Top pick as good as it gets: Kangas recruiter
NORTH Melbourne’s experienced recruiter Scott Clayton has labelled South Adelaide wonderkid Jason HorneFrancis “as good as any No.1 as in year I can remember”.
The South Australian phenom is all but certain to go to the Kangaroos in next month’s draft, with HorneFrancis on the weekend conceding he is already thinking of himself as a North Melbourne player.
Clayton, who is the Kangaroos’ head of player personnel
and has been a recruiter/list manager since 1991, said he was thrilled about the prospect of drafting Horne-Francis with pick 1.
“It’s a big mantle to carry for your whole career and this young man will carry it amazingly well,” Clayton said on an online Kangaroos’ member Q and A.
“The thing that first jumps out is that he wants to be No.1, I just get that feeling. He is as good as any No.1 as in any year I can remember.”
Horne-Francis’ stellar performances for the Panthers in the SANFL have resulted in him being labelled as a Patrick Dangerfield/Nat Fyfe clone.
Clayton said there were some other greats of the game that Horne-Francis shared attributes with. “I don’t necessarily want to compare him to a player, but he has the attributes of a (Michael) Voss and (Patrick) Dangerfield with that power and endurance combination that a lot of those great players have,” he said.
“Dusty Martin being another one.
“He certainly has that as well as courage, he is very forthright, he is assertive.
“He has everything, we meticulously rate and mark characteristics.
“And he is just a really exciting talent.”
But Clayton said it was some other aspects that had the Roos extremely excited about Horne-Francis.
“The thing that stands out above all that is that he is just a great teammate, that appeals to us more than anything,” he said.
“Everywhere you go, who do you respect the most as a teammate it is just him, and also what came through loud and clear is how loyal he is.
“He is really looking forward to stamping himself as a professional athlete ... it is a very exciting prospect.”