MELBOURNE has revealed that gun recruits Jack Watts and Sam Blease are undergoing a 10-week training program and are unlikely to play a match of any description until mid-April.

It means Melbourne fans will have to be patient before catching a glimpse of Watts (who was selected at No.1 in last year's NAB AFL Draft) and Blease (No.17).

Club development coach Kelly O'Donnell said the duo's programs were constantly being reviewed and he left the door ajar for a slightly earlier return.

"Sam and Jack are on a 10-week program, which leads them into about the middle of April [before they will play a match]," O'Donnell told melbournefc.com.au.

"Basically it's getting them up the minimum volume that is required to start playing games in the view of the conditioning people.

"That's taking into account that they're 17 and have young bodies and just where they're at physically.

"They'll start to play after that 10-week program, although it might be eight weeks – as long as they've been ticked off by the conditioning people. The maximum is 10 weeks, but it could be eight.

"Once they give the okay, they can then start either playing practice matches or matches for the start of the VFL season or they'll be very close to the start of the VFL season."

O'Donnell, who played 80 matches for Melbourne from 1979-84, said Watts and Blease had different programs.

"Each case is different with the players that go to school, because they go to different schools. Jack is at Brighton Grammar and is 10 minutes away from Junction Oval, so he can get in there a bit more often, whereas Sam is out at Yarra Valley Grammar," he said.

"It's been arranged through their schools that they've got Thursdays free and our main session is either Wednesday or Thursday, depending on when we play.

"We've arranged through the schools some flexibility in their training program, so they get some training in on Thursday and at the main session."

O'Donnell said the cooperation between the club, Watts and Blease, the players' families and the schools had been important in making the program work.  

"There is regular communication with the schools and parents, so we're expecting that it's not going to be 100 per cent set in stone," he said.

"There are going to be variables as things crop up, but their programs are pretty set.

"We've been pretty pleased with the process and I think a number of clubs that have school boys on their list find that each case is different."

Dream Team watch – Jack Watts is rated a $150,600 forward in Toyota AFL Dream Team 2009.