Frawley, who was in Bendigo on Tuesday as part of a regional footy tour alongside his Fox Footy colleague Jason Dunstall, is the club's second longest serving captain behind champion forward Nick Riewoldt.

The grassroots tour visit was hosted by the Sandhurst Football Netball Club and included children's activities activities at Ewing Park followed by a sports night.

Frawley led the Saints for nine years, from 1987 until his retirement at the end of 1995.

He said Geary's rise to the captaincy was a testament to his persistence and drive, after the former Eaglehawk footballer made his way to the Saints with pick 58 at the 2006 rookie draftn and missed all three of the club's grand final appearances in 2009 and '10.

"It's a great feather in his cap, for him and his family - I know the Geary name up here (in Bendigo) is pretty popular," he said.

"He was a popular pick taking over from a one in a generation player in Nick Riewoldt.

"He's done it the hard way, coming off the rookie list and then the list proper.

"But he's really blossomed there the last three years under Alan Richardson's coaching. It's a great story."

Frawley predicted good things ahead for the club he played 240 senior games for after a few years of steady growth under coach Alan Richardson.

The Saints finished 2017 in ninth place, with a 12-10 record.

"They had a pretty good year last year. Obviously the expectation is for them to get into the final eight," he said.

"It's going to be pretty tough - some people are saying top four.

"But if they can get into the eight, it's a top performance."

Frawley was slightly cagey when it came to discussing the prospects of Richmond, club he coached for five years from 2000 to '04.

The Tigers, under coach Damien Hardwick, are looking to rebound from a disappointing season in which they finished 13th with just eight wins.

"They've recruited quite well. I think (Toby) Nankervis in the ruck is going to be quite good, (Dion) Prestia and (Josh) Caddy will add to the midfield," he said.

"Hopefully (Dustin) Martin can push forward, he's a really good player

"Let's hope they move the ball a lot quicker than last year, they were slow as treacle last year."

While it was only an overnight stay, Frawley will continue to keep tabs on football in the Bendigo region in his capacity as the new coach of the Victoria Country team.

The former Saints champ has replaced Hawthorn legend Peter Knights in the role.