Armitage, 25, played out the Saints' 17-point win over Melbourne but experienced soreness to his knee.

 

He wore a brace on it as a precaution at the Saints' recovery session on Sunday.

 

While he will need to pass a fitness test on Thursday in order to face the Giants at Etihad Stadium in a match that is somewhat surprisingly between two unbeaten sides, the club remains confident he'll be right to play.

 

"It was pretty trivial – he got a bit of a knock on the knee," physio Andrew Wallis told the club's website on Tuesday. 

 

"He ran today and he'll have to train as well, but hopefully he gets through."

 

Armitage was a key component of the Saints' last encounter with the Giants, which ended in a 72-point landslide at Manuka Oval in round three last year.

 

He kicked four goals and collected 31 possessions, as well as three Brownlow Medal votes for his performance.

 

Jimmy Webster, who was part of the Saints' impressive defence on Saturday night against the Demons, was subbed out of the game in the third quarter with groin soreness.

 

Webster, 20, will also have to prove his fitness on Thursday but is expected to be able to play.

 

Versatile youngster Brodie Murdoch should also be available after having time off training to deal with a groin injury.

 

However, the news isn't as good for veteran defender Sam Fisher, whose layoff from a back/hamstring injury has blown out to a few more weeks.

 

Fisher was unable to play any of the Saints' NAB Challenge or practice games because of problems with his hamstring.

 

Coach Alan Richardson said on Saturday the 31-year-old would likely need some more hard training before being considered for senior selection.

 

"It's the hamstring and back he's been battling … he's probably a couple of weeks away so we'll just have to wait and see how he progresses," Wallis said.

 

Fellow veteran Adam Schneider, who suffered severe back bruising when he was kneed against Port Adelaide earlier this month, has resumed running.

 

However, it could be another month before the 29-year-old is able to return to playing.

 

"We just need to get him to top-end speed before he can train and then obviously it will be a matter of the coaches making a decision on how many weeks he needs to train to get fitness to then play," Wallis said.

 

Meanwhile, gun midfielder Jack Steven will start running on Thursday ahead of his projected return in round four at either VFL or AFL level, with the Saints to monitor how his foot pulls up from the increased activity.

 

Draftee Blake Acres is expected to train this week and push for VFL selection next weekend after he also began running following a pre-season foot injury.