Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley has once more taken a dim view of opposition supporters’ jeering of Jason Horne-Francis and praised the younger star’s spectacular response.
Former No.1 draft decide Horne-Francis has been subjected to boos all through his first season with the Power after his high-profile commerce transfer from North Melbourne.
The therapy continued on the MCG on Sunday, although Horne-Francis had the final chortle with 23 touches in a 10-point win over Richmond.
“I loved the Port Adelaide people who were here – they here drowning out the so-called attention that Jase got,” Hinkley stated.
“Gee, he played a good game of footy. He was nice and tough and hard.”
Horne-Francis admitted final month his psychological well being had declined because of the boos.
The 19-year-old has let Hinkley know the coach’s public assist has meant rather a lot to him.
“He’s learning to deal with that and it’s disappointing, isn’t it? Let’s be honest, we don’t need to shy away from that,” Hinkley continued.
“But the kid’s doing great and Port Adelaide people did a great job to support him today. That’s what I loved.”
Fellow midfielders Zak Butters and Connor Rozee have been additionally influential in Port’s eighth straight win, whereas Scott Lycett fought exhausting in an intriguing ruck battle with Toby Nankervis.
But Hinkley was most lavish in his reward of key defenders Aliir Aliir and Trent McKenzie, who stood tall in suspended skipper Tom Jonas’s absence.
“They were two of our very best players today, our two tall backs,” Hinkley stated.
“Both were really important to us, I just said that to them.
“When the moments get greatest, they have been each able to going with us.”
Port also had 10 individual goal-kickers in an even spread without injured talls Charlie DIxon and Todd Marshall.
One of those was young key forward Ollie Lord, who has kicked five goals in five senior appearances since making his debut in round six.
“We’ve had Todd and Charlie mainly lacking now for 3 weeks … and Ollie’s been a very profitable story for us this 12 months. I feel the long run seems brilliant,” Hinkley stated.
“(Dixon) will not need me saying it, however when he is had sufficient, which can be a great distance away I’d think about, there is a fairly promising alternative coming behind him.
“He likes the same (physical) style of football, which we love in our tall forwards.”
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
