Brown is yet to play this season because of soreness he experienced in the leg he badly broke two years ago.
The forward first experienced the soreness on the eve of the season and, despite being a week-to-week proposition, is hopeful he can play the Lions at Telstra Dome on June 2.
"I will have been out for nine to 10 weeks, so hopefully round 10," he said on the Nine Network's The Footy Show.
"I am trying to put a date on it.”
The 29-year-old says he may play in the VFL before then in attempt to improve his match fitness but no definite plans were in place as of yet.
Brown would be a welcome return for Richmond, who are yet to record a victory in 2007. Last weekend’s 157-point defeat at the hands of Geelong was described by coach Terry Wallace as one of the darkest days in his long career. This weekend the club faces another tough assignment away to Port Adelaide who are cruising at 5-1 so far this year.
Brown isn’t the Tiger’s only absentee due to injury. The former Bulldog is one of a long list of casualties that includes forward Richard Tambling (shoulder).
Richmond’s biggest injury worries affect the ruck with Troy Simmonds and Trent Knobel out with ankle injuries. Knobel has yet to play a game this year while Simmonds came back in round three but has visibly struggled with the injury.
Richmond assistant coach Jade Rawlings says the club’s ruck deficiencies will force the Tigers to experiment against the Power on Saturday.
“We are going to have to improvise a little bit and use a couple of players that are not natural ruckmen,” Rawlings says.
“We have a couple of little plans up our sleeve as to how we are going to compete against Brendon Lade and possibly Dean Brogan. Essentially, we have to be competitive in the air in order to make it a level playing field once the ball hits the ground.”
Rawlings believes the midfield battle will be a key factor in the heritage clash.
“Port has as talented a midfield as anyone in the competition, so it will be a good challenge for our midfielders to try and match it with the best. They are not the type of midfield you want to have a shootout with, particularly when you look at the quality players they can swing through there, like the Burgoyne brothers and Cornes boys,” Rawlings says.
