‘Have to actually defend’: Collingwood vice-captain Darcy Moore accused of daydreaming
Collingwood defender Darcy Moore has been torn to shreds following his underwhelming performance against Richmond at the MCG.
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Collingwood vice-captain Darcy Moore has come under fire for his underwhelming performance against Richmond at the MCG, during which he was accused of playing too loose.
The Tigers secured a 17.11 (113) to 12.14 (86) victory over the Magpies on Saturday, with tall forward Tom Lynch tearing open the contest with five goals in the first half.
Lynch, who finished with six majors and 25 disposals, could not have hoped for an easier game in the forward 50, utterly dominating Moore throughout the contest.
The 29-year-old now leads the Coleman Medal leaderboard, sitting above Geelong forwards Jeremy Cameron and Tom Hawkins.
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Moore, who last month reportedly re-signed with the Magpies on a monster $5.4 million six-year deal, has failed to prove his worth since putting pen to paper, contributing five marks and 13 disposals against Richmond.
Speaking on Triple M, North Melbourne great Wayne Carey accused the 2020 All-Australian of having poor body language during the Tigers clash, questioning whether he was ill.
“(Lynch) didn’t hand Darcy Moore anything, Darcy Moore handed him a great game because Darcy Moore just gave him far too much room,” he said.
“Darcy Moore looked off to me. I know they talked about the flu and I thought, ‘Oh boy, he might’.
“I was watching (Moore’s) body language … yes, Lynch played a great first half. But he won’t get it as easy as that for the rest of the year and you are playing on an All-Australian defender.”
Meanwhile, former Port Adelaide star didn’t mince his words while analysing Moore’s performance on Channel 9’s Sunday Footy Show.
“I’m quite upset because when you take a six-year deal and you take $900,000 a year and you are spoken about as the next captain, you don’t get any get-outs, you don’t get any let-offs. And Darcy Moore yesterday shouldn’t be let off for the performance,” he said.
“He’s got to be better than this.
“What are the Collingwood coaches doing in terms of the way they are coaching this? If you are a defender, you actually have to defend.
“Darcy Moore is daydreaming. You cannot be let off with defensive actions like that.
“We love the attacking flair, we love your ability to intercept, we love the drive you give. I reckon it’s a massive get-out for modern defenders that they don’t actually play on anyone.”
Darcy Moore might want to actually try playing on Tom Lynch this afternoon. #AFLTigersPies
— Akash Fotedar (@akashfotedar5) May 7, 2022
Tom Lynch giving Darcy Moore an absolute bath is my spirit animal. (Also, what’s the etymology of giving someone a bath? Weird phrase.) #GoTiges
— Konrad Marshall (@KonradMarshall) May 7, 2022
Speaking to reporters in the post-match press conference, Collingwood coach Craig McRae conceded that Moore had given Lynch too much freedom.
“He’s a very good player and if you give him any leg rope, he’ll run and jump and mark the ball, so we’re probably lucky he didn’t kick a few more,” he said.
“The way they were moving the ball and the way we moved the ball out of defensive 50 didn’t help (Moore), but I would have thought Darcy will reflect on his game and look at things he can do better.”
Moore and the Collingwood defenders face another tough challenge next weekend when they come up against the high-flying Aaron Naughton.
The Magpies, who have slipped out of the top eight after Saturday’s defeat, will next face the Western Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium on Friday evening, with the first bounce scheduled for 7.50pm AEST.
Originally published as ‘Have to actually defend’: Collingwood vice-captain Darcy Moore accused of daydreaming
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