North Melbourne‘s No.1 draft pick Jason Horne-Francis has reportedly put his contract negotiations with the club on hold.
According to SEN’s Sam Edmund, Horne-Francis and his management were working on a new contract with the club before the Kangaroos’ woes on and off the field deepened.
North Melbourne sits on just one win through eight games and has suffered four-straight defeats of 50 points or more.
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News on Horne-Francis’s reluctance to sign a new contract during the season comes after reports claimed that coach David Noble apologised to his playing group in the aftermath of the Kangaroos’ 108-point loss to the Brisbane Lions in round three.
Reports have since emerged claiming players were left so rattled by the coach’s fierce spray that Noble was forced to apologise several days later.
Speaking on that matter on Nine’s Footy Classified, Port Adelaide great Kane Cornes didn’t see any issue with Noble’s spray so long as it was strictly footy-based.
“Reading between the lines, perhaps it got personal. That’s the only reason I can think why he apologised for something like that,” Cornes said.
“I’ve been in situations where a coach has questioned a player’s haircut and the performance is reflective of having flair with your haircut and that you can understand why it would be offensive to a player.
“If it’s just specifically on-field, about effort, about structure, breaking team rules, can’t see how there could be an issue for David Noble and in what case he could ever have to apologise.”
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