Australian Football

One of Southern Districts' most noteworthy products, Fabian Francis made a couple of aborted efforts to start a senior AFL career before finally igniting on his third attempt with Port Adelaide.

Possessed of considerable upper body strength, a legacy of his having combined rugby league with football as a youngster, Francis was an early developer who played senior football in the NTFL as a 14-year-old, and in the AFL before his 18th birthday. He failed to settle at his first AFL club, Melbourne, and played just a solitary senior game during a 1991 season which culminated in participation in the Demons' losing reserves Grand Final team. The opposition on Grand Final day was provided by Brisbane, and it was to the Bears that Francis headed in 1993 for a second stab at AFL footy. This time 'round he managed 20 games before a contractual dispute precipitated his departure. Joining Port Adelaide in the SANFL, he resurrected his career by playing some excellent football in the Magpies' 1995 and 1996 premiership seasons. In the latter of those years he was runner-up to eventual Power team mate Josh Francou in the voting for the Magarey Medal.

In 1997, Port Adelaide entered a team in the AFL, and Fabian Francis was a key member from the start. Quick, strong, and a superb kick with either foot, he was equally at home in defence, on a wing, or in the forward lines. He enjoyed a superb 2000 season when he finished third in the Power's best and fairest count, but after just one more season at the club he was left in limbo after failing to agree a contract. A move to Fremantle looked to be on the cards for a time, only for the Dockers' salary cap restrictions to scupper the arrangement. Sadly for a player with so much ability, Fabian Francis' career at the football's highest level was over, although he did play briefly for South Fremantle and Port Adelaide Magpies before finally calling it a day.

Author - John Devaney