Unpopular opinion: Jason Horne-Francis is RIGHT to ask for a trade.

[mjp]

Horne-Francis is right to ask for a trade.

North are a rabble - the coach he (seemingly) couldn't get along with was sacked.
The recruiters who selected him are all gone...left the club in either disgrace or as losers of a power struggle with the coach (you know, the one who was sacked!)/
They couldn't win a game. This was pretty epic stuff and they set a record for consecutive 'big' defeats...it wasn't your average 'crappy season'...it was an epic-ly crappy season.
The CEO was sacked.
They are now in the middle of the racism stuff (his Step-Father is First Nations) and no doubt he feels strongly about the issue...and there are stories about North players from 2022 being involved at Hawthorn during the period in question who he undoubtedly has a relationship with...

Careers get ruined in 1-2 years. Ask some of the high draft picks who have watched their careers turn to smoke up at Gold Coast if they wished they had acted 'sooner' to get out...or just let their value fritter away to nothing and been unable to find a new home. Ask the players who got stuck at Melbourne during the tanking era the same question...it is not good.

If I was giving him advice, I would be telling him to get out if he can...unfortunately he is a number 1 pick and this is causing a storm, but did he really have another choice?

Nathan Buckley did essentially the same thing - he is a legend of Collingwood and no-one even remembers his year at the Bears. Ditto Tom Boyd for us.

[Topdog]

I'm all for his move, don't get all the drama with him leaving

[The Bulldogs Bite]

I honestly couldn't disagree more. If I get time I'll go into detail later, but regarding a few of your points;

- This just isn't comparable to Boyd when you look deeper. JHF has been PART of the problem for North. His attitude hasnt been anything other than pittiful. He didn't give this a chance from day one, he has LIED and manipulated the club by flying back home without the knowledge/consent of North and been completely unprofessional (hence the suspension). Boyd did none of this - he simply took advantage of an opportunity to get home. JHF has demanded it through his actions and now the request.

- Comparisons with Melbourne ans GC are premature. He's been there not even a full year to date. I don't think anyone would begrudge him if he was professional, busted his gut, and requested a trade next year because he didn't see his future at North. It happens. But he has shown no integrity whatsoever.

Players already have too much 'power', this is another push in that direction where a kid can come in, give a half assed effort, cause disruption, lie, and force a club to break the contract by trading him to ONE club of preference. It's garbage.

[Mofra]

I actually agree - it's a win/win for both parties.
North will get multiple picks for him, and perhaps a player. They've picked up a few mids in recent drafts too so really can target that KPF they desperately need to pair with Larkey.

Port get that 'lynchpin' mid they have been searching for with Boak in perhaps his last season

[Twodogs]

I think it's one of those deals we genuinely won't be able to judge for 3 or 4 years. Maybe one of the Adelaide clubs gives up 2 early first rounders for him and he either becomes or turns out a dud while one or both of the players North picks play 200 gameseach.

The one thing you can almost say for certain is that the way things are looking JHF is at the top of his trade worth for North right now.

[Mofra]

I honestly couldn't disagree more. If I get time I'll go into detail later, but regarding a few of your points;

- This just isn't comparable to Boyd when you look deeper. JHF has been PART of the problem for North. His attitude hasnt been anything other than pittiful. He didn't give this a chance from day one, he has LIED and manipulated the club by flying back home without the knowledge/consent of North and been completely unprofessional (hence the suspension). Boyd did none of this - he simply took advantage of an opportunity to get home. JHF has demanded it through his actions and now the request.

- Comparisons with Melbourne ans GC are premature. He's been there not even a full year to date. I don't think anyone would begrudge him if he was professional, busted his gut, and requested a trade next year because he didn't see his future at North. It happens. But he has shown no integrity whatsoever.

Players already have too much 'power', this is another push in that direction where a kid can come in, give a half assed effort, cause disruption, lie, and force a club to break the contract by trading him to ONE club of preference. It's garbage.

How much of the 'half arsed' effort talk is just talk though?

Given the side he was in and what he was asked to do, I doubt any kid could have performed as well as he did.
He missed one ice bath - fine. But to drop the kid (their 'hope') for their first game back in SA? There were plenty of worse performers than JHF this year for North - I think that was the beginning of the end.

[hujsh]

Hadn't seen that perpective before mjp.

It's interesting and something to keep in mind but I can't help but see HD's points as valid as well.

Asking for the trade is not necessarily bad but JHF has seemingly conducted himself in about as a bad a manner as possible leading up to the moment. Though supposedly he said he didn't plan on sticking around in Victoria so it's a risk the Roos took (one that given what we've seen this year wasn't likely to pay off and even moreso with the Clarkson issue thrown in).

