AFL Trades 2022: No.1 draft pick Jason Horne-Francis wants to be traded to Port Adelaide
What should North Melbourne receive for Jason Horne-Francis in a trade? We canvassed the views of AFL recruiters to find out his value.
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Port Adelaide believes its offer of the No.8 selection and a future first-rounder for departing North Melbourne No.1 pick Jason Horne-Francis is a huge investment equal to the trade value of Melbourne’s Luke Jackson.
North Melbourne on Monday made clear that they would broker a trade for Horne-Francis despite their shock and dismay at his official request over the weekend to move to Port Adelaide.
Horne Francis’s teammate Tarryn Thomas endured a similarly turbulent year but the Herald Sun understands at this point he is unlikely to request a trade away from the Roos.
Gold Coast is interested in Thomas, a former No.8 draft pick, but he is contracted for the next two years on as much as $700,000 a season.
Clubs including Sydney, where he has close family, expressed interest over the season and see him as a player of immense value.
But his salary and the difficulty in extracting him from Arden Street means he is more likely to remain despite his challenging year and openness to a fresh start.
No.1 overall pick Horne-Francis only wants to move to the Power, who made clear they believed two first-round picks was a fair trade for the dynamic mid-forward.
But North Melbourne list boss Brady Rawlings said that offer would not be enough to satisfy the Roos.
“I would have thought so. We have knocked back better than that in the past so I can’t see why we would take that as an option,” he said.
Asked if the Roos wanted three first-rounders he said: “I didn’t say that, I just said it would have to be better.”
Adelaide offered its No.4 pick and two 2022 first-rounders for Horne-Francis last year, but one of those picks was linked to reigning premier Melbourne and the Roos would have had to hand over their second-round pick.
It means their offer was not vastly better than the current Power deal.
The Power believe their offer for Horne-Francis is similar to what Melbourne are asking for the more impressive Luke Jackson, which is two first-round picks with one of them within the top 10 selections.
Port Adelaide list boss Chris Davies made clear the Power were not prepared to trade Victorian top-20 picks Josh Sinn or Miles Bergman to the Roos, saying both were contracted and required.
Bergman is keen to get home at some stage but whether he would be prepared to leave for the Roos, uncertain over who will coach them next year, is an open question.
Rawlings said the club was adamant Alastair Clarkson would have no role in the trade period given the investigation into allegations regarding his time at Hawthorn had to unfold.
“We need the process to unfold. The process has to play out with Alastair and you know that.
“We have got our list management team which has been in place for quite a while.
“We have got Todd Viney who has joined us recently and is an expert in this area so we think we are pretty well placed.”
ROOS’ HUGE TRADE DEMAND FOR NO.1 PICK
North Melbourne seems certain to trade No.1 overall pick Jason Horne-Francis for the right trade package, but says it will need more than Port Adelaide’s pick 8 and a future first-rounder.
Kangaroos list boss Brady Rawlings said on Monday the club was “disappointed” to lose Horne-Francis only 11 months after they knocked back monster offers for the South Australian.
They backed in their football department and culture but instead he has requested a trade to Port Adelaide.
The Roos are prepared to trade him to either South Australian club but the Crows will use pick 5 in the Izak Rankine trade, so the Port Adelaide offer seems likely to be superior.
But Rawlings made clear the Roos would hold Horne-Francis if they couldn’t get a better deal than pick 8 and the future first-rounder.
Asked if the Roos wanted more, he replied: “I would have thought so. We have knocked back better than that in the past, so I can’t see why we would take that as an option.”
Asked if the Roos wanted three first-rounders he said: “I didn’t say that, I just said it would have to be better.”
“It was disappointing when the request came through. We have invested a lot in this player, pick one last year. We knocked back a lot of currency to take him with pick one. We hoped he would serve out his career at North Melbourne,” Rawlings said.
“We will have some chats with Adelaide and Port Adelaide today and see what can transpire. I think the pull home was really strong. He has got different family situations and the pull of home has been too strong. It’s why the request came in.”
The Roos are open to bringing in Port Adelaide players to bring some more maturity to their list, with former first-round pick Miles Bergman keen to return home
Rawlings said the club was adamant Alastair Clarkson would have no role in the trade period while the investigation into allegations regarding his time at Hawthorn plays out.
“We need the process to unfold. The process has to play out with Alastair and you know that.
“We have got our list management team, which has been in place for quite a while.
“We have got Todd Viney who has joined us recently and is an expert in this area, so we think we are pretty well placed.”
‘Chaos’: Why Horne-Francis wants bombshell trade
Jason Horne-Francis has asked for a trade to Port Adelaide in a shock development that caps a disastrous few weeks for besieged North Melbourne.
The Kangaroos confirmed late Sunday night that last year’s No.1 draft pick has told the club he wants out.
The Roos said they would consider their options, but it is understood they will be open to a trade if the price is right.
That trade package would likely cost Port Adelaide its No.8 pick in this year’s draft and next year’s first-rounder.
The Herald Sun understands Horne-Francis will cite the instability at North Melbourne this year in his first season and the likelihood of continued chaos at the club with senior coach Alastair Clarkson’s tenure under a cloud.
Horne-Francis never settled at North Melbourne, and would join GWS tall Tom Boyd as a No.1 overall pick who asked for a trade home after his first year.
The Power have long monitored Horne-Francis. His stepfather Fabian Francis played 86 games with Port Adelaide’s AFL side.
The Roos’ hopes of retaining Horne-Francis disappeared amid a turbulent season that saw coach David Noble sacked in a year when the club’s treatment of Horne-Francis was a source of much discussion.
Roos list manager Brady Rawlings said in a statement that the club would consider its options.
“Jason is contracted for next year, we’ve invested significantly in him as our first-ever No.1 pick just 12 months ago, and we view him as a key part of the club’s plans going forward,” Rawlings said.
“We appreciate Jason’s circumstances, but at the same time we’re determined to look after the best interests of North Melbourne.”
The Roos felt Horne-Francis lacked the required professionalism they believed a No.1 pick would deliver, and eventually stood him down for an AFL game after he missed an ice bath post-match.
They felt they could have dropped him for a similar type of incident most weeks given he did not appear to grasp the dedication needed to be an AFL star.
In turn, he felt a lack of support from the Roos in regard to their messaging over the constant media speculation about his future and even leaks about his contract and progress.
Coach Noble was believed to have been frustrated with that lack of attention to detail as he made clear to his recruiters Horne-Francis was not what was advertised in one of many flashpoints that saw three of his recruiting team leave the club.
That level of controversy throughout the season meant the Roos were not surprised when the trade request came, with some coaches believing late in the season that trading him for the maximum return was the best policy.
Horne-Francis was also close to tears after Noble’s post-match spray at his players after an early-season loss to Brisbane, which he later apologised for.
The Roos had hoped that when Alastair Clarkson had arrived he would help retain not only Horne-Francis but also senior players Cam Zurhaar and Todd Goldstein.
The senior pair signed on but junior prodigy Horne-Francis has timed his run and declared his intentions on the night before the trade period officially kicks off.
It is not known if Clarkson will ever coach at the club given serious accusation from ex-Hawthorn players about his conduct with First Nations players.
Adelaide made a huge offer of three early draft selections for Horne-Francis 12 months ago, but after his tough season as Nick Daicos emerged as the best first-year player in football, two first-round picks would be a more likely asking price.
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Originally published as AFL Trades 2022: No.1 draft pick Jason Horne-Francis wants to be traded to Port Adelaide
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