‘It’s a bit of a cliché but I’m just trying to be myself’: Darcy Moore on Collingwood, fashion and THAT haircut

As the captain of Collingwood, Darcy Moore is used to putting on his game face. But he shows off a completely different side in a new shoot – as he reflects on what’s in store for AFL season 2024. See the photos. 

Darcy Moore is breaking the mould of what it means to be an AFL superstar. Picture: Sam Bisso for Stellar

It’s clear within minutes of meeting Darcy Moore that the AFL footballer is doing things a bit differently, both on and off the field. Given he is one of the most recognisable faces in Australian sport – best known to legions of fans as the captain of Collingwood and son of AFL legend Peter Moore – it may come as a surprise to many to see the 28-year-old equally at ease among the fashion team, clothing racks, photographic crew and bright camera lights on set for Stellar.

As well as steering his club to a Premiership win in a four-point nailbiter against the Brisbane Lions in September, Moore is doing a master’s degree in international relations (he also has a commerce degree from The University of Melbourne) and is unreservedly public about his interest in and love for fashion.

Style star! Darcy Moore, the captain of Collingwood, in fashion mode on set with Stellar. Picture: Sam Bisso for Stellar

The fact he’s part of a new wave of sports stars isn’t lost on Moore. “There’s a bit of a generational shift happening in sport, in particular in this country,” he tells Stellar.

“I’m 28 which, in football terms, is old. And I see young men coming in who are different to the generation that came before, having interests like fashion and music and other sports. We’re seeing athletes feeling more comfortable to express those things. It’s a bit of a cliché but I’m just trying to be myself and be true to myself.”

As for the more glamorous side of the game, you won’t just find Moore on the red carpet at the Brownlow.

Late last year, he suited up with the fashion crowd at Melbourne’s NGV Gala and attended the ARIA Awards in Sydney, both times alongside his partner Dee Salmin, a Triple J broadcaster who hosts the sex and relationship show The Hook Up. (The pair started dating last year after meeting through a friend.)

“I’m in sport and she’s in music, so we showed each other our respective worlds,” Moore says of Salmin.

He has opened up about THAT haircut – and the sweet reason he won’t change it. Picture: Sam Bisso for Stellar

‘I sort of have pretty wack style, I can’t really explain the things I like.’ Picture: Sam Bisso for Stellar

“She had a baptism of fire during the finals and the Grand Final – all those tight games. She’d been to one football game her whole life. That’s been pretty fun showing her my world.”

On set with Stellar, Moore is in his element – even if posing in front of the camera is, he says, “still pretty foreign to me. I sort of have pretty wack style, I can’t really explain the things I like: bright colours, a real mix of brands.”

Then there’s the hair. Moore tames his signature bleached-blond locks with an orange headband during matches, a look that’s replicated by his fans.

“There’s a little army of kids in the headbands that I wear,” he says. “And that’s pretty damn cute when I see that.”

But is he making a fashion statement? “Nah, it’s just a practical thing. Having long hair and [playing] footy can be a bit of an issue, to stop it getting in your face. I’ve thought about cutting my hair but my mum says it’s how I’m recognisable to her on the field. So until I cut it, she’ll know where I am.”

After his parents separated when he was young, Moore split his time between Alphington, with his mother, Jane – “I spent a lot of time there, being outdoors, running amok on bikes or playing football” – and the Richmond home of his father Peter, a Collingwood legend who won two Brownlow medals in the ’70s and ’80s.

‘A big rush every time you do it.’ Darcy Moore, front and centre, leading Collingwood onto the MCG. Picture: Getty Images

“I was a textbook Melbourne kid who was obsessed with football – lived and breathed it,” Moore recalls.

“Dad had an incredible career, so I had that personal connection to the club.

I used to count down the days until we’d be able to go and watch Collingwood play.

“There was a decision, [when I was] 15 or 16, where it was starting to become within reach to make it into the league.

“And it was, ‘Oh, do I really want to do this? Because if I really want to do this I’ve got to throw everything at it to be drafted.’”

Collingwood captain Darcy Moore, centre, and coach Craig McRae receive the premiership cup from Darcy’s father Peter Moore (far left). Picture: Michael Klein

Father son rule! Peter and Darcy Moore post-match on Grand Final Day last September. Picture: Getty Images

In a historic moment after Collingwood’s Grand Final win, Peter Moore presented the Premiership Cup to his son and coach Craig McRae amid roars from the 100,000-strong crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

“That was really special and might not happen again. It was pretty cool that it was us and that’s part of our story now,” Moore recalls.

“Dad was the one who helped me cultivate a love for the game, so for him to be with me, achieving the pinnacle for me and my teammates was pretty surreal. It was an emotional moment. Football and sport is such a generational [game for the players and supporters]. In a way, I think seeing me and my dad in that moment reflected that to fans.”

Having spent his childhood watching his team from the stands, Moore tells Stellar that running out on to the MCG now as captain feels “pretty extraordinary. It definitely is a big rush every time you do it. There’s this moment at the bottom of the race [where players enter the grounds] when the light is really, really bright, and we’re in the bowels of the MCG, looking up. You can almost feel the stands moving. That’s always my favourite moment. Once we run out there, run through the banner, it’s such a rush.

With Dee Salmin at the NGV Gala in December. Picture: Getty Images for NGV)

“Those moments keep you on edge and they keep you from getting too comfortable. You’ve got to have a bit of that spicy mix of anxiety, [to be] ready to perform, and a bit of gratitude as well – to acknowledge how hard it is to be in that position, and how lucky we are to be there.”

Collingwood is one of the most divisive teams in AFL, loved and hated in equal measure, with an unapologetically passionate and rowdy fan base. Such popularity can breed increased scrutiny. Asked how he deals with their every move being critiqued, Moore answers: “I don’t read a lot [about it]. I get briefings around what people are saying, which is the main way I learn about it. Honestly, at times it’s too much … If I were to sit down and read it all every day, it would [be] enough to wig anyone out.”

Picture: Sam Bisso for Stellar

With the 2024 season starting next month, Moore says he and his teammates are looking forward, not back, despite their success.

“It’s been a massive part of our team approach to training: how do we deal with what we’ve done and how great it was [to win] but also move on and acknowledge we’ve got to do it all again,” he reveals.

“The group we have are pretty hungry. I see lots of our best players throwing themselves at training to get better. In football, you have to qualify all of your success with ‘But there’s another challenge coming …’

“At Collingwood, you have this sense that what we do matters and it is of consequence,” he adds.

“Like, if we’re not doing well, it matters. And if we’re doing well, it matters. And that can be difficult at times. It can feel like the walls are closing in.”

With a Premiership now under his belt, Moore is going into the season with laser focus.

“It has definitely made me more aware and [made me reflect] on not trying to get back to what we had last year. [It’s not] ‘Oh, we’ve got to get back to that!’ I think the mentality [is] that we haven’t arrived, we’re still improving and we can get better.

“As a leader, I’m trying to focus and manifest on that. Things change, we’re in a different situation, [there are] new challenges … Each year does feel really different.”

Read the full interview with Darcy Moore in Stellar today.

Originally published as ‘It’s a bit of a cliché but I’m just trying to be myself’: Darcy Moore on Collingwood, fashion and THAT haircut