MELBOURNE has to first decide whether Paul Roos is the "best man for the job" before appointing him as senior coach, interim coach Neil Craig says.

The Demons named their coaching sub-committee on Thursday consisting of chief executive Peter Jackson (chairman), four-time premiership coach David Parkin, acting Demons general manager of football operations Josh Mahoney, player development manager Todd Viney and club director Greg Healy.

Roos appears to be the clear front-runner in the coaching race, although the Demons' improvement under Craig also has the former Adelaide coach in the mix.

"It's really important for the Melbourne footy club, firstly to decide the type of coach that they think is appropriate," Craig said at AAMI Park on Friday morning.

"If they decide that Paul Roos fits that skill set, and he's the best man for the job, (then) their responsibility is to get the best person for the job.

"And certainly Paul's coaching record speaks for itself, doesn't it?"

Craig also said it was the club's prerogative to provide an environment where out-of-contract players, such as Colin Sylvia and Jack Watts, are going to play their best football.

"It's their (the club's) responsibility to provide that environment, not by words, but by actions. And then, that sends a message to those particular players that are coming up for contract."

Sylvia, an unrestricted free agent, candidly told the media on Wednesday, on the eve of his 150th game against Geelong, that he felt he had not yet managed to deliver his best football.

However, Craig credited ex-coach Mark Neeld for helping Sylvia turn things around off the field.

"People play the way they live. Mark was fantastic for Colin, in that area," Craig said.

"You've got to have a stable off-field life if you want to be stable on the field, so they go hand in hand."

Melbourne's competitiveness over the past fortnight has lifted, but Craig said the Demons still had a way to go to get to the level of a side like Geelong, whom they face on Saturday.

"That's part of our development and education, to understand what elite performance looks like," he said.

Ben Guthrie is a reporter for AFL Media. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_BenGuthrie