Melbourne hope Jack Watts can become their answer to Fremantle’s new breed of big AFL midfielders.

With Watts, 22, having had limited success as a key forward, rebounding defender or wingman under previous coaches, new Demons boss Paul Roos has planned another reinvention for the 2009 No.1 draft pick.

Roos said this year’s grand finalists Hawthorn and Fremantle set the benchmarks in many areas.

One is the atypical height of the Dockers’ talented core midfield group – Nathan Fyfe (190cm), David Mundy (192cm) and Michael Barlow (189cm).

Roos said having tried to trade in similar types, the Demons realised they might already have one in 196cm Watts.

“One of the things that a lot of teams lack, and we’re included, is just some big midfielders,” Roos told reporters on Wednesday.

“Jack, I really liked when I watched (video of Melbourne) games over the last two weeks.

“Ball in hand he’s very very good.

“He’s a very good decision-maker, he’s really smart, so that’s something we really want to do.

“We think if he can get in there, with his size and speed and overall strength and his ability to use the ball, we think that will be a positive.

“And we need more midfielders.”

Roos said it helped that Watts probably won’t be needed in what will be a strengthened attack.

Mitch Clark, who’s played just four AFL games since badly injuring a foot in mid-2012, is running and expected to be a key component of the 2014 attack.

Exciting 18-year-old prospect Jesse Hogan is also expected to slot straight in, having spent a year with VFL affiliate Casey after being picked up by the Demons as an under-age recruit.

Roos said the defence was also well stocked with height, with Colin Garland, James Frawley, Tom McDonald and Lynden Dunn.

But midfield depth had been a clear deficiency, one the club has also attempted to alleviate through the recent recruitment of experienced quartet Bernie Vince, Daniel Cross, Dom Tyson and Viv Michie.