St Kilda’s Nathan Freeman will finally make his long-awaited debut on Saturday night against the Western Bulldogs.

423 players have made their AFL debuts since the 23-year-old was taken by Collingwood with pick No. 10 in the 2013 National Draft.

Freeman suffered a season-ending hamstring tear in his first pre-season match for the Magpies in 2014, unfortunately an omen of what was to come.

WATCH: Freeman gets the news

A well-chronicled series of setbacks, notably unrelenting hamstring issues, have plagued the midfielder before an AC joint injury interrupted his VFL comeback this season.

‘Freeza’ has averaged almost 25 possessions and 4.4 tackles per game in seven games, but it was his 37-disposal haul last weekend that convinced the match committee that he was ready.

When Nathan Freeman runs out in the famous red, white and black stripes on Saturday night, it will be his 1,718th day as an AFL-listed player, becoming the 1596th player to represent the Saints at the highest level.