Sydney defender Ted Richards' AFL season is almost certainly over after he suffered broken ribs and a punctured lung in Saturday's heavy loss to Carlton at Etihad Stadium.

Richards was left coughing up blood after colliding heavily with teammate Craig Bolton and Carlton's Brendan Fevola in a marking contest late in the Swans' 19.10 (124) to 9.9 (63) loss.

He was taken to hospital, where he will remain for two to three days before requiring ground transport when appropriate to return to Sydney.

"He remained stable when he came off the ground and we didn't have to do an emergency chest decompression," Swans doctor Nathan Gibbs said in a statement from the club.

"We monitored him and got him straight to hospital where he had a chest drain inserted into his lung to re-inflate the lung.

"He is now doing well and his lung is back to two-thirds its size within ten minutes of the drain being inserted.

"It is a minimum six weeks recovery."

With six games remaining in the home-and-away season and the Swans virtually out of finals contention, it is likely Richards has played his final game for 2009.

Richards bravely walked off the field under his own steam following the heavy hit.

"Obviously it's a serious injury but I've just spoken to him before in the rooms and he's okay," coach Paul Roos said after the game.

Richards' injury compounded a difficult day for the Swans in a defeat Roos rated one of his worst since taking charge of the club in mid-2002.

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