AFL 2023: Darcy Moore hoping for special family moment after grand final

Darcy Moore and his father could share a unique grand final moment if Collingwood wins. And Peter made sure the Magpies captain wouldn’t forget it.

Collingwood great Peter Moore called son Darcy and repeatedly told him, ‘You’ve got to get the job done!’ after he was chosen by the Magpies to present the premiership cup if they win on Saturday.

The planets have aligned for the crowning moment of a lifetime, with Darcy Moore set to play his 150th match and his dad – a five-time grand final player who missed out on the ultimate team success – on the dais to handover the silverware for what would be the 16th time in Magpies history.

“It was a nice welcome surprise,” Darcy Moore said of the premiership part his dad could play.

“He rang me and told me and then just qualified it with, ‘You’ve got to get the job done! You’ve got to get the job done!’ about 50 times.

“(It would be) a lovely personal touch too, if we’re successful my dad will present the cup. I’m thrilled, hopefully it happens.

“He’s a pretty proud, nervous dad. There’s obviously not a lot of control that he has over the result now, so he’ll just be watching like a fan.

“His support has been amazing.

“The way the club has embraced the past and told the stories to our fans about past generations and how we fit into that now is really special. It’s a really cool part of this week.”

Darcy Moore takes some snaps during the grand final parade. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Peter Moore famously threw away his runner-up medal after the 1981 grand final and the league then stopped handing out medals to players who lost grand finals.

Darcy Moore, 27, declared Brayden Maynard “best on” at Friday’s grand final parade for revving up the Magpie army – but itwas Will Hoskin-Elliott’s gag in Monday’s meeting that surprised the most.

Hoskin-Elliott landed a joke about Jordan De Goey sprinting on to the MCG from the interchange bench when the siren sounded after last week’s epic one-point preliminary final win.

“Will Hoskin-Elliott chose Monday’s meeting to make a joke for the first time since he’s been at the club, and absolutely brought the house down,” Moore said.

“I think most people were just laughing at the fact that he said something. It absolutely brought the house down. I think it was more shock that it came from him and it was a great joke that landed.”

The Magpies have not beaten the Lions since 2019. But none of those matches have been staged at the MCG.

Frampton could play multiple grand final roles

– Lauren Wood

Grand final inclusion Billy Frampton has revealed he will start up forward, but has backed in his versatility as a key asset in the Magpies’ premiership tilt.

Frampton, 26, has played 15 games this season and was named emergency in Collingwood’s two previous finals before earning a call-up on Tuesday in the wake of forward Dan McStay’s debilitating knee injury he sustained in the preliminary final.

He would not reveal whether taking on Lions interceptor Harris Andrews – as has been forecast – would be top of his agenda.

“I’ll be starting forward, mostly, I think, but plenty of scope for me to move into the ruck and into the backline, as well. There’ll be a bit going on,” Frampton said.

“I won’t go into it (the specifics) too much, but we’ll see what happens. There’s plenty of things (to look at).”

Frampton is at his third club after stints at Port Adelaide and Adelaide before he was traded to Collingwood at the end of last season.

A true swingman, the 202cm Pie said his flexibility had become a welcome calling card.

“I think that’s led me to this point – I’ve spent plenty of time in the system on all three lines and it gives me a really good opportunity to be flexible, so if anything happens on the day, I can fill a hole,” he said.

“It always helps you be available in the coach’s eyes, so it’s a fairly good weapon to have, I think.”

Billy Frampton warms up during Collingwood’s captain’s run on Friday. Picture: Michael Klein

McStay’s heartbreaking injury opened the door for the tall, who said the injured forward had been of great support in recent days.

“I’ve had a chat with Dan a few times and he sent me a really nice message when he heard the news. He’s been so supportive,” Frampton said.

“It’s such a horrible position for him to be in, the way he’s conducted himself has been unbelievable.

“He’s been really supportive of me, and just wants us to go and get it done for him.”

Taken with pick 84 in the 2014 draft, Frampton – who almost went unselected – plied his trade on Port Adelaide’s list for almost four years before playing his first game in 2018, his only game for that year.

Just seven more followed over the next two seasons.

He admitted there were some nerves when he had been called to Craig McRae’s office on Tuesday afternoon to receive the good news, conceding there had been “plenty of those times” where he wondered whether the pinnacle of the game would be beyond him.

“I reckon there’s probably been a few more downs than ups in my career so far, but to be able to run out (in the grand final) makes that all worth it,” Frampton said.

“It’s been an interesting journey and there’s plenty of things that go on, but staying the course and persisting has always been how I’ve tried to conduct myself, and get a little bit of reward and hopefully a lot more by the end of (Saturday).”

Tom Mitchell and Billy Frampton soak up the atmosphere of the grand final parade. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images

It proved persistence that would be beyond many, the result of a decision by Frampton that “this is what I want to do with myself and giving it my all”.

“If I bundled out at the end of my career and it didn’t work out, at least I could look back and say I had a crack and took opportunities when they came,” he said.

“I don’t want to die wondering. I gave it everything I could and took my opportunities and it’s led me to a pretty good place at the moment.”

Parents Moretta and Peter are part of a family contingent that have travelled to Melbourne for the clash, with Frampton hopeful he may be able to “get them out early” from Friday night dinner so he could “hopefully get some sleep”.

He was dubbed “Big Show” by his former coach Ken Hinkley and produced a moniker of his own for himself, which he said was the preferred option.

“Framp-chise I reckon is the one,” he laughed.

“It’s taken off this year. That was my own, I came up with that one.”

Originally published as AFL 2023: Darcy Moore hoping for special family moment after grand final