Fremantle coach Mark Harvey wants Ben Cousins to return to Perth - albeit for an AFL pre-season encounter.

As fate would have it Richmond, who handed Cousins an AFL lifeline via the pre-season draft, start their NAB Cup campaign against the Dockers at Subiaco Oval on February 15.

The venue was a happy ground for Cousins, who was a crowd favourite there during his glittering 238-game career with West Coast.

But the former golden child of the Eagles is widely hated by Dockers fans, who have not had the chance to boo their nemesis since round 18, 2007.

Harvey, almost in Sheedy-esque fashion, fired an invite Cousins' way for the pre-season encounter, predicting a capacity crowd would rock up to watch the former Eagles skipper make his highly-anticipated return to football.

"It would be great for the game, wouldn't it?" Harvey said.

"I'm sure you'd have a packed stadium.

"It would be good to see Ben back over here playing and seeing where he's at.

"I invite him to play, if that means anything, but he may not be ready.

"It'll be 'welcome back Ben'."

Meanwhile, Harvey revealed he would consider transforming Chris Tarrant, who moved from Collingwood to the Dockers two seasons ago, from a forward into a regular midfielder.

Tarrant has kicked 355 goals over 198 games but Harvey said the time was right to throw the 28-year-old a new challenge, even suggesting the former Pie could be used across half-back.

"Sometimes when you look at guys who have been in the system for a period of time, sometimes a change can be as good as anything," Harvey said.

"Chris has got a really good aerobic base, so rather than just making him the stereotype forward I'm going to see how he evolves around things like stoppages and whether he's got that capacity to move into that situation.

"He can certainly run and carry the load of a midfielder, from a running aspect, and then maybe across the half-back line.

"It'll be an interesting time for Chris.

"I want to try and settle him down as quick as I can.

"You just try to place guys in certain positions and try and find different players in a forward structure that may just click."

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