Richmond insist that Mark Coughlan could still make a fairytale AFL comeback in round one against Carlton, despite the midfielder suffering another knee injury.

Coughlan has not played a senior game for the Tigers since mid-2006 when he underwent the first of two knee reconstructions.

He also suffered chronic hamstring problems last season.

Coughlan had seemed due for a change of luck and was set to play in Sunday's opening round pre-season Cup clash against Fremantle before feeling soreness in his right knee on Tuesday.

The 2003 best and fairest winner will undergo surgery to repair a slight meniscus tear.

It will put back Coughlan's playing return for a few weeks, but the club is hopeful he will be fit for selection in the latter stages of the pre-season.

If all goes well, he could return for his first home-and-away match in three years against arch-rivals Carlton on March 26 before a huge crowd at the MCG.

"Mark Coughlan and a knee doesn't sound great, but we think it's only a minor setback for him," Tigers assistant coach Wayne Campbell said on Wednesday.

"It's not ideal for him, but it's not catastrophic by any stretch.

"He's surprisingly upbeat, he's a mentally strong kid to have been through what he has."

Campbell said that before the latest setback, Coughlan had made remarkable progress since the club began pre-season training in October.

"It was just going to be a fairytale story and we think it still will be," said Campbell.

"If all went well he could play in NAB Cup week three.

"Whether that happens or not, I don't know, but certainly round one versus Carlton is not out of the equation."

Gun youngster Trent Cotchin is an outside shot of playing against the Blues as he recovers from an Achilles tendon problem.

But the club will take a strong side to play Fremantle at Subiaco in their pre-season opener on Sunday night, including old-timers Matthew Richardson, Troy Simmonds and Nathan Brown.

Campbell paid tribute to the longevity of the 33-year-old Richardson, who he played alongside at Richmond for more than a decade.

"He's a freak of nature, to be as tall as he is and to have taken the contested marks that he has and 16 years on to still be doing it," said Campbell.

"I don't think he has been spared.

"He has been on the wing, running up and down and still kicking goals.

"... if you lose your pace, you're in trouble. If you don't, you keep playing."

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