Coughlan breaks down again

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The career of Richmond star Mark Coughlan is looking increasingly in jeopardy after the 2003 best and fairest winner suffered yet another setback in his comeback from a second successive knee re-construction on Wednesday.

The courageous midfielder, who finally made his comeback in the VFL last weekend playing for Coburg, suffered hamstring soreness while training at Punt Road and is set to face another long stint on the sidelines.

Coughlan also suffered hamstring soreness after making his only other appearance of the season, for Richmond in the last pre-season match just two weeks from the start of the season, which kept him out until last weekend when he came through a half of football unscathed.

The Tigers confirmed on Wednesday this latest injury will cause Coughlan to "miss several weeks", prolonging an incredible run with injury which has seen one of the AFL's best midfielders restricted to just 41 games since his stellar 2003 season and none since he suffered his first serious knee injury in round 12, 2006.

Since debuting in 2001, the 26-year-old has played just two full seasons in the AFL - in 2003 and 2005 - having also missed most of the 2004 season due to groin problems.

The devastated Tigers were making no comment on Wednesday other than to say in a statement that "the club will continue to investigate all possible methods of rehabilitation to help Mark return to senior football."

Just a day earlier at his regular 'Tuesdays with Terry' press conference, Richmond coach Terry Wallace had been quietly optimistic about Coughlan's progress after he came through unscathed in his return for Coburg last Saturday.

"He got through and he will be ready to play again this week," Wallace said.

Wallace had earmarked Coughlan to play for Coburg again this week - against Geelong in what will be a rare VFL curtain-raiser match prior to Saturday's Tigers-Cats clash at the MCG.

"That is a great opportunity for supporters to get along a bit earlier and support guys like Mark Coughlan," he said.

But instead Coughlan is back on the sidelines and even before this latest setback Wallace said it could be another 12 to 18 months before the prolific ball-winner could hope to return to his vintage 2003 form.

That season Coughlan averaged 23.5 disposals and five tackles per game as well as kicking 13 goals to win Richmond's club championship in his first full season and at just 21 years of age.

"The answer is yes (Coughlan can return to his best) but it's not easy and it might take him 18 months of playing football for him to be able to get back to his very best," Wallace said.

"It may take him another summer to get himself right but what we need from him is the continuity of him actually being able to play six or eight weeks in a row so he just gets confidence in his body again."

But after this latest setback that is not going to happen and increasingly it looks as though one of the most promising of AFL careers is destined for a sad ending.