Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley has hit out at the treatment of Jason Horne-Francis on Saturday night, calling the booing the young gun received "unfair".
The Power ended the Gather Round clash against the Western Bulldogs with the four points after a 14-point win, with Horne-Francis starring in the final term with 11 disposals, five inside 50s and four clearances.
The 19-year-old has faced plenty of criticism after his move to Port last year, having spent just one season at North Melbourne after being drafted with the no.1 pick in 2021. Horne-Francis was booed by sections of the crowd during Saturday night's win, weeks after copping similar treatment while playing against Collingwood.
Speaking after the match, Hinkley called out the criticism of Horne-Francis, urging people to treat the 19-year-old with more respect.
“Jason Horne-Francis is 19. Some parts really annoy me about the way people treat him. It's annoying me,” Hinkley said.
“He's never going to play four quarters every week. He's 19 years old. If you're treating my 19-year-old son the way some people have treated him, I'd be embarrassed by my performance if I was those people.
“I think it's been really unfair. The kid made a courageous decision to come home. Let the kid play footy. He's 19.”
"I'm talking about people who write stories every week, who talk stories every week and I'm talking about the treatment that they gave him at times tonight. Without making a big deal of it, the kid's trying, he's giving his best. He's 19, stop treating him like he's 28 and treat the kid with some respect.
"And I'll tell you what – some people who put pressure on kids in this game need to have a good hard look at themselves."
The win against the Bulldogs now has Hinkley's side with a 3-2 record heading into Round 6, with a match against West Coast to come next.
After a tough fixture to start the year, with losses coming against Collingwood and Adelaide, Hinkley is hoping wins in the opening five rounds have given Port a "chance" to go further this season.
"Every game's so different so you have to turn up as best you can every week," Hinkley said.
"I don't think any team is going to be able to do that for 23 rounds and then some, you've just got to give yourself a chance and what we've done now is give ourselves a chance to stay in the comp for longer than we were last year. I'm really proud of the team."
