BOXING and a change in his on-field role has been behind Melbourne forward Jack Watts' improved form, according to teammate Nathan Jones.

Watts, the 20-year-old No.1 selection from the 2008 NAB AFL Draft, played his first season under immense pressure, largely associated with his pecking order in the draft order.

In 2010, he played 15 games and looked much more comfortable as he took a step forward in his AFL career before he added weight to his frame over the summer months.

This year, he has shifted from predominantly the forward line to further up the field after becoming a tougher unit, owing to the persistence of his teammates and the encouragement of Jones - a renowned fan of boxing as cross-training - to spend more time in the ring.

"We did get 'Wattsy' in there a few weeks ago and he's actually, from the first time he rocked up to the club to now, really improved in that area, especially in the ring," Jones told 3AW on Thursday night.

"We just said to him he needed to start backing himself and believing in his talent, and he can't just keep resting on the prospectus of him being a really good player and that he has to continue to work for it.

"It's started to show in the last month. He's consistently been at boxing and it's reflected in his training in terms of his work rate and I think it's starting to show on the field now."

Watts had an inglorious introduction to the boxing ring in 2009 with then-Demon Brock McLean giving him a blood nose and mouth just three weeks after he arrived at the club following the draft.

The Brighton Grammar student admitted later he had never been in a fight before but had managed to continue to spar with the rugged McLean nonetheless.

Jones said the players had noticed a shift in Watts' mentality this season, which has seen him boost his average touches per game to over 18 across the past four.

"It was about a month ago things started to change with how 'Wattsy' kind of approached games," he said.

"There is definitely a little bit of a change in his role, which has obviously affected his form because he's started to really produce consistently over the last month.

"He has played a little bit behind the ball but he has been given a little bit more freedom in terms of getting up the ground and maybe even having a run through the midfield at times.

"I think it even shows through his training over the last month. He's really starting to figure out what it takes to reach the highest level and he's slowly building towards becoming a really good player for us."

The Demons have won three games this season and drawn one, with their last victory coming against Adelaide in round seven at the MCG.

Jones said the spirit around the club remained high despite the mounting injury toll that included players such as Tom Scully, Mark Jamar, Jack Grimes, Rohan Bail, Colin Garland and Luke Tapscott, and the outside negative perception of the Demons' position.

"The pressure is building, and I guess we haven't really delivered consistently on our form. We've shown glimpses and we've put in some really good quarters or half games but we haven't really put a four quarter effort out," he said.

"That's what's been disappointing and then we couldn't really find that four quarter form in the first bit of the year and then we've been struck down with injuries and a couple of boys through suspension, which has kind of affected out team.

"On a positive note, it's given a lot of younger, up and coming players the opportunity to show their worth."