I'm not super sympathetic to either side TBH

[The Bulldogs Bite]

I think North can do well out of the trade but it's besides the point and not by design, rather by force.

[Swoop]

It's chicken and egg stuff isn't it? There were zero concerns overhis attitude and commitment at U18 level.

You can guarantee he wouldn't try and wouldn't be allowed to get away with what he did this year at Geelong under the leadership and within their culture.

Their lack of leadership and culture probably contributed to his poor attitude, and by all means his attitude didn't positively contribute to their culture.

At the end of the day, it could still be a win win for both clubs with both benefiting from a fresh start.

[hujsh]

I actually agree - it's a win/win for both parties.
North will get multiple picks for him, and perhaps a player. They've picked up a few mids in recent drafts too so really can target that KPF they desperately need to pair with Larkey.

Port get that 'lynchpin' mid they have been searching for with Boak in perhaps his last season

Would've been an even bigger win if they took Adelaide's offer last year. Though picks 4+5 do sound better than what they would have become after the F/S bids.

[Grantysghost]

Horne-Francis is right to ask for a trade.

North are a rabble - the coach he (seemingly) couldn't get along with was sacked.
The recruiters who selected him are all gone...left the club in either disgrace or as losers of a power struggle with the coach (you know, the one who was sacked!)/
They couldn't win a game. This was pretty epic stuff and they set a record for consecutive 'big' defeats...it wasn't your average 'crappy season'...it was an epic-ly crappy season.
The CEO was sacked.
They are now in the middle of the racism stuff (his Step-Father is First Nations) and no doubt he feels strongly about the issue...and there are stories about North players from 2022 being involved at Hawthorn during the period in question who he undoubtedly has a relationship with...

Careers get ruined in 1-2 years. Ask some of the high draft picks who have watched their careers turn to smoke up at Gold Coast if they wished they had acted 'sooner' to get out...or just let their value fritter away to nothing and been unable to find a new home. Ask the players who got stuck at Melbourne during the tanking era the same question...it is not good.

If I was giving him advice, I would be telling him to get out if he can...unfortunately he is a number 1 pick and this is causing a storm, but did he really have another choice?

Nathan Buckley did essentially the same thing - he is a legend of Collingwood and no-one even remembers his year at the Bears. Ditto Tom Boyd for us.

God North aren't the Bears or GWS this is a very non Melbourne take.

Really seems extreme to me.

North are struggling but they aren't that far away from our own club and we were there not that long ago 2003 ish and again in 2014.
Horne Francis seems like a kid that doesn't like to be away from home and that's fine, but to lay it at the feet of a club that has some amazing people on board seems the easiest of easy commentary.
Considering they have leaders like Cunnington, Goldstein, Mcdonald, Zeiball I doubt very much he's leaving because of culture.


He just doesn't want to stick it out and rebuild.


Still love you mjp but now you're 3 hours behind.

[Topdog]

God North aren't the Bears or GWS this is a very non Melbourne take.
.

This kind of stuff is a very pro Melbourne take.

North this season were one of the worst performed sides in AFL history.

[Twodogs]

God North aren't the Bears or GWS this is a very non Melbourne take.

Really seems extreme to me.

North are struggling but they aren't that far away from our own club and we were there not that long ago 2003 ish and again in 2014.
Horne Francis seems like a kid that doesn't like to be away from home and that's fine, but to lay it at the feet of a club that has some amazing people on board seems the easiest of easy commentary.
Considering they have leaders like Cunnington, Goldstein, Mcdonald, Zeiball I doubt very much he's leaving because of culture.


He just doesn't want to stick it out and rebuild.


Still love you mjp but now you're 3 hours behind.

We are miles ahead of North on almost any KPI you could name.

Maybe in distance we aren't that far apart but in terms of performance, outcome, culture, administration, talent and future we are way out in front.

[mjp]

- This just isn't comparable to Boyd when you look deeper. JHF has been PART of the problem for North. His attitude hasnt been anything other than pittiful. He didn't give this a chance from day one, he has LIED and manipulated the club by flying back home without the knowledge/consent of North and been completely unprofessional (hence the suspension). Boyd did none of this - he simply took advantage of an opportunity to get home. JHF has demanded it through his actions and now the request.

Couldn't disagree more. He's 18.

He needed leadership and nurturing. Apparently blaming an 18yo for his attitude rather than supporting him and leading him is the way to go...

A fish rots from the head, not the tail.

[EasternWest]

I'm fine with it, but it's easy to be that way when you've no dog in the fight.