RICHMOND footballer Graham Polak has been moved out of intensive care and into a general ward following promising improvement after his weekend tram accident.

A spokesman from The Alfred hospital said he was transferred last night and was in a satisfactory condition.

Polak was brought out of a medically induced coma yesterday and while it may be unclear for up to 10 days whether he will be permanently brain damaged, he was able to open his eyes yesterday morning, indicate to nurses that he could hear, stand up briefly and speak a few words.

After being carefully weaned off drugs to make him unconscious and help prevent his brain from swelling further, Polak spent most of the day asleep but was able to sit up in bed and, with help, walk to the bathroom to be showered.

Suffering post-traumatic amnesia, he has been asked only a couple of questions and uttered a few words. But when he was asked whether he felt pain, he answered: "No."

Club doctor Greg Hickey was buoyed by the progress Polak had made since his accident late on Saturday. While expressing hope that the 24-year-old would make a full recovery, he said it was going to be a "long haul".

Polak's parents and partner were by his side in the intensive care unit of The Alfred and there was a stream of visitors throughout the day.

Scans showed he suffered bruising to his brain after he was hit by a tram on Dandenong Road, Armadale. The impact shattered the tram's windscreen.

"The fact that he has responded specifically to questions is a really good thing — when he was asked to open his eyes or to squeeze someone's hand," Dr Hickey said.

"It means that, for a start, he can hear the instruction, he can understand it enough to act on it and he can make the appropriate response … It means there are a few pathways that are intact."

The damage to Polak's cognitive function is expected to be unclear for at least a week.

"The scans can't tell you. They can pick up damage on a scan, but it doesn't necessarily reflect what their outcome is going to be months down the track," Dr Hickey said. "So it's really just waiting and seeing, and hopefully in a week … we'll be able to tell you that things are going fantastically well."

With the help of the AFL Players Association, Richmond is providing support for the two players, Cleve Hughes and Jordan McMahon, who were at the scene of the accident.

The club's chaplain, Paul Cameron, and the AFLPA's manager of psychology, people and culture, Pippa Grange, are playing key roles.

Richmond president Gary March said: "Cleve is in a reasonable state of mind at the moment but obviously quite traumatised from being right on the scene … Our concern has been about his mental state and getting him through that."

He said the club's priorities were Polak's health and supporting his family and the players. The investigation of the accident would be left to the authorities.

Dr Hickey said Polak had been given two pain-killers after a heavy bump during Richmond's game against Carlton on Saturday but the medication should not be linked to events later that evening.