Nathan Buckley calls out the football industry over its treatment of Jason Horne-Francis

Nathan Buckley decided he’d seen and heart enough this morning as he launched into a passionate defence for an under-siege rising star.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 12: Jason Horne-Francis of the Kangaroos looks dejected after a loss during the 2022 AFL Round 13 match between the North Melbourne Kangaroos and the GWS Giants at Marvel Stadium on June 12, 2022 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Collingwood legend Nathan Buckley has called out the football industry for its scrutiny towards North Melbourne’s prized Pick 1 Jason Horne-Francis.

Horne-Francis has been the hot subject of commentary in recent weeks amid reports he could a trade away from the club.

The 18-year old’s performance against GWS was also highly probed including him getting in an argument with veteran teammate Todd Goldstein, while he copped a two-week suspension for striking Giants star Josh Kelly.

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Speaking on SEN radio on Wednesday, Buckley came to the defence of the 12-gamer given his lack of experience in the spotlight.

“I’m hot under the collar around a specific issue,” Buckley said on SEN Breakfast.

“I went to the Hall of Fame with my 15-year old son — and I had a thought over the weekend: if I was Jason Horne-Francis’ parents, how would I feel about how he has been treated by the industry?

“So I’m not just talking about the club, I’m not talking about the media, I’m not talking about anyone in particular, but I feel like — what are we doing to this kid?

“He is an 18-year-old who is probably really struggling within himself. We’re seeing his behaviours that are coming out that are showing quite clearly that he is struggling in himself in the challenge that he is facing.

“It’s got worse and worse as the expectation has grown. These expectations weren’t his, they were placed on him externally and this is where sports media and social media becomes a big thing.

“He’s the No. 1 pick, he’s expected to be a certain player, he’s gone into a club that has struggled and he’s become the main story out of the North Melbourne Football Club.

“I had a thought last night, if I was the mother and the father, would I want my son to be in that situation? And the answer is no.

“It would be better for him in his life to not have to be under this level of scrutiny before he is capable of handling any of this.”

Horne-Francis of the Kangaroos looks dejected after Sunday’s loss to GWS (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Buckley faced similar pressure early in his playing career, playing one AFL season for the Brisbane Bears in 1993 before moving to Collingwood the following year.

And the former Pies coach mostly took exception to the questioning of Horne-Francis’ character amid reports he wants to return home to South Australia.

“He is already being judged by the masses, by the football community, for something that hasn’t happened yet,” Buckley said.

“He is already being judged for, ‘Why don’t you just stick with North, mate? Why don’t you do this, why don’t you do that?’ Nothing’s happened but our bias has us judging this kid’s character.

“And he is a kid — he might have the mentality of a 13-year old or 14-year old there somewhere emotionally or mentally — we don’t know. But I see him struggling physically and I don’t feel comfortable with the way the game is not supporting this kid and the game being the industry.”

Buckley believed North had to support Horne-Francis as much as possible while maintaining standards at the club.

And the 2003 Brownlow medallist declared he’d never seen a youngster cop so much criticism during his time in the game.

“One of the challenges with leading and mentoring in this regard is you don’t want to withdraw the person from the duress, you’ve actually got to help them through it,” Buckley said.

“I’ve got no idea how North Melbourne are handling this, I presume that they are really trying to wrap their arms around him, trying to support him as much as possible. Still giving him the close messages of, ‘this is what we need from you,’ behind closed doors.

“We’re in a social media era, I don’t reckon a young player who clearly doesn’t have the skills required to handle the situation that he’s in has ever been under so much duress in the history of the game.

“He’s just a kid and he needs nothing but love and support. But he’s getting criticism and he’s getting stereotyped.

“What if Jason-Horne Francis in two years goes to another club? Then two or three years after that he goes to another club? And then he’s out the game in four of five years?

“That could happen. You can have all the talent in the world — I’ve seen players with great talent that don’t have the capacity to handle the scrutiny and expectation that comes with AFL football.”

Originally published as Nathan Buckley calls out the football industry over its treatment of Jason Horne-Francis