AFL 2024: Hawthorn star Dylan Moore on All-Australian hope and Hawks improvement

Hawthorn was dealt a harsh lesson by Geelong but Dylan Moore says the hurt of that loss only proves how far his team has come. Plus, he opens up on his All-Australian hopes.

GEELONG, AUSTRALIA - JULY 06: Dylan Moore of the Hawks celebrates kicking a goal during the round 17 AFL match between Geelong Cats and Hawthorn Hawks at GMHBA Stadium, on July 06, 2024, in Geelong, Australia. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)

Dylan Moore has learned how to take the compliment.

A player who was once delisted by Hawthorn, under the promise of being given a rookie spot, and found himself playing for opposition sides during the 2020 Covid hub, Moore has never accepted praise.

In the four years since those quiet days in Queensland, the half-forward has not only secured his future with the Hawks, he is now the club’s co-vice-captain and firmly in the All-Australian race.

The Hawks leader did his best to turn the tide against Geelong. Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

With Christian Petracca now likely gone from a half-forward slot and Izak Rankine’s suspension possibly killing his case, Moore’s chances of earning a blazer are rising.

In last month’s mid-season Fox Footy check in, All-Australian selector Abbey Holmes labelled Moore as a “watch” and he kept the Hawks in the contest with two goals from 26 touches in an otherwise bitterly disappointing day in Geelong last weekend.

Moore, who was standing in as captain for the injured James Sicily, said his own effort against Geelong meant little given the 51-point loss but he has been opening himself to accepting the good noise from the outside.

“I’ve been trying to work on this,” he said.

“I usually don’t acknowledge the outside noise individually. But I have been working on it. If someone is going to compliment me and say I am in the All-Australian conversation, I am going to take the compliment and move on.

“It is always great to have your name come up as an All-Australian. It is not something that is the end goal but if you can tick it off, it is great. I have loved the compliments but I would rather play finals footy.”

Moore has improved every year. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos

As a leader of the resurgent Hawks, Moore personifies that hunger for success that has seen Sam Mitchell’s side surprisingly leap into a finals contender.

He was the player who spoke publicly after a loss to Gold Coast in round 5 about standards around the club not being high enough and there has never been any doubt on his own personal workrate.

“Any opportunity I can have to