Jason Horne-Francis is told to ‘P**S OFF’ if he can’t commit to North Melbourne as No 1 draft pick mulls over his future with Roos showing no sign of climbing the ladder
- Jason Horne-Francis has been told to ‘p**s off’ if he can’t commit to the Roos
- The North Melbourne gun was the No 1 draft pick but the club are struggling
- Horne-Francis returned home earlier this year and received a caution
- King says he should cut his ties if he does not want to help the club rebuild
David King has told Jason Horne-Francis to ‘p**s off’ and find another club if he cannot commit his future to North Melbourne, amid strong speculation that the young gun is considering a move away.
Horne-Francis, 18, was selected as the No 1 draft pick last year but has found himself at a club lacking direction on and off the pitch, with the Roos having won just one of their opening 10 games this season.
He has subsequently put contract talks on hold until the end of the year, and landed himself in hot water after flying home to South Australia without telling the club – for which he received a caution.
Jason Horne-Francis has been told to ‘p**s off’ if he cannot commit his future to the Kangas
And club legend King has said that Horne-Francis should make a swift exit if his heart is not in the right place for a North Melbourne rebuild.
‘That’s his decision. If he says that [he wants to leave], he says that,’ King said on AFL360. ‘You say thanks, see you later. Now you’re not a North Melbourne person, p**s off, someone else comes in, we roll again. That’s how the world works.
‘You can’t cry over spilt milk.
‘(GWS number one draft pick) Tom Boyd did it after one year. Got a million dollars a year to go to the Dogs… it happens.
Horne-Francis has put contract talks on hold amid North Melbourne’s torrid form this season
‘You’ve just got to get on with it. There’s no point sitting in the corner with your head in your hands crying.’
King did credit Horne-Francis for putting off talks until the end of the year, by which time he should clearly be the best player at the club.
‘Why wouldn’t you? Seriously – this is a business. If you’re his manager, you’re saying ‘your price is going up every week’,’ he said.
‘He’ll be their best player in 20 weeks, and he’ll get best player money.’
Meanwhile, Port Adelaide great Kane Cornes has urged South Australia’s two AFL clubs to begin making a move for the ‘generational player’.
Roos legend David King (above) called on Horne-Francis to cut ties if he cannot commit to the club’s much-needed rebuild
‘I’m pushing the (panic) button if I’m a North Melbourne supporter,’ Cornes told SEN.
‘They’ve lost six games by 50-plus points, the coach has been accused of being too hard on the players, it doesn’t seem like an enjoyable environment, staff are walking out left right and centre.
‘If I’m Port Adelaide or the Crows, I’m all in on trying to get this guy home.
‘This is the once in a lifetime opportunity that you might have and who knows what Horne-Francis is like in 10 years? Is he the next Mark Ricciuto? I don’t know.
‘This is an opportunity to absolutely prey on a club that is at its lowest ebb.
‘Can you imagine if their greatest prospect, number one draft pick walked out? They’re going to have pay him almost whatever he wants.’