Port Adelaide superstar Jason Horne-Francis has pulled back the curtain on his decision to leave North Melbourne in 2022 after just one season at the club which drafted him, citing the need to be around his support network amid a time of intense social media scrutiny.
Speaking on Yarnin' with Joey, Horne-Francis admitted that he's learned to deal with the toxic nature of social media as a public figure, but found it difficult away from family in his tumultuous rookie season.
"The main reason I wanted to come back home to Port Adelaide was to have my support network around me; my family, my friends, my partner," Horne-Francis said.
"A couple of years ago, [social media] was very raw and fed into that toxic scrutiny that you'd get.
"When I was younger, I had footy to just get out and that was my little safe place, my happy place. I didn't have social media, which was good for me.
"I think I've learnt now that a lot of it is just opinions. Everyone has their own opinions, and whether they're right or wrong, everyone's going to have them.
"You've just got to think internally and stay within the four walls of the club and yourself and the best way I've found is just to try and leave the social media footy posts behind.
"You don't want to see it all the time. A lot of young kids are getting caught up with social media and sometimes it can be not so positive."
The comfort of his home state of South Australia has seen Horne-Francis rapidly develop into one of the AFL's emerging midfield guns, averaging 21 disposals and 4.6 clearances per game in an injury-interrupted 2025 season.
