Jason is clearly a young gun in demand
NORTH Melbourne has given the best indication yet that South Adelaide midfielder Jason Horne-Francis will be next month’s No.1 draft pick.
There is a consensus top three among draft experts that includes Horne-Francis and father-son prospects Nick Daicos (Collingwood, pictured) and Sam Darcy (Western Bulldogs).
The Kangaroos’ general manager of football talent, Brady Rawlings, volunteered on Thursday that they were one of the few AFL clubs yet to pick first in any draft.
They have so far rejected “spitball” offers for the top selection from Adelaide and Richmond, and
North is yet to completely rule out bidding on Daicos or Darcy. But every sign points to the Roos crowning Patrick Dangerfield clone Horne-Francis as the dux this year’s draft class.
“He’s clearly right up at the top, with Nick Daicos and Sam Darcy, throughout the year and there are a couple of others very appealing as well up at that pointy end,” Rawlings said.
“What you saw from Jason, especially in that last month of footy in the SANFL, we’ve seen that for two years … so going into this season he was well and truly up the top, and he’s had a terrific year.
“That’s all I’ll say, but you can’t put any better performances than what Jason HorneFrancis has done over the last couple of years.”
Rawlings lauded HorneFrancis’ versatility to play as an inside or outside midfielder, as well as forward and back, and said “his attributes are pretty special”.
“He’s got the ability to win the ball at ground level and in the air, he’s great at clearance, he can run, he’s got speed and he’s competitive,” Rawlings said.
“If we are to bring him into the club; we’re bringing in a player who has all the attributes we look for and he’s got the ability, as we saw in that (SANFL) preliminary final, to change the game.”