MELBOURNE coach Dean Bailey says his club won't be distracted by second-year forward Jack Watts' continued comparison with West Coast ruckman Nic Naitanui.

Debate over who will be the better player long-term reached another level with Naitanui's stirring performance in last Friday night's NAB Cup opener against Essendon.

Watts, chosen ahead of Naitanui by the Demons with the No.1 pick in the 2008 NAB AFL Draft, is overcoming a back injury and is in doubt for round one of the premiership season.

He played three games in 2009, while Naitanui made his debut in round 12 to play 10 of the last 11 and is primed to be given early opportunities in 2010.

But Bailey said comparing Watts with Naitanui was not an issue for him.

"It doesn't bother me at all," he said from Junction Oval on Friday.

"We sit down and talk to Jack and say, 'Jack, the stories are going to get written'. I don't know too many people here (in the media) who are confident enough to predict a draft situation in five years' time, let alone eight or nine months' time.

"Jack's going to go about his business. Jack wants to play as well as he can, as soon as he can for the Melbourne footy club and what's written is written and what's said is said.

"We're not going to be distracted by outside stories that are written - they're going to be written anyway regardless of who it is. But Jack's concentrating on developing his football and we've seen that in the last month, so that's good."

Bailey added that people needed to understand Watts was really still in his first year in football terms.

"Last year, he had school and we don't get players until the end of November," he said.

"Realistically, we knew what we were getting.

"Jack's attitude and application over the last six weeks has been very good. He's had three very good weeks of training and he's had a slight setback.

"But I expect Jack to be up and playing some senior footy this year."