ST KILDA forward Darren Minchington has suffered a knee injury that will delay his start to the season by up to six weeks. 

Minchington sustained medial ligament damage to his left knee during a VFL intra-club match with Sandringham on Saturday. 

Football manager Simon Lethlean said the 24-year-old would be sidelined for four to six weeks.

"Thankfully the scans showed it wasn’t as serious as it could have been and he should be back training in a few weeks, which is a positive," Lethlean said on the club's website.

"Darren was just starting to hit his straps over the past month after missing a large chunk of the second half of the 2017 season with an ankle injury." 

Minchington, who underwent ankle surgery in June last year, shaped as a long-shot to feature in the Saints' round one team after missing both JLT Community Series matches. 

The hard-bodied Saint is among a large group of players jockeying for small forward positions in 2018, with his ability to pressure defenders his standout quality. 

Minchington, who played five of his 28 career games last season, is one of only two Saints ruled out for round one, alongside luckless midfielder Nathan Freeman. 

Freeman is recovering from yet another hamstring injury, which will sideline him for two months.

Midfielder Jack Steven sent a scare through the Saints' camp in last Thursday's pre-season clash against midfield, but his ankle sprain will not sideline him for the round one clash against the Brisbane Lions on March 24.