Darcy Moore has been in the news not so much for his play with ball in hand, but his knee in the back of another big man to inflict a big injury. His game is predicated on aggressive positioning well in front of his direct opponent to maximise his chances of zoning in to spoil from behind on other contests, which tends to lead to collisions where the other man is defenceless as he concentrates on the footy. Criticism has extended to the rest of his playstyle and, while he flirted with fantasy relevance last year in Supercoach, his 2024 numbers are undeniably poor.
Darcy Moore has been in the news not so much for his play with ball in hand, but his knee in the back of another big man to inflict a big injury. His game is predicated on aggressive positioning well in front of his direct opponent to maximise his chances of zoning in to spoil from behind on other contests, which tends to lead to collisions where the other man is defenceless as he concentrates on the footy. Criticism has extended to the rest of his playstyle and, while he flirted with fantasy relevance last year in Supercoach, his 2024 numbers are undeniably poor.
Darcy Moore has been the focus of a lot of media attention in recent weeks, as the Magpies have struggled and Nathan Buckley moved him forward against the Eagles. This move didn't work, as Jack Darling's four goals in Q2 busted open that game while the bloke who would normally have been standing him was getting chilblains up the other end. Of course the problem at Collingwood is the cattle in the midfield, not Moore, but what if you're a fantasy owner of him? He is quality at either end and attracts the footy, so you probably have to ride the bumps with a grin.
Pay no mind to Mr Darcy
We're no stranger to Darcy Moore's numerous soft tissue setbacks over his career, including the five-week strain suffered against the Eagles in round 17. The forward-turned-defender has found his home across half back, never hesitant to leave his opponent in order to intercept. Fantasy-wise, however, he struggles. Moore is flashy and athletic but he's never blossomed into the fantasy-friendly player we anticipated at the outset of his career. The only value he brings to the table is the fact that he's a certainty to play when fit.
Moore lurches back
Darcy Moore played his first three years as a forward before adding intercepting CHB and swingman to his resume in 2018. When switched into defence, his fantasy scores took a back seat to playing the team role. Unfortunately for Moore, he only managed seven matches due to hamstring strains in rounds 8 and 20. The athletic prospect has notched up a handful of matches that would excite fantasy coaches, yet he hasn’t been able to string together any purple patches that would entice a draft selection. Moore's dual positioning is handy, so he could justify a late selection as a flexible bench option. Otherwise, let him slide into the free agent pool.
Less is not Moore
The key for Darcy Moore's game seems to be marking. When he gets on his bike and works on the lead, he produces startable fantasy scores, as in eight games in 2017 when he pushed his mark tally to eight or more, including four in the last five. Even though he started supporting in ruck after round 7, his tackle counts are low and well over half his possessions came after a mark. He has only booted a bag of four or more once, in his third career game. Seldom has a player been more of a Great White Hope than Moore is to Collingwood. Their forward line has not worked at all since the glory days of Travis Cloke, and with a cast of midgets around him he has been the lone target for much of his short career. Word is that Mason Cox will play more in 2018, and maybe they will let Chris Mayne back into the senior team to bolster the structure. Moore's August suggests a breakout is looming, and the Pies need it badly.
