It could perhaps be a different story for Jason Horne-Francis if Alastair Clarkson was in charge at North Melbourne.
The four-time premiership coach is yet to officially commence his duties as Kangaroos coach with damning allegations stemming from his time at Hawthorn now hanging over his head.
All being equal, Clarkson is not due to start at Arden Street until November 1, and while waiting for that the Roos have been feverishly going about their trade business.
Horne-Francis, 19, this week joined Port Adelaide on a six-year deal after spending just one season with North.
His manager Ben Williams says the no.1 draft pick might have felt differently if Clarkson were already on the beat and working to put things in place for the struggling club.
“Obviously ‘Clarko’ is having a bit of time away from the club, so we’ve just been dealing exclusively with Brady Rawlings,” Williams said on SEN Breakfast.
“We’ve been chatting with him and obviously informed him of Jason’s intentions.”
If Clarkson was at the helm and all was normal with him taking the reins at North, would the situation be different for Horne-Francis?
“Potentially,” Williams replied.
“Obviously we’re not in that situation so we had to make a decision on the facts that we have at hand.
“Potentially that could be the case.
“He’s obviously been home now for a good month and had all the support and everyone in his family around him.
“He just decided that from what he’s gone through and where he’s at, he just wants to stay in Adelaide and play football in Adelaide going forward.”
Williams understands the frustrations of Roos fans and the wider football public, but insists Horne-Francis is simply looking out for himself.
“You can get people’s frustrations but also, this is a job for these guys and people forget that,” he said further.
“And it’s a job for such short periods of time if you look at their life in its entirety.
“Ultimately we all have to be happy in our workplace and the happier we are, traditionally we usually do a bit better.
“He’s taken stock and had a look at himself and had a look at where he was working and decides that he wants to work somewhere else.”
The professionalism and temperament of the South Adelaide prodigy was questioned in his debut AFL season and they are aspects he admits he has to work on as he matures.
“Yeah of course,” Williams said.
“This year was the first year he was a full-time footballer. Before that he was an amateur footballer so obviously it has been a steep learning curve for him.
“He realises that he has to be more professional and hide his emotions a bit better. That’s obviously something that he’ll continue to work on.”
Horne-Francis played 17 games for the Roos in 2022 but will now suit up for the Power after signing a long-term contract with the club.