Collingwood captain Nick Maxwell could miss the start of the AFL finals series, and has been ruled out for the rest of the home and away season with a thumb fracture.

Scans have revealed the courageous defender injured the thumb during the final quarter of Friday night's win over St Kilda, which kept the Magpies firmly on track for the minor premiership.

Collingwood said in a statement on Saturday their skipper would be sidelined for three to four weeks, which means there is doubt over whether he will return for a qualifying final on the weekend of September 9-11.

The 28-year-also had an interrupted start to the season, missing several games early in the year, after sustaining a kidney injury in a pre-season match.

But he has played Collingwood's past 12 games.

Maxwell's latest injury means Collingwood will enter the finals with two experienced defenders lacking recent match practice.

The other is Heath Shaw, who is partway through an eight-match suspension over a gambling offence, which carries through the rest of the home and away season.

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