Emerging superstar Jason Horne-Francis is starting to show the AFL world why he is indeed a force to be reckoned with.
There has never been any doubt about the former No.1 draft pick’s incredible football prowess, and we’ve already seen ample times in his short 50-game career his ability to take game’s by the scruff of the neck and blow the opposition away.
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But that’s only one part of it.
It is clear from the recent clash against his former club North Melbourne, Horne-Francis’s maturity has also gone to another level.
Speaking exclusively to 7NEWS, the 20-year-old gave some insight into the interesting exchanges he had on Saturday with his old mates — the same players he walked out on in controversial circumstances at the end of the 2022 season.
“There was still some nerves (when we played North Melbourne), but there wasn’t as much as last year,” Horne-Francis said.
“They’ve moved on to their things, now, and they’re trying to build their club, and we’re doing (our) things at the moment.
“(But) I was definitely a lot more comfortable (playing against them) this time and I guess it was good to get one over them.”
During the second quarter, there was a bit of push and shove between Horne-Francis and North Melbourne players, and there appeared to be no love lost between key Kangaroo defender Charlie Comben and the Port Adelaide young gun.
“I was playing alright in the time of the game, I was going well and I guess I got a bit chirpy,” Horne-Francis said.
“Charlie was actually having a really good game himself so we were going back and forth a bit.
“We’re all good mates. It was all good fun coming up against your mates that you’ve played played footy with before.
“(But) we want to be an aggressive team and be hard to play against, and I think if we can implement a little bit more of that into us we’ll be really hard to play against.”
There were also interesting scenes after Port’s thumping win, when North forward Cam Zurhaar and Horne-Francis were seen shaking hands.
In 2022, Zurhaar gave Horne-Francis a spiteful send-off on social media when it was revealed the club’s prized draft pick was heading home after one year.
Zurhaar runs an Instagram page called @bullscooking, where he posts various meals and videos of himself preparing them, as well as some bulls cooking merch.
“Discount code, ‘Hornetgone’ at checkout for 10% off get in quick,” he wrote before deleting the post.
In a twist, Zurhaar is now out of contract and there is widespread talk that he might also leave North.
But the rapidly maturing Horne-Francis has room for sympathy, despite Zurhaar being one of his biggest critics at the time.
And Horne-Francis thinks Zurhaar’s situation puts his own move into some perspective.
“Definitely (I have an) understanding on where he’s at and, if he’s going to re-sign or move, that’s up to him (but) I think he’ll still have a lot of support around him and … maybe (it shows that I’ve been) little bit misunderstood, yeah,” Horne-Francis said.
Horne-Francis’s importance to Port Adelaide appears to be growing with every game, and it’s been highlighted recently during the absence of star captain Connor Rozee.
With Rozee injured, the breakout midfielder is being called upon to step up right across the ground, and is also becoming just as big a threat up forward.
“I know Ken loves throwing me there, he always says to me, ‘Try win the game going down there’,” Horne-Francis said.
“I looked up to (Fremantle Brownlow medallist) Nat Fyfe growing up as a kid and he was always able to do that so, I kind of always wanted to do that as well.”
And like Fyfe, Brownlow medals could well be on the horizon for Horne-Francis.
It’s a pressure the former No.1 pick admits he’s struggled with … but is now learning to handle.
“Feel like in the past I guess I’ve just stuck to myself and thinking maybe I don’t need that side of the game (but) I think you learn pretty quickly that you do.”
– With Josh Money