AFL 2022: North Melbourne’s No.1 pick Jason Horne-Francis requests trade to Port Adelaide

Jason Horne-Francis wants to go home to South Australia and his management has told North Melbourne he wants to be traded.

No.1 draft pick Jason Horne-Francis looks set to be traded to Port Adelaide. Picture: Hamish Blair

Jason Horne-Francis’ tumultuous first year with North Melbourne will almost certainly be his last, with the Kangaroos in negotiations with Port Adelaide about a blockbuster trade.

The Kangaroos confirmed on Sunday night that the No.1 draft pick’s agent, Ben Williams, of Players Ink, had informed them Horne-Francis wanted to be traded.

The clubs are believed to already be working through a deal that will see the 19-year-old South Australian become a Power player in the trade period.

Port Adelaide’s No.8 pick this year and a future first-round selection are likely to be the minimum required to wrench Horne-Francis out of Arden Street.

The deal is set to be for as many as five years to cross to the club his stepfather, Fabian Francis, played 86 of his 109 AFL games for.

Jason Horne-Francis, pictured right with Todd Goldstein, had a difficult first season in the AFL. Picture: Getty Images

It’s a huge result for the Power after Brisbane beat it to Josh Dunkley, while another midfielder, Jack Graham, decided to stay at Richmond after touring the club’s facilities.

Horne-Francis played 17 matches for North Melbourne this season but had a difficult introduction to the AFL, including notably a heated on-field clash with Todd Goldstein.

There was also his ill-advised decision to ‘like’ a hypothetical trade mid-season on social media that proposed a move to the Power, which is now a reality.

Horne-Francis was awarded the club’s best young player award and received a Rising Star nomination after winning 20 disposals and four clearances against Carlton in round 7.

Jason Horne-Francis may have played his final game for the Kangaroos. Picture: Getty Images

Kangaroos list boss Brady Rawlings stopped short of confirming they would grant the teenager his trade wish but it would be a shock at this stage if he wasn’t at Port Adelaide in 2023.

“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.”

Horne-Francis would be the first No.1 draft pick to leave his club after one season since the Giants traded Tom Boyd to the Western Bulldogs in 2014.

Originally published as AFL 2022: North Melbourne’s No.1 pick Jason Horne-Francis requests trade to Port Adelaide