IT WAS one of the stranger 12-month spans experienced by an AFL player, capped off by an exceptional effort to play the end of the season with a torn groin.

Koby Stevens moved from the Western Bulldogs to St Kilda in October last year, after having been drafted by West Coast at No.23 in 2009. Not many players reach their third club by the age of 25.

Then, on the eve of the Saints' final pre-season match, some dodgy chicken eaten in Albury left him with salmonella and stripped the inside midfielder of eight kilograms. 

"All I was worried about, at the time, was surviving it really," Stevens told AFL.com.au. 

"I was pretty crook. I've never been so sick in my life." 

It was not the only ailment he suffered at St Kilda.

Against Melbourne in round 21, Stevens approached a contest with Melbourne midfielder Angus Brayshaw. The young Demon has had issues with concussion and many feared for his safety as the two collided, but it was the Saint who was left concussed and with an ear injury.

Just a week earlier, he almost stepped into Brighton Beach for his recovery. That would ordinarily have been fine, except the water had become infested by flesh-eating sea lice.

Groin tendinitis hampered him at the Dogs in 2016 and It has since emerged Stevens played with a torn adductor late this year. 

After doing rehab for five weeks while holidaying in America, he is back at full health. 

"I just had my groins released on both sides and I'm fine now. I'm flying, probably as fit as I've ever been," Stevens said. 

After putting on weight following his illness during the JLT Community Series, Stevens returned through the VFL and made his Saints debut in a comprehensive victory against Hawthorn in round six, picking up 28 disposals and booting a couple of goals. 

He was again prominent the following week as St Kilda pulled out a magnificent win against Greater Western Sydney. 

One highlight was being awarded a free kick against Nathan Wilson (now with Fremantle) for holding the ball. Stevens pinned the Giant's left arm and slung him to the ground. 

Unfortunately, Wilson was concussed and Stevens was suspended for a game. 

The Saint had not even considered he could be rubbed out. 

"I was driving one of my good friends home and he got the video up and he goes 'Mate, you're going to get done'. I was just like 'What do you mean?'" Stevens said. 

"I hadn't seen the footage or anything or thought twice about it, but with the way the rules are these days, you've got to be pretty conscious of the way you throw someone to the ground. 

"It's a bit unlucky in respect that both his arms were pinned. To me, at the time I thought it was a really good tackle, but you see the footage and he's hit his head. There's not much you can do about it."

The incident did not have Stevens thinking about changing his tackling technique though.

"I have always been one to tackle hard and been taught to tackle hard. If something happens like that again, it's obviously just a bit of bad luck," he said.