AFL 2022: Axing a ‘valuable lesson’ for North Melbourne’s No.1 pick Jason Horne-Francis

Jason Horne-Francis is far too good to be playing VFL, but his training standards will ultimately determine an AFL return.

Jason Horne-Francis starred in the VFL after being dropped. Picture: Hamish Blair

North Melbourne caretaker coach Leigh Adams says No.1 draft pick Jason Horne-Francis took the “valuable lesson” of his axing last week well and he’d be strongly considered to make an AFL return for the final game of the season.

Horne-Francis was dropped last week for failing to meet training standards, which included not taking an ice bath properly in clear view of Adams, who decided the teenage star should be omitted.

Last year’s top draft selection is contracted until the end of 2023 with the Kangaroos but remains the subject of speculation he may yet look to return home to South Australia amid talk the Adelaide Crows will come hard for him.

Defending the decision to axe Horne-Francis, who finished with nine clearances and 29 disposals in a starring role in the VFL, Adams said everyone at the club had to meet standards, and it was how they responded that would prove most telling.

“He wasn’t able to implement his recovery protocols to the level which needed to be done and that’s a rule we have got for our whole footy club. They were the consequences for Jason last week,” Adams said on Wednesday.

“It’s not a huge deal within the four walls of the footy club. It was a decision he made in the heat of some frustration around our loss (in round 21).

“We had a really good, honest chat about it last week, he understood where we were coming from. He went back and had a really solid game. His attitude has been fantastic.

Jason Horne-Francis with 21 disposals and five clearances at half-time, while Tarryn Thomas has 17 disposals and two goals 🌟

Talk about a dynamic duo!

Stream the #VFL: https://t.co/3V9lTkTeJkpic.twitter.com/dkW38vakJJ

— VFL / VFLW (@VFL) August 13, 2022

“He’ll be right in calculations to come back in to the team this week. Not certainly … he’ll be thereabouts because his game and his attitude was great on the weekend.

“He’s learned a great lesson from that and we’re sure he’ll be a good player from that lesson.”

The Kangaroos could potentially lift themselves off the bottom of the AFL ladder with a final-round win over Gold Coast but will have to do so without captain Jack Ziebell, Jed Anderson and most likely Jaidyn Stephenson.

Ziebell had surgery after hurting his AC joint, Anderson has entered the AFL‘s concussion protocols, while Stephenson sustained a heavy hit to his back in the third quarter last Saturday weekend and is also set to miss the final game.

North would need West Coast to lose to Geelong to be any chance of avoiding the wooden spoon, but Adams said it was not a motivating factor.

“We haven’t spoken about that. If we can win this weekend, and that makes us not win the spoon, that would be great,” he said.

“We just want to finish on a really positive note. We’d love it to finish off with a win after what’s been a really tough year on the field.”

Originally published as AFL 2022: Axing a ‘valuable lesson’ for North Melbourne’s No.1 pick Jason Horne-Francis