PRIZED Richmond recruit Chris Yarran is recovering from a calf injury faster than expected and one teammate says he could be a shock starter in the season-opener against Carlton on March 24.

Yarran rejoined the main training group on Thursday and is tipped to play in the Tigers’ final NAB Challenge game, against Port Adelaide at Etihad Stadium next Thursday night.

“Chris will most likely play a part of NAB 3 and a little bit of the intra-club the final week and be ready for Round 1,” teammate Bachar Houli told the Herald Sun yesterday.

“I think he can play (Round 1). He fully trained, it was a solid session and he pulled up fine from that, which is great.”

Despite Houli’s optimism, it remains likely the Tigers will take a conservative approach with their high-profile recruit and leave him out of the early rounds as he builds fitness.

Tigers coach Damien Hardwick said last month he didn’t expect Yarran to play senior football until about Round 7.

Houli, speaking at a Docklands launch for Goodlife Health Clubs, the AFL’s diversity partner, said Yarran, ­recruited as his partner in crime running off half-back, was making strong progress.

“We’ve had some really good lunches and really good chats,” Houli said.

“He just kicks it so fantastically and he’s smart. Every time we transition the ball from the backline and we are both involved, I look at him and I just smile.

“I say, ‘This is us, bro. This is us this year’. We’re just trying to give him the confidence to say that we really, really need you this year.

media_camera Chris Yarran’s recovery from a calf injury is going faster than expected. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

“We just needed more flair and speedy drive from the backline and we feel like he’s got that. I’m not the quickest person. I can break a line or two and take half a bounce and I’m probably caught. But with Chris, if you give him the ball you are confident he will do something special.

“I’m really looking forward to his presence.”

Houli said the Tigers had tinkered slightly with their game plan over summer.

“We’ve focused on some key areas where we need to improve in order to take the next step,” he said.

“We’ve had to focus on our centre-back transition. We were just lacking a bit in that area and the other one is getting more inside 50s.

“From the Yarran perspective, the club felt we needed extra drive out of the backline.

“Previously we have had Brett Deledio, Chris Newman and myself play that role but over the last probably year or two we have kind of lacked that a little bit.

“There’s a massive buzz around the club. Every club will say at this time of the year that we’ve got so much belief ... but we’ve had a really solid and enjoyable pre-season and we feel like we’ve achieved what we wanted to achieve.

“Now we’ve just got to put it into practice.”