Richmond veteran Chris Newman had a successful minor heart operation yesterday (Wednesday) and will return to training in the coming weeks.

The Club revealed early this week that Newman had experienced some discomfort at training recently, which resulted in having tests that confirmed a cardiac arrhythmia.

The 32-year-old subsequently met with a specialist before undergoing a procedure to correct the issue.

He was expected to miss the final two weeks of pre-season training, with coach Damien Hardwick declaring he was unlikely to be available for the Tigers' season-opener against Carlton at the MCG on April 2.

“We'll take that off the table at this stage and make sure we get him right and available for Round 2,” Hardwick said on Thursday morning.

“It was a successful operation, so it's not a major concern for us.

“It's no so much the operation, it's the healing process of the wound that's the concern.”

Earlier this week, Richmond’s General Manager of Football, Dan Richardson, said the operation was “relatively straightforward and has been done successfully in many high-level athletes, including AFL footballers”.

Newman, who has played 251 games with the Tigers, is heading into his 15th AFL season.