David Armitage Biography

David Armitage will leave St Kilda at the end of the 2019 season after managing just 2 senior games, but is hopeful of earning a second chance at another club in 2020.

"I felt embraced by the club the second I walked in the door," Armitage said to the playing group.

"I feel very honoured to have played for this great club for 13 years and I’ll treasure the friendships I have made along the way."

David Armitage believes he'll still have plenty to offer the Saints in 2019 despite enduring another injury-affected year.

Armitage, 30, has played 13 games in 2018, having been omitted to the VFL on three occasions.

But, having battled hamstring tendinitis throughout the year, he says he's got the coach's backing to recapture his best in the final year of his contract – if he can get his body right.

"I've certainly had conversations with 'Richo' (Alan Richardson) about hitting a full pre-season again and my body at my best is certainly still capable," Armitage said.

"At my best, he certainly thinks I'm still important to the group and in the plans going forward so that's all I can do at the moment."

St Kilda coach Alan Richardson admits the club may have erred in selecting an underdone David Armitage too early.

Armitage missed all but three games in 2017 as a result of a long-term groin injury that required two bouts of surgery and two months of complete rest.

"David missed a lot of footy and his performance reflected that," Richardson said.

"I'll put my hand up… we probably got him back in the team too early. We're a pretty young group and it was tempting to have someone of Dave's experience and his physicality in the group to support those younger mids in particular."

David Armitage says he is ready to step into a much deeper engine room when he returns this season after putting an injury-ravaged 2017 behind him.

"I had eight weeks off doing nothing for treatment and it seemed to mend me and [the injury] settled down, which is fantastic," Armitage said.

"I've pretty much done a full pre-season, and so far so good. It's holding up really good (and) I feel rejuvenated."

David Armitage will not play again in 2017 after running out of time to recover from two groin operations.

David Armitage will be sidelined for at least another month after undergoing a second round of surgery to resolve adductor issues that have plagued his season.

The 28-year-old has only managed two appearances in 2017 and hasn't played since round four after having adductor release surgery at the end of April.

This time Armitage's operation was on a hernia.

David Armitage faces the possibility of further surgery after a setback in his recovery from a groin operation.

Armitage is still in some discomfort after having adductor release surgery in late April.

He will see a specialist in the next few days and there is the possibility he will need to go under the knife again.

However, the Saints are adamant there is no concern he will miss the rest of the season.

David Armitage will miss at least a month after undergoing groin surgery.

"He has had to undergo an adductor release surgery," St Kilda football manager Jamie Cox said.

"Dave won't run for a couple of weeks and is expected to miss at least a month."

St Kilda is resigned to losing gun midfielder David Armitage for an extended period with groin issues.

"He's still pulling up really sore after games, he'll have to have some tests," Saints coach Alan Richardson said.

"It looks like he'll miss a bit of footy, unfortunately.

"It looks like he's going need to possibly have corrective surgery, but if not, at least an extended rest to make sure we get it right."

David Armitage will miss a week or two with a groin complaint.

Jarryn Geary will be the St Kilda's new captain for 2017.

Geary takes over the role from Nick Riewoldt, who was skipper for 220 games. That tally ranks Riewoldt third on the all-time list for most VFL/AFL games captained, behind Carlton's Stephen Kernahan (226) and Essendon's Dick Reynolds (224).

Riewoldt, Leigh Montagna, Sean Dempster and Sam Gilbert took themselves out of contention for the leadership group, and thus the captaincy. Those players, known as the 'four elders', make up the Saints' over-30 contingent.

"Before that vote, Montagna, Riewoldt, Gilbert and Dempster got up and said 'Don't vote for us, we're out. Time for you blokes to drive it. We think you're ready'," Saints coach Alan Richardson said.

Midfielder Seb Ross, Dylan Roberton and Josh Bruce are St Kilda's newest official leaders. They join Geary, Jack Steven, David Armitage, Jack Newnes and Maverick Weller.

"If we had six players who got lots of votes and then there was a gap, we'd have six (in the leadership group). As it turned out, we had eight, because those guys were voted in really strongly," Richardson said.

David Armitage has put his hand up to take over from Nick Riewoldt as skipper in 2017.

"I'm pretty approachable for all the young guys, and my main trait is I lead by example, the way I attack the footy and the man," Armitage said.

"You've got to look after your own backyard first in the way you play.

"Then it's about challenging what you want to stand for, and that's probably the area I need to improve on the most, as well as being compassionate and show lots of care, but I think I do that reasonably well."

David Armitage says a lower interchange cap in 2016 will benefit players like him who rely on fitness rather than athleticism.

"You won't see the mids rotating and coming off the bench as much, which will be exciting for the game," Armitage said.

"It's going to be more endurance-based, whereas it was trending towards the athletics profile.

"It'll suit me a bit, the plodders, so I'm looking forward to it."

A return to his consistent and damaging form of 2013 has seen St Kilda's Jack Steven win his second club best and fairest.

Steven, 25, claimed the Trevor Barker Award on Monday night at Crown Palladium from midfield teammate David Armitage and super consistent veteran defender Sean Dempster.

David Armitage re-signs with St Kilda for three years, keeping him at Moorabbin until at least the end of 2019.

"There are exciting times around the club at the moment with a lot of quality young players coming through, and we are clearly heading in the right direction," Armitage said.

"I'm really enjoying my football right at the moment and there's a good feeling among the group. I look forward to helping take the club to the next stage including returning to finals as soon as possible."

