The fallout for St Kilda from the weekend's catastrophic trip to Perth continues, with full-forward Fraser Gehrig under AFL investigation over an alleged religious taunt.

The latest setback is on top of a swathe of injuries suffered against Fremantle at Subiaco on Friday night, which have sent the Saints' premiership odds ballooning.

Gehrig is accused of having called Fremantle's Christian full-back Shane Parker a "bible-bashing ....".

The taunt is believed to have been overheard by a Dockers teammate, who alerted an umpire.

The umpire lodged a notice of investigation with the AFL, which has now launched a formal investigation.

While there have been several high-profile incidents in which players have been sanctioned for racial slurs, it is believed to be the first time a player has been investigated over a religious slur under the league's racial and religious vilification laws.

The news came as the Saints were assessing the injury toll from Friday night's match.

In one bright spot, the club is holding out hope centre half-back Matt Maguire can play in Saturday night's AFL clash with Brisbane, after scans showed his hip injury was not as serious as first suspected.

Maguire, who strained a hip flexor, was initially feared to be sidelined for at least a fortnight, possibly a month.

But a scan showed the damage was not as bad as feared, and he could play against the Lions if he passes a fitness test this week.

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