South Australia’s Jason Horne-Francis (centre) is favoured to be the AFL No.1 draft pick this year.Credit:Getty Images
North Melbourne have already indicated they are likely to choose him and most industry observers expect them to pick Horne-Francis rather than make bids on father-son prospects Nick Daicos and Sam Darcy,who are tied to Collingwood and the Western Bulldogs.
“It’s hard not to[see yourself as a North Melbourne player] when there is a lot of media stuff about it,” Horne-Francis said.
He said it became a goal of his to be the No.1 selection as the year unfolded and he hoped he would make the transition from SANFL to AFL quickly.
“I feel like I can make an impact straight away,” Horne-Francis said.
SANFL talent manager Brenton Phillips told ABC radio on Saturday that Horne-Francis was the best prospect from the state for several seasons,as the state’s best draft prospects attended the combine at the University of SA’s Mawson Lakes campus,with the vision streamed back to AFL recruiters in other states.
Horne-Francis described the scrutiny and the hype around him as a “bit crazy” but said he was good at embracing the attention rather than shying away from it.
“It is tough when your mum posts on Facebook every time she sees your face,but I’ve been pretty good with it,” he said.