St Kilda coach Alan Richardson says a more mature and professional David Armitage is the reason behind the 26-year-old's stunning start to the season.

Armitage tallied a career-high 45 possessions (16 contested), eight clearances, five inside 50s and a goal in the Saints' stirring win against the Bulldogs.

After six rounds, he is averaging 33.5 disposals per game, the best figures in his 113 game career.

"Dave has had a really impressive start to the year. He's sensed the opportunity to be the man," Richardson said.

"He's matured as a footballer and as a young man. He's a real pro now and he's reaping the rewards.

"He's lost a significant amount of weight. He's not only able to win the ball on the inside, but he's able to give us some good run on the outside."

David Armitage doesn't think he'd be preparing for his 100th AFL game this Sunday if Ross Lyon hadn't come to St Kilda at the end of 2006.

"He was just very stern and very honest. He pretty much pulled me in a couple of times to his office and said, 'You're not going to make it unless you do A, B, and C'," Armitage said.

"Sometimes he was really hard but I'd say fair and who knows, if it wasn't for those stern 'talking-tos' and 'this is how it is' discussions, who knows if I would have played 100 or not.

"I'm certainly grateful for his input in five years."

The open wound that spread across David Armitage's knee was so gruesome that his St Kilda teammates couldn't look at it when they visited him in hospital last week.

This was after the 25-year-old saw the surface of his left kneecap after splitting open the skin below the joint when he crashed into Patrick Dangerfield's boot in round four.

There's not much about the injury that isn't stomach churning - from the exposed patella that was immediately stitched, leaving Armitage play to out the game with bits of soil and grass inside his knee, to the infection that developed and the two procedures needed to kill the germs.

"I went to lunge to tackle Dangerfield and I remember Jimmy coming the other way and he sort of clipped my head and at the time, I didn't think too much about my knee, I was more worried about my head," Armitage said.

"I hopped up off the ground and the docs were there at that stage and asked if I was OK, I said 'Yes, but I've had a head knock and my knee is starting to hurt.'

"I looked down and the doc saw my reaction to what I'd just looked at.

"I could see a big open wound; it wasn't bleeding or anything but it was right down to the flashing of the kneecap and it was pretty gruesome."

David Armitage could be out until after St Kilda's round 10 bye with the midfielder still in hospital being treated for a gaping wound on his left knee.

There is no structural damage to the knee he lacerated in the Saints' round four loss to Adelaide but the threat of infection remains.

David Armitage continues to be treated in hospital for a nasty cut to his knee and is expected to miss at least two more games.

Doctors have re-opened the wound and it is being given time to naturally dry out to reduce the chance of infection.

Armitage, 25, suffered the laceration to his left knee against Adelaide last week but he played out the game after having it stitched up.

However, the wound - which was gaping - became red and he was admitted to hospital to stave off infection.

Nick Riewoldt chalks up record-equalling ninth year as Saints captain after being named as skipper of the club on Friday.

The Saints' leadership group will also comprise Leigh Montagna, David Armitage, Sean Dempster, Jarryn Geary and Lenny Hayes.

"I think we've felt a little bit disappointed the last couple of seasons about our ability to do that so we need to continue to display strong behaviours, especially around the ones we hold important," Riewoldt said.

"That's what the group was voted in on, to continue to do that and defend the Saints' trademark that we've come up with, and on-field performance comes into that, and to really drive and accelerate the growth from underneath and within the footy club.

"We've got a pretty clear mandate, we've spoken about that as a group and I think the rest of the players are aware of what we want to get out of being in this role."

Brisbane reveal that they tried to lure St Kilda midfielder David Armitage to the club.

"We did enquire about David Armitage from St Kilda and had spoken to his management and the like," Lions list manager Rob Kerr said.

"In the end, St Kilda wasn't prepared to trade for David so that one fell over."

David Armitage re-signs with the Saints for a further three seasons.

"Long-term, it takes me to 10 years which is fantastic and I'm really looking forward to try and lead the club through more successful years,'' Armitage said.

"A couple of years ago some people wondered why I didn't leave, but you get to a club and you just form really strong friendships and tight bonds with certain players,."

Nick Riewoldt will captain St Kilda for an eight successive season under a new leadership structure.

Riewoldt will be joined by Leigh Montagna, Nick Dal Santo, Ben McEvoy, James Gwilt, David Armitage, Sean Dempster and Jarryn Geary in the leadership group after Sam Fisher and Adam Schneider decided to step aside.

David Armitage is named by St Kilda coach Ross Lyon as one of several players capable of stepping into the void created by Luke Ball's absence.

"Armo's done his apprenticeship. He had a great pre-season last year. He tore his hammy leading into the first pre-season game so it really put him behind," Lyon said.

"He is ready to go, a fourth-year player, endurance animal, clearance beast. As disappointed as we are to lose Luke, certainly David is one of those players who can step into that void."

While St Kilda coach Ross Lyon has used only 26 players this season, he is mindful not to overlook a group, including Matt Maguire, Sean Dempster and Robert Eddy, delivering consistent form each week with VFL affiliate Sandringham.

"There's not only Matt waiting for opportunities, I've got Armitage and Jack Steven and Raph Clarke in the seconds. So there's a number of players in the same position, Colm Begley another, who are fighting for a spot in the seniors," Lyon said yesterday.

"And I'm on record that, while players keep delivering, I'm not just going to make changes for the sake of it."