Preview Changes and prematch discussion vs Port Adelaide

[My Left Foote]

One answer only plz guys

If only Eddie was as consistent as you are with replies to your question he'd be playing seniors this weekend.

 

[Ligma]

If only Eddie was as consistent as you are with replies to your question he'd be playing seniors this weekend.

Okay i literally get it

 

[My Left Foote]

My thoughts so feel free to rip apart:

Philips will be fine for all those worried. Needs a big block of games in the VFL to build tank/confidence/midfield minutes etc.

Confidence isn’t an issue with Wil Phil it’s all about fitness he’s coming from a long way back.

 

[Harris 10]

What does Eddie Ford need to do?!?

He can’t be far away from us getting a look at him, Curtis has been very ordinary.

 

[tales129]

Laids wasn't against dropping people if my memory serves me right (which it may not)

Kasey green says hi.

 

[Harris 10]

Not sure how dropping Cunners can be described as making a tough call. It was the easiest selection decision this year.

 

[tales129]

Not sure how dropping Cunners can be described as making a tough call. It was the easiest selection decision this year.

There’s emotion around a stalwart of the club, plus the illness history, plus clarko saying he’s got pennies in the piggy bank.

I couldn’t see Brad, Rhyce or Nobes making the call

 

[Roostorm]

I’ll back the changes…go nuts barracking..and have this to say.
Do us proud and just win.

 

[marklovesbeer]

He’s too slow to pressure the opposition backs when the football is in space or on the way out.
It’s midfield or midfield for Ben10

Im talking about Greenwood.

 

[Nylex]

Im talking about Greenwood.

Sorry. Not sure why he’s not tried up forward. Have never given any thought to him playing forward. He’s not a noted goal kicker, and I haven’t seen him take a pack mark either. He could play a Daniel Chick/ Max Rooke like pressure role

 

[franjon]

It is concerning how much PC has regressed this year, given he was our best first year player last year. How can he be going backwards under a better coach?

He's a boy who is still finding his feet. He will be a great player for us, but, the initial transition can take longer for some, than others. Look at Stephenson, he has adapted almost immediately under Clarkson, and will only get better. Players like Curtis will just take a bit longer, but you wouldn't drop him. At the moment we're not in a position to drop players with genuine talent who will get better with the more exposure they get.

 

[Rod Stroker]

Ford would be somebody to get excited about, in my view. However, unfortunately, CCJ has never shown anything in AFL or VFL to garner a spot in our best 23.


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

Agree, I'd be playing Ford ahead of CCJ at the moment. He should be playing this week.

 

[king of the road]

You omit bailey Scott

In the Cunners thread you said you’re always right.

But it’s seems you’re wrong every week about the same things. Repeatedly. Without fail.

A sadly misguided and deluded individual.

 

[The Nostradamus]

In the Cunners thread you said you’re always right.

But it’s seems you’re wrong every week about the same things. Repeatedly. Without fail.

A sadly misguided and deluded individual.

I’m saying should not will happen

Scott is a spud - nothing wrong about that

 

[tazaa]

McDonald, Scott, Taylor, Curtis and Tucker all need to show us something this week. Reality is we ain’t winning shit if they continue their subpar form.
Perez another who needs to fire.

McKay and Corr seemed to turn a corner last week and Jy, LDU and Zurhaar need to switch the fukc on.

Not out of it but reckon we catch Port at the wrong time with the amount of sore players we have and out of form blokes in the lineup.

Wardlaw, Phillips, Cunnington, Thomas, Ford and Goater could all put their hands up for selection in the next week or two.

 

[goalieboy82]

Sissy Rose (my Little dachsador girl)

barks the following...

 

[Sillygit]

 

[chubbspeterson]

The season is shot. Come out breathing fire, ripping heads off and playing tough, unsociable football.

If ever there was statement needed to galvanise a club and say “f*ck off to those Poort groomers”, this game is it.

