Port Adelaide star Jason Horne-Francis has revealed he was planning to stay at North Melbourne for at least another year prior to uncertainty surrounding Alastair Clarkson’s future due to the Hawthorn racism saga.
Horne-Francis sensationally departed the Kangaroos following just one year to return to South Australia after North took him with the No. 1 pick in the 2021 draft.
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Clarkson replaced David Noble as North Melbourne coach late in 2022 but was fast embroiled in the Hawks racism saga, of which he was eventually exonerated of any wrongdoing from but missed multiple months in 2023 due to the personal toll.
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Horne-Francis still had a year to run on his standard two-year deal draftee contract at Arden Street but requested a trade to the Power.
“Originally I was probably going to see out the extra year at North, I was going to stay there,” Horne-Francis said on the Dyl and Friends podcast.
“We just got ‘Clarko’ and I looked up to him as one of the best coaches going around … the plan was to probably stay there.
“Me and ‘Clarko’ had a meeting with my dad and we talked through what the year was going to look like and where he saw me playing and that kind of thing. The situation came out about him and his Hawthorn days and the racism stuff. That kind of put a bit of a question mark on whether he would actually be coaching the whole year, whether he might be in and out and we might have another interim coach that would come in.
“I spoke with my manager and family and we kind of thought that it would be better off to get a bit more stable at a club where we know we’ll have a coach coaching there long term and that kind of thing.
“But I loved my time there and I love being home now, so, I’m happy with the decision I made.”
Horne-Francis struggled living away from home in Melbourne and came under added scrutiny as a former No. 1 pick at the struggling Roos.
The 23-year old says he wishes he never got drafted with the first pick given the pressure that comes with it.
“At the time, I was probably very fixated on going No. 1, I wanted to be recognised as one of the best in the draft. If I did it again, I probably would rather have slid down a bit and gone Pick 5 or 6 or something like that,” he said.
“The extra pressure you get with going No. 1, it’s definitely there and there’s talks about it all the time. I’m still very, very grateful of that, it’s probably just a funny one. In another world, I probably wouldn’t try as hard to go No. 1, but I think it was a good thing.”
Horne-Francis is now trying to recruit more players to Alberton as good mate and SA native Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera prepares to come out of contract at St Kilda.
The Port gun hopes the club’s impending signing of ex-Saint Isaac Keeler helps the Power’s bid for Wanganeen-Milera.
“Not only because he’s a great footballer, he’s one of our great mates and we love being around him,” Horne-Francis said.
“He brings so much energy to us, me and Jase (Burgoyne), and I know he’d bring a lot of energy to the group and they’d love him as well.
“He’s a tremendous footballer. In his draft year, I probably didn’t think he was going to reach these heights. He’s one of the best players in the comp now. If we could get him over the line it would be great.
“I think we might be getting Isaac over the line as well, so that would be good to try help ‘Nas’ get over there. I think the club is trying to play on that a little bit. We’ll wait and see what happens there but I think it’s a good move.”
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