CHRIS Newman is in doubt for Richmond's round one clash with Carlton after suffering an abnormal heart rhythm at training.

The club revealed on Tuesday that the veteran defender had experienced "some discomfort" at training recently, which saw him have tests that confirmed a cardiac arrhythmia.

The 32-year-old has met with a specialist, and will have a procedure to correct the issue.

"Chris has seen a cardiologist specialising in this area, and he has confirmed that the diagnosis is a relatively benign one," the club's football manager, Dan Richardson, said on the Richmond website.

"However, the decision has been made to rectify the situation with a procedure to eliminate the trigger of the abnormal cardiac rhythm."

It is a frustrating interruption for the Tigers and Newman, who heads into his 15th AFL season with 251 games to his name. The club hopes the concern will not keep their former captain out for too long in the home and away season.



"The procedure is relatively straightforward and has been done successfully in many high level athletes, including AFL footballers," Richardson said.

"We are expecting that Chris will be off training for a couple of weeks, and then should be able to resume full training, and play soon after."

Richmond will play North Melbourne on Saturday in the third round of the NAB Challenge after some encouraging pre-season form, in its final hit-out before meeting Carlton on April 2.