Season is shot? I don't get what some peoples expectations were for this season. I thought we'd be exactly where we are - a side that will still be to bottom 3 this year and probably next year but would win a few more games than last year. I don't think the season is shot from a development and learning point of view.
Have a look at the young kids when they've got form or doing what the coaches want re gameplan. Don't rush back Goater and Powell if they're not right.
Give Phillips time to just play footy at VFL and then bring him back when he's a bit more match fit and confident.

In terms of the changes, harsh but right call on Cunners, a bit of a liability on the spread,
Don't think he should retire just yet or have his papers stamped as he's put a power of work in to come back that maybe he needs a rest and then reload.
I'd even consider playing him as a forward marking option, which we've struggled with in a couple of weeks.
Would like to see Spicer or Ford as the sub.

 

[StiffArm]

It is concerning how much PC has regressed this year, given he was our best first year player last year. How can he be going backwards under a better coach?

This is such a common phenomenon that it's known as "second year blues" across the competition, and yet we still have folks winning their hands...

 

[Kangaroos4eva]

This is such a common phenomenon that it's known as "second year blues" across the competition, and yet we still have folks winning their hands...

Mostly fitness related if I had to guess.

 

[StiffArm]

Mostly fitness related if I had to guess.

Partly fitness, but partly opposition teams have a year of footage of your game and how to stop it.

 

[giantroo]

Seven months ago, Jason Horne-Francis requested a bombshell homecoming trade from North Melbourne after just one season. Now all eyes turn to his return match against his old side.

Matt Turner


@mattturner1986

8 min read
May 12, 2023 - 6:00AM
News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom


Port Adelaide young gun Jason Horne-Francis is preparing to face his former club, North Melbourne, for the first time on Saturday.


Much has been made of the 2021 No. 1 draft pick’s time at the Kangaroos and his exit from Arden St, to return home to South Australia, just one season into his career.

But what will happen when he comes up against his ex-teammates in Hobart on Saturday?

THE FORMER KANGAROOS TEAMMATE

Expect Cameron Zurhaar to get physical with Jason Horne-Francis by taking their internal rivalry from Arden St onto the field at Blundstone Arena.
That is the view of former North Melbourne player Atu Bosenavulagi, a teammate of the duo last year.

Bosenavulagi told The Advertiser that Zurhaar and Horne-Francis’s personalities clashed and they “were always at each other’s throats at training”.

“There was a lot of banter internally with Jason, he was very competitive so had some beef – not serious beef – but there’d always be boys he had one-on-ones with and at times it got pretty physical, so I reckon it’ll definitely happen this weekend,” Bosenavulagi said.

“I reckon Cam Zurhaar will definitely have a piece.

“I don’t think they like each other that much, so that’ll be one to expect.

“There’s a definite rivalry between those two.

“They had confrontations here and there, they were both pretty competitive at trainings, in the gyms, basically anything they did
“A lot of times it got heated … and a few times it did go pretty far verbally.”

Cameron Zurhaar had a rivalry with Jason Horne-Francis. Picture: Michael Klein

Zurhaar had a dig at Horne-Francis on Instagram after he joined the Power in October, poking fun at him wearing a North Melbourne training top in a park.

Before that, Zurhaar had used “Hornetgone” – a reference to Horne-Francis’s nickname, Hornet – as a discount code for his cooking business.

Last month on the Sunday Footy Show, North Melbourne on-baller Will Phillips said of the Kangaroos fans and Horne-Francis: “They’re pretty passionate and for him to leave us like that, I can understand if they want to boo.”

North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson has looked to diffuse the tension between the Power’s prized recruit and his former club, texting him a month ago to clear the air over his departure and assuring him there are no grudges being held at Arden St.

On Thursday, Clarkson said sentiment among his players would determine if the 19-year-old would receive extra physical attention but he hoped North supporters would not boo him.

Bosenavulagi expected the Kangaroos to make their presence known to Horne-Francis from before the bounce.

“I think they’ll definitely try to get in his head early in the game,” said Bosenavulagi, who played 17 games in two seasons at North Melbourne before being delisted in October.

“He will be expecting that.

