THEY’RE not quite the odd couple, but despite their longevity with Melbourne, they’ve become an important pairing for the club in the past two weeks.

The partnership of Jake Spencer and Jack Watts, as lead and support act in the ruck respectively, will again be crucial in the ANZAC Day Eve clash against Richmond at the MCG.

Spencer (drafted by Melbourne at No.35 in the NAB AFL Rookie Draft in December 2007) and Watts (who joined the club in November 2008, when he was the No.1 draft pick in the NAB AFL Draft) have long been teammates and friends away from the game.

But in the absence of one of their other close teammates, Max Gawn, who is out with a hamstring injury, Melbourne’s new-look ruck division, is set to continue.

Last week, they teamed one of the all-time great ruckmen in Fremantle’s Aaron Sandilands, and Watts said he was looking forward to continuing his role with Spencer against the Tigers.

“I’ve really enjoyed it and it’s got the competitive juices flowing and I’m looking forward to helping out big Spence again on Monday night. I’ve enjoyed getting around the ball a bit more, and I’ve enjoyed having a bit more responsibility,” he told melbournefc.com.au.

“We get on really well and we play a lot of golf together, and I love him as a bloke. We made our debut in 2009, so we’ve been through a lot together, but there has been a lot of fun times and enjoyable moments that we can thrive off.

“Spence does his thing in the ruck, and he has a great tank and engine, so he can pretty much do the whole game in the ruck, but I can give him a breather every now and then.

“The thing with big Pencil is that he had such a good pre-season and he was ready to go, but he was probably one of the stiffest blokes not to play in round one. As much as it hurts with big Maxy Gawn going down, it’s great that Pence gets his chance and shows everyone how good he is.”

Honing in on Monday night, Watts said the ANZAC Day Eve clash was “already proving to be a great tradition in its early stages” and was right behind locking it in for the long term.

“Already you can see how powerful it can be going forward,” he said.

“We’ve had a couple of ripping crowds the past two years and hopefully we’ll get an even better one this year. It’s a pretty special occasion for the players to get out there and play.

“If it’s not the biggest game on the fixture, then it’s right up there and I can’t wait to get out there.”

Watts said it had become a blockbuster match on the AFL calendar and there was no reason why it couldn’t match the ANZAC Day clash between Essendon and Collingwood, which has been a regular fixture since 1995.

“It’s one of those matches that everyone will stop and watch, or come to and I think it will only get bigger and bigger every year,” he said.

“There is no reason why it can’t get to the same level as that Essendon and Collingwood [ANZAC Day] match.

“We’re really excited with it, especially with the rivalry we’re creating with the Tigers. We just want to get out there and put a good performance on and make it a really good game to watch.”

Having produced some good form this season, after being overlooked for the JLT Community Series matches, Watts said he had overcome his “frustrating” start to the year.  

“There were probably 50 other blokes in the same position around the league, but it didn’t get talked up quite as much as it does with me. That’s part and parcel of it all, isn’t it?” he said.

“I’m pretty used to that by now, but to me, the way I’ve played the first few weeks, I haven’t set the world on fire, but I’ve been pleased with