Richmond onballer Ben Cousins is back in hospital as the AFL Brownlow Medallist continues to suffer from stomach pains.

Symptoms re-emerged on Sunday night and he admitted himself to Epworth Hospital in the early hours of Monday morning.

Cousins was discharged from Epworth on Friday after undergoing tests.

"Ben is under the care of a gastroenterologist and at this stage it looks as if he will stay overnight," club doctor Greg Hickey said in a statement.

"Unfortunately Ben's symptoms from last week have not yet fully resolved so we have asked for some more tests to be performed."

It remains unclear whether Cousins will be available for the season-opening game against Carlton on March 25 at the MCG.

But there has also been some encouraging news out of Richmond on Monday, with the club applying to promote Graham Polak and Relton Roberts from the rookie list in time for the Carlton game.

Polak suffered a serious brain injury when he was hit by a tram in June 2008.

The 25-year-old key position player made a miraculous recovery and played two senior games at the end of last season.

Richmond then delisted him, but kept him at the club as a mature-age rookie.

"He has come a long way since the accident and it's a credit to his dedication to the intensive rehabilitation program he went through," Tigers football manager Craig Cameron told the club website.

The Tigers recruited Roberts, a utility from the Northern Territory, in the latest rookie draft.

The club is able to promote two rookies ahead of the premiership season.

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