“There’ll be a lot of off-ball talk, a lot of off-ball hits, but I don’t think Clarko will emphasise it a lot, I’d think he’d emphasise the importance of the game.”

Horne-Francis has played all eight matches for the Power this season, averaging 18.9 disposals, 6.1 clearances, four tackles and 10.2 contested possessions.


His consistency, level-headedness and influence on matches have caught Bosenavulagi’s eye.
“Playing with us, he was showing glimpses but now he’s doing it a lot more,” he said.

“He can definitely be one of the best mids in the game if he keeps going down this path.
“He looks more comfortable and he’s not hot-headed like he was at North.”

Fijian-born Bosenavulagi said he had a good connection with Horne-Francis, but that the South Australian was not himself at the Kangaroos.
North finished bottom with a 2-20 record last year, sacked coach David Noble mid-season and dropped Horne-Francis for disobeying team orders by not completing his full recovery.

“At Port Adelaide he’s able to be himself because he’s with his family and in his hometown,” Bosenavulagi said.
“He just wasn’t the same person that he looks now.”

Bosenavulagi said North teammates who were close to Horne-Francis were “always trying to get his spirits up and celebrate all the small things that he does in trainings and games”.

The former Collingwood player was not surprised by his trade request back to SA in October.

“Even though everyone wanted him to stay, I knew he was going to leave, just because of all the things happening – getting dropped, losing every week, being away from family, being lectured here and there on his attitude,” Bosenavulagi said.

“It all built up.”

As for whether the young gun would be able to shut-out the extra scrutiny come Saturday, Bosenavulagi said: “The old Jason Horne-Francis probably wouldn’t have but the way he’s going this year and playing at Port, I think he’ll be able to handle it”.

“I think he’ll play a really good game and rise to the occasion.

“The fact he’s got that rivalry there with a lot of those boys at North will make him lift.”

THE PORT PERSPECTIVE

Miles Bergman reckons any booing of Jason Horne-Francis on Saturday may just serve to spark him, but he has condemned the constant crowd jeering of his teammate.

Horne-Francis has copped it from supporters of rival clubs since his off-season trade from North Melbourne to Port Adelaide and looms as the target against his former side in Hobart.

Bergman did not think fans had a right to boo anyone, particularly a 19-year-old.

“He’s just trying to play footy and enjoy his life,” Bergman said.

“He was really homesick, he didn’t enjoy Melbourne and just wanted to be with his family as a big family man, so he came home.

“We just want to look after him and make sure his mental health’s right because that’s the biggest thing.”

Bergman said Horne-Francis had been putting the jeers aside and not letting it affect his performances, as the club jumped out to a 6-2 start.
“He’s a pretty tough footballer, a contested bull, so some of the booing probably revs him to play a bit better,” he said.

“It doesn’t seem to be upsetting him, but if he goes through a tough time we’re all there for him.”

Boos had mistakenly come Bergman’s way this season, given the blond-haired half-back’s resemblance to the hard-nosed midfielder.

“I’ve copped a few of them the last few weeks and was a bit confused at first then I started to pick up on it,” he said.

“(The confusion) is pretty funny and we’ve had a laugh about it.”

Bergman said Horne-Francis was excited to play his former team.

If the Kangaroos players came for the Power recruit, his new side would “stand behind him like we always do”, according to Bergman.

Port Adelaide has been a staunch defender of Horne-Francis all season.

Coach Ken Hinkley last month said that parts of the way his young star had been treated had annoyed him, been unfair and some people should be embarrassed by it.

The Power has also threatened legal action to a Queensland-based beer service that had released a #Icebath Lager with a cartoon image of him.

Ahead of Saturday’s game, Port Adelaide veteran Travis Boak said the club and Horne-Francis were focusing on playing the brand of football that had spa#icebathve successive wins.

“We’ve got no control over what they’ll do,” Boak told The Advertiser.

“We’ll go out and support Jase and he’ll go out and play footy.”

