby Stevens (Western Bulldogs) were traded in at the end of 2016 and have slotted in to play some impressive football.
The Saints sit in ninth spot and are at the bottom of a cluster of four clubs with a 9-7 record.
A tough month awaits, with St Kilda facing top-eight opponents Sydney (SCG), Port Adelaide (Adelaide Oval), West Coast (Etihad Stadium) and Melbourne (MCG) over the next month.
