JACK Watts says the team is eager to come up against former teammate and now Magpie Jeremy Howe, when the two sides meet at the MCG on Sunday.

Howe, who crossed to Collingwood at the end of last season after playing 100 matches for Melbourne from 2011-15, played his first match for the Pies last round, after an injury-interrupted start to 2016.

Watts said the team was “very excited” to be playing against Howe this weekend.

“It’ll be interesting [to see how we go up against him], but we’ve had it before with (James) ‘Chip’ Frawley [when he crossed to Hawthorn last year],” he told Melbourne TV.

“With Howey, it’ll be interesting to see him. He played his first game last week for the Pies and we still stay in contact with him.

“There is a bit of banter there, and he talks about us and we get into him, so it’ll be interesting out on the ground.”