Jason Horne-Francis is excited at the prospect of playing alongside some of the AFL’s best First Nations talent in the upcoming Indigenous All-Stars game. 

The 21-year-old Wardaman man is still learning about his culture, but is proud to join Port Adelaide teammates Willie Rioli, Jeremy Finlayson and Jase Burgoyne in the squad. 

Horne-Francis spoke to the Adelaide media on Monday about how much he’s looking forward to the special game, how he’s tweaked his pre-season training program and what he expects his role to be in 2025.  

Horne-Francis on the Indigenous All-Stars game 
“I’m very excited. I think it's a good opportunity for us Indigenous players to represent our culture and go out there and have some fun and line it up out there. So I'm sure everyone's really excited. And you know, should be a really fun game to watch. We get a lot of recognition these days with Indigenous Round, and now we've got the All-Star game as well. So you know, we really appreciate it, and we love going out there to represent our culture.” 

“I mean, all of them (I’m excited to play alongside). I feel like, you know, we play a certain style, or certain way, and it's special how we play. I’m looking forward to just get out there with most of them, to be honest, maybe my old teammate, Jy (Simpkin) but I'm looking forward to getting out there with everyone. 

Horne-Francis on learning about his First Nations background  
“Yeah, you know, I'm still learning so much about it, and I'm so privileged that I've got (stepfather) Fabian (Francis) in my corner to teach me about that and teach me about his culture and you know how to play, I guess. And, yeah, still learning, but I'm loving learning.” 

Horne-Francis on the All-Stars he wants to learn from  
“Yeah I think I might need to learn a little bit of forward craft with a few of the small forwards down there. We've got some guns down there. So I think it might be good to just pick their brains. You know, you got the likes of Michael Walters, Izak Rankine. There's so many good talents down there that, you know, we'll be able to learn off. I'm sure we’ll have good fun down there.” 

Horne-Francis on developing his game 
“Yeah, I'm continuing work on most of my game. It's going to be that, probably mid-forward split again. I love going down forward. I love playing in the midfield. So wherever I can just improve my craft is what I'm looking to do. 

“I think you know, looking after my body in-season, always improve my fitness obviously, being more consistent throughout games and not just having patches, is probably where I need to get better. But if I can keep having more good moments and turning them into big games, then that will go a long way. 

Horne-Francis on improving his fitness 
“I’ve just been working really hard at training with our strength and conditioning coach, been working hard on the gym just to get my body right. You know, the trip over to America has helped us tinker my gym program, my prehab before training, to get my body right. So think just really working hard on the track and, you know, putting 100 per cent in just get myself ready. 

“I think I’ve been a bit lucky with my body, obviously with the power, I guess I just really need to make sure I look after it as much as I can. And I think the trip definitely helped that, just to learn about my body, learn about more about soft tissue and what goes on in there. So I think it's been really good for me, and I just keep continuing to learn.” 

Horne-Francis on where he expects to play this year 
“I think definitely (more midfield time). I think whether it's my running patterns or it's my fitness, I think I've learned a lot over the last couple years, and it will hold me in good stead to be able to play some more minutes in the midfield.” 

Horne-Francis on what he’s added to his program 
“I guess I'm lucky where I've moved as well, I've got a pool in my backyard, which helps a lot, I’m always in there. But I've actually just started a little bit on my days off, I’ll just go and do a bit of boxing to build that fitness up. I think I got worked a bit hard in my first session. I came back here and I was bloody sore for the Friday session, and all the boys were giving me a bit of stick about it. But yeah, little things like that, you always can improve on and get those things done. So yeah, I've been trying to do that. I love it (boxing). I guess it’s just a bit of fun, learning outside of footy, another hobby to do. And, yeah, it keeps me fit, so it's good.” 

Horne-Francis on ‘resting’ forward 
“I mean, sometimes, if you're playing in a good defender that runs a lot, it's hard down there, but I've been told from Kenny that I'm not allowed to play high forward at all, so I have to go sit deep. So yeah, I think he really wants me to get my rest down there. But yeah, it's as much as I can impact the game down there, as I can in the midfield, I try my best. So yeah, it's good to go down there and get a bit of a rest.” 

Horne-Francis on the forward line 
“I think it's going to be a fun, exciting brand we're going to play and we're still learning about our game plan a lot, and Kenny's still adding things in. But I think the way we're going about it on the track, we're continuously learning, trying to implement things. And, you know, it's looking really dangerous and exciting out there whenever we train. So, really excited to see what our forward line, and the blokes using it going in, can do. 

“I think it makes me get even fitter, because I'm probably running a bit more than what I am previously. But I guess it's for us it's lowering our eyes, using our hands, running, you know, that's one of our weapons in our team, is our speed. And we've got so many young players that have got good foot skills as well, and we want to use our hands and run. So I think, yeah, it's going to be, like I said, an exciting year, and an exciting brand that we're going to play.” 

Horne-Francis on the value of small forwards 
“I think there's so many teams these days that have got so many damaging small forwards, and it's almost becoming the way to play is to go small down there, because it's just so electric, and you can get it on the ground down there and kick some goals. So I think definitely the coaches will be looking at, you know, different teams and ways we can get better. I think Geelong gave us a bit of a hiding, in that sense, in the first final. So yeah, like I said, so many good teams, but they're definitely up there for one of the best.” 

Horne-Francis on learning from last year’s finals series 
“I think we had the youngest finals team going into it. So the learnings were just, I guess, getting a bit of exposure to finals footy, which some of us young boys probably didn't have, getting more experience with that. And I think will hold us in good stead for the next final series coming up. 

“I think you have to move on pretty quick from the previous year. It's a tough competition. Only one team can win it, and we know it's really hard internally to do, so I think you’ve got to move on as quick as you can and just take a lot of learnings out of what it was. It’s definitely a driver. I think seeing the team on the last day, that builds the fire in your belly to want to be (playing) on that day and want to win. So every year that builds that fire.”  

Horne-Francis on train-on player Jack Watkins 
“We've got so many new faces rolling through the whole team as well. So as a midfield group, we're looking pretty good. Jack Watkins has come in, and he's a train-on with us. He's been unreal. I'd say he's almost tougher than Buttsy (Zak Butters) and that’s hard to do, the Darley boys from down there are pretty tough so he’s been good.”