INJURY-PLAGUED St Kilda runner Nathan Freeman has "a while" to go before he's in the frame for senior selection, coach Alan Richardson says.

Freeman, who turns 22 next week, is in the middle of his longest run of uninterrupted football since he was drafted at No. 10 in 2013.

"For him to play 12 games in a row now, including one of the practice matches, that's a real positive for him. It's a great step forward and now his footy's starting to build," Richardson said at Melbourne airport on Thursday.

"It'll still take a while, I reckon, before he's right in the frame for senior selection, but it's heading the right way."

However, the coach said there would be no pressure on Freeman, who is contracted until the end of 2018.

Richardson was quizzed about whether Freeman could find himself in the mix for a debut in the final few rounds of the season.

"There's a chance. Anything's possible," he said.

"If his form continues to improve and grow, and he's got a lot of faith in his body, then he's a chance to be in the frame.

"But we won't put any pressure on. We'll give him the opportunity to keep playing and keep building his game."

Freeman collected 25 disposals and eight tackles for Sandringham last Sunday at Victoria Park against Collingwood.

The former Magpie was traded to St Kilda at the end of 2015 in a swap of picks, with the Saints giving up a second-round selection that was used last year.

He has suffered persistent hamstring injuries and travelled to Germany late last year for treatment on his soft-tissue problems.