Veteran St Kilda defender Sam Fisher could play against Richmond next week after he escaped serious injury in a bone-jarring collision in Saturday night’s big loss to Sydney.

Fisher left the Etihad Stadium clash in the third quarter after he was flattened by Swans ruckman Toby Nankervis with a hip-and-shoulder that didn’t draw a free kick.

It was initially feared the 34-year-old had suffered a fractured jaw, which could have brought an end to his 227-game career.

“Sam Fisher was released from hospital last night and has been cleared of any structural damage to his jaw,” a statement released from the club’s official Twitter account on Sunday read.

“Sam will undergo further assessment over the next few days. The club will provide fans with an update in its regular Tuesday injury report.”

After a hotly-contested first half, the Saints were blitzed by Sydney, who went on to score a 70-point win.

St Kilda also lost ruckman Tom Hickey to an ankle injury and a knock to the head, while Jarryn Geary injured his back in the warm-up and was replaced by Daniel McKenzie.

“It was disappointing … he was a little bit sore coming out of last week’s game, but we thought he was right,” coach Alan Richardson said of Geary.

“He’s a real warrior, Gears. He’s a tough bugger and he thought he’d be alright.

“But just in some of the tackling stuff we do inside he just seized up a bit after a bit of contact.”

The Saints face the Tigers and Brisbane to finish off their 2016 campaign after the big loss to the Swans effectively ended their late bid for a finals berth.