PORT Adelaide's prized recruit Jason Horne-Francis says he will be ready for the increased scrutiny that will come his way after leaving North Melbourne one season after being crowned the No.1 pick in the 2021 NAB AFL Draft.
Horne-Francis was introduced as a Power player on Tuesday after moving clubs as part of a four-club mega trade on Monday that also saw West Coast premiership forward Junior Rioli join Port.
The 19-year-old said being closer to family in South Australia was a major reason behind his switch, but also joining a club that could help him realise his goal of one day being the best player in the competition.
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"Playing for the club that your dad (Fabian Francis) played for and coming to a club that has been quite successful through the years and just the culture of it, I'm really excited," Horne-Francis said on Tuesday.
"I'm a big family person and I love my family. I just feel like having my family and friends around me, it's going to create that environment where I can play my best footy.
"I hope that one day I could be the best player in the competition. That's probably my goal, and with a great support network of people around me hopefully I can do that."
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Horne-Francis said he was grateful to North Melbourne for the opportunity the club gave him as a No.1 Draft pick, acknowledging there were things he could have done better in his debut season.
The prospect of an unstable season at North in 2023 was a factor in his decision to leave, seeking an environment where he could realise his potential.
"I wanted to make sure I was in a stable environment … (and) it might be an unstable year at North," Horne-Francis, who played 17 games in his debut season, said.
"There's been challenges throughout the year and, on my part, I probably haven't done everything right as well.
"As an 18-year-old kid moving out of home and to Melbourne, I had my challenges, and I probably didn't get everything right.
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"It was obviously a tough year, but I think it's going to help me in the long run."
Horne-Francis laughed off as "fun and games" a social media dig from former teammate Cam Zurhaar, who added a 'Hornetgone' discount code to one of his cooking business products.
Port Adelaide football manager Chris Davies said Horne-Francis was like any other heavily scrutinised 19-year-old who had "moments that they might want to have approached differently".
The opportunity to secure a player of the South Australian's talent, however, was one that would not come along often and had generated excitement through the entire club.
"He's a guy who had a lot of scrutiny on him at a club that, I'm not talking out of school by saying, (was) unsettled this year," Davies said.
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"He's got a chance to come to a more stable club with players around him who might be able to help him more, and we'll see the fruits of that over the next period of time.
"These opportunities don't come along very often, so for us to secure Jason was fantastic.
"The four clubs who were involved … we all had a shared sense of wanting to achieve an outcome that we all wanted."
