The value of life dawned on Tony Lockett last year following the tragic death of close mate Danny Frawley, an event that left the football legend terribly shaken.

Frawley and Lockett, both products of the Saints' Ballarat recruiting zone, were bookends of St Kilda's side for a decade, with Frawley captaining St Kilda between 1987 and 1995, and Lockett becoming the Saints' most prolific goalkicker before leaving the club for Sydney at the end of 1994.

Danny Frawley had a close bond with Saints spearhead Tony Lockett. Credit:The Age

The pair was tight, with an emotional Frawley breaking down while giving a speech to induct Lockett as an official St Kilda legend in 2010.

Opening up on the impact of his long-time St Kilda teammate's passing last September, the VFL/AFL's all-time goals record-holder said Frawley's fatal car crash had given Lockett "a hell of a jolt".