THE EX-NORTH MELBOURNE STAR

North Melbourne premiership player and David King was one of Jason Horne-Francis’s most vocal critics during his debut campaign last year.

In June, 12 games into the No. 1 pick’s career, the Fox Footy expert urged Horne-Francis to “pull his head in” after an on-field altercation with veteran teammate Todd Goldstein.

Once Horne-Francis secured a homecoming trade to Port Adelaide, King said the youngster “spent a lot of time whinging and sooking” and had issues with “basic professionalism”.

“I’ve never seen a first-year player not engage in the fight like that,” King said in October.

Fast-forward seven months and with Horne-Francis now eight games into his Port Adelaide career, King is impressed with what he is seeing.

“No one ever wants a pick one to walk out the door, but what Jason’s done this year has been terrific,” King told The Advertiser.

“His breakaway from stoppage is significant, he’s the most damaging score starter from clearance in the competition over the last five weeks.

“They’re numbers you generally don’t see from young players.

“So we know what he is, we don’t know what the finished product looks like, but Port would be thrilled with what they’ve seen.”

Champion Data statistics show Horne-Francis’s disposals (16.5 to 18.9), contested possessions (8.2 to 10.3), metres gained (267m to 308m), clearances (3.5 to 6.1) and score involvements (3.1 to 5.8) have all improved markedly from his debut 2022 campaign.

Since round 3, he has ranked 11th in the AFL for clearances, averaging seven per game.

King said North Melbourne would absolutely still love to have Horne-Francis but “he wasn’t happy and now he looks like a happy footballer.”

“It was a footy club that had underperformed and in the end a lot of people have lost their jobs because of all of the things we talk about that need to be streamlined for the team to have on-field success,” he said.

“When they’re not, you have holes, you have issues and Jason was caught up in all that.

“He was unhappy as a player, he wanted to go home.

“Is there some angst that he’s not there? Of course there is.”

King expected Saturday to include plenty of carry on, bluff, chesting, pushing and shoving, which he did not think would affect Horne-Francis.

He predicted North Melbourne would not “waste their energy” by targeting him.

“The fans can carry on,” he said.

“Jason knows what’s coming so he’ll handle it in his stride.

“It won’t be a problem for him and it’s all part of his growth as a Port Adelaide player.

“He’ll put his head over the ball, he’ll win clearance, he’ll burst forward.

“The two teams are on different paths of the AFL cycle so I’d expect Jason will be a good contributor in a good team.”

As for the result, King said North Melbourne usually played well in Hobart.

​

“Let’s wait and see if they can deliver on the big stage,” he said.

“It’ll be something to watch in what is an entertainment industry.”

 

[The acurate one]

There is a lot of Vitroil directed towards me when I post Here so it important I monitor these threads for my own Safety.

Thats not my Name. You need Spell Checker

I heard he will be a late out if Cam Zurharr and Ben Cunnington are starting in Midfield. That is the rumour around the Club.

Shut up poweraids

CCJ needed to come in. 2 weeks ago against the Dees we started with 3 talls forward. We lost 2 and didn’t replace them. Logue isn’t a forward (I know CCJ prob isn’t either).

Why? He's a terrible footballer, we're playing short when he's in the side.

 

[koshari]

Confidence isn’t an issue with Wil Phil it’s all about fitness he’s coming from a long way back.

its not just that, he is comparable to Cerra/LDU so really will be hitting his straps in about 18 months, like you say his issues have held his development back a bit however we still have 18 months of development to get into him before he hits his peak, iam not against blocks of stints inthe VFL to develop his tank because its not going to happen if he is promoted/dropped/used as sub for the next 6 months. as for strength that will come on regardless of where he plays as its largely developed off the track. sometimes to move forward we need to take a step back.

 

[koshari]

Shut up poweraids


Why? He's a terrible footballer, we're playing short when he's in the side.

dont know if i would go as far to say he is terrible but a journeyman/3rd ruck is about as muck of a ceiling as i can see for him. just another of our overpaid 2nd rounders we are infamous for. take him with a 3rd and its about what his potential adds up to.