There appears to be no love lost between Jason Horne-Francis and his former club North Melbourne.
Despite the prized former number one draft pick spending just one season at the Kangaroos before his bombshell trade request last year, the teen was seen to take a subtle swipe at his former club’s training habits.
Returning after major leg surgery late last year, Horne-Francis had nothing but praise for his new club Port Adelaide when speaking on Sunday.
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“There’s no issues with (his legs) now other than some pretty heavy scars. Everything’s going really well,” he said.
But his comment about the Power’s training intensity being “never seen before” was seen by many as a little swipe at the Roos.
“I’m back in full training and just the level that we’re training at here is something I’ve never seen before,” he said.
“It’s a competitive environment and that’s something I love. The training standard that we’re at is awesome and I’m loving being on the track with the boys.
“Coming to a new club and being in rehab was obviously tough. I wasn’t able to be around the boys as much as I would have liked to but definitely coming back training now has been awesome.”
Horne-Francis endured a horror debut season at North after becoming the cellar dweller’s first ever number one draft pick in 2021.
Clashes with teammates on-field and alleged issues off it, including claims he refused a coach’s order to get in an ice bath and was later dropped as a result, Horne-Francis made the call to return home to South Australia citing homesickness.
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New coach Ken Hinkley said he had no doubt Horne-Francis was more comfortable back home with family.
“You’re pick one in the draft, you’ve left North Melbourne after your first year for obvious reasons – you just wanted to return home. He’s a really talented footballer… you don’t go pick one in the draft if you haven’t got all the talent and he’s got all the talent in the world,” Hinkley praised on SEN on Monday.
“He’s looking really, really good.
“He’s 19 – that’s the problem (with the scrutiny he faces).
“He’ll be an outstanding player for Port Adelaide. He’ll be a player we’ll look back on in generations and say how good a player he was.
“Jase being back at home has really helped him, I think.
“We can all imagine as an 18-year-old when you go to a new city… you had to go so you went. Getting back around his family is really good for him.
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“Let’s not forget he grows up with his brother and sister now that he was going to be torn apart from and they are quite young.
“He’s really embracing the opportunity to be the player who can be great.
“He needs his preparation at elite level and he’s certainly doing that for us.”
Horne-Francis’ new teammate Connor Rozee was also full of praise for the new recruit.
“Yeah he came in with a bit of baggage. I guess the media’s been getting into him over the last few months but he’s been head down, bum up and working really hard,” he said on ABC Radio.
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“He’s torn up the track the last couple of weeks.
“He seems to have a bit of fire in his belly to really prove some people wrong.
“He seems like he’s going to be a massive pick up for us.”
North Melbourne coughed up both Jason Horne-Francis (the 2021 number one draft pick) and the 2022 first pick to secure both Harry Sheezel and George Wardlaw inside the top five selections in what eventually became a four-club trade.
