JOEL Bowden could find himself lining up for Coburg this weekend instead of making the transcontinental trip with his Richmond teammates to play Fremantle at Subiaco Oval.

Coach Terry Wallace said yesterday that the veteran's slow start to the season meant his position would be among several discussed by the match committee as the Tigers seek to bounce back from consecutive losses.

Slow starts have been a disturbing feature of Richmond's first three games — even in beating Carlton in round one, the Tigers were almost five goals down early. Wallace said that in recent years, they have been a feature for Bowden, too, who was also down on confidence and not backing himself to win the ball.

"I don't think there's a player (who) hasn't gone through that at some stage, where they start second-guessing themselves about, 'Do I go for the footy or do I stay with my man'," Wallace said.

Bowden's ability to read the play had helped him become a prolific possession winner in the past, Wallace said, but it was possible he was being caught in two minds at the moment.

"If you start second-guessing yourself in that reading game, that's going to have an impact on your footy and that's the case that Joel is at the moment.

"But he's a very professional person on and off the field and I'm sure he'll work his way through that."

Bowden, 29, has played 238 games, won the best-and-fairest in 2004-05, and been All-Australian in 2005-06.

Wallace recalled that Bowden's first best-and-fairest, the year before he became senior coach, followed being dropped in round six. He had also been down on form early last season and fought his way back to be one of the Tigers' best.

Wallace said the match committee would make its decision based on whether it believed there was a suitable opponent for Bowden, as well as on how it assessed the player. He was not the only one under scrutiny, there were "half a dozen others" as well.

Trent Cotchin, the club's first pick (at No. 2) in last year's national draft, is ready to resume in the VFL, as is injury-plagued midfielder Mark Coughlan.

Cotchin, who has had an Achilles tendon injury, was still about six weeks away from senior football, Wallace said.