St Kilda captain Nick Riewoldt is confident his knee injury is not as bad as first feared and that he could return to the AFL as soon as round 10.

Riewoldt hurt the medial ligament in his left knee when tackled to the ground during the round-seven win over Richmond 12 days ago, and Saints coach Ross Lyon feared he might be without his star forward for up to two months.

But in a major boost to the Saints' premiership aspirations, Riewoldt said he could return as early as the round 10 game against Melbourne at the MCG on June 1.

"The diagnosis is much better than (first thought)," Riewoldt told the Nine Network's The Footy Show.

"Hopefully I'll only miss maybe one more.

"Obviously I'll miss this week (tomorrow night's game against Collingwood), but it's coming along well.

"Straight-line running at the moment isn't a problem, which is good, I can keep my fitness up, it's just the changing of angles that I'm yet to do.

"That will be the real test, but it's not as bad as thought."

Riewoldt was one of four injured Saints who could not be considered to play the Magpies at Telstra Dome tomorrow night, as Matt Maguire (foot), Xavier Clarke (hamstring) and Steven Baker (knee) are also sidelined.

Riewoldt said the Saints players were shattered for Maguire, who will not play again this season because of complications to the foot injury which has troubled him since 2006.

If Riewoldt can return earlier than expected, he will follow in the footsteps of Sydney's Nick Malceski, another player to defy predictions of a serious knee injury.

The Swans named Malceski in their squad for Sunday's game against Essendon at the SCG, less than three months after he suffered a serious knee injury.

Malceski was expected to miss the entire season after he ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during the pre-season, but after a rapid recovery, was one of four inclusions into the 25-man squad.

The Swans will decide tomorrow whether he caps a remarkable comeback, but coach Paul Roos indicated earlier this week Malceski would play in the reserves.

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