Horne-Francis ‘happy’ at Roos
NORTH Melbourne general manager of football Brady Rawlings insists No.1 draft pick Jason Horne-Francis is happy at Arden St and has backed under siege coach David Noble to lead the club’s rebuild.
As the struggling club was plunged into more turmoil following the departure of three key recruiting staff, Rawlings dismissed reports Horne-Francis was cautioned by them over a trip home to Adelaide without their knowledge as “nonsense”.
Horne-Francis has put talks for a contract extension on hold until the end of his debut season. The Adelaide product, already a standout in his first season, has another year to run in his two-season deal.
Asked if the young midfield star was happy at Arden St, Rawlings said Horne-Francis seemed “extremely happy” around the club.
“All I can comment on is the way that I see him around the club, he has got a big grin on his face, he has got a great group of young mates that he was drafted with,” Rawlings said on Wednesday on SEN.
“He is playing some terrific football and that’s what I see.
“It’s probably not for me to comment on how happy he is, but from what I see he seems extremely happy.
“He is always around the boys and up and about.”
Rawlings dismissed reports the club had cautioned HorneFrancis over an interstate trip home to Adelaide after the team’s round 8 loss to Fremantle as an “absolute non-story”.
“The players were given two and half days off post the Friday night game, encouraged to go and see their families with an 18-year-old from interstate in his first season at the club choses to go back to Adelaide to see his mum on Mother’s Day,” Rawlings said.
“Now if anyone thinks that as a club we would have any issue with that at all, they are absolutely kidding themselves.
“There is a process that we have and he missed a little step, that was the only item that was spoken about. To say that he was cautioned is absolute nonsense.”
Rawlings, meanwhile, said he had confidence Noble was the right man to see the club through its rebuild.
“David has been great,” Rawlings said. “I think you have heard from players week in, week out around their thoughts on the coach and the environment he creates.
“He is a year and a half in, he has got amazing experiences on all elements of the footy club, all aspects and he has put a team around him that we think are going to be the best team to develop our players and get the best out of them.”
Rawlings admitted the club’s rebuild was where he thought it would be at this stage. “It is,” he said.