RICHMOND footballer Graham Polak's improvement since being hit by a tram on Saturday night has been remarkable, according to the club's director of football, Greg Miller.

Miller visited Polak in The Alfred hospital yesterday and said he was walking, greeting people and contributing to conversations.

Polak was brought out of a medically induced coma on Monday and moved out of intensive care that night — less than 48 hours after he was hit by the tram near his home in Armadale.

Hospital staff last night described the 24-year-old's condition as satisfactory.

"He's certainly progressed very quickly in what could have been far worse ramifications," Miller said on the club's website.

Initial scans showed Polak suffered bruising to his brain after he was hit by the tram on Dandenong Road.

Since being moved from intensive care, Polak has continued to improve, saying a few words early yesterday and asking for a drink of water.

"It's been remarkable … the progress so far has been great," Miller said.

He said Tigers forward Cleve Hughes — who was with Polak and teammate Jordan McMahon when the accident happened — was expected to visit the hospital yesterday. "We want Cleve to see the progress because we think that will be a great tonic for Cleve," he said.

"As each hour goes by, or each few hours go by, he (Polak) can handle a little bit more, but we don't want to overload him."

Club doctor Greg Hickey said Polak's cognitive function was expected to be unclear for at least a week. He is due to have further brain scans in the next few days but the results may not be available for several days.

With JULIA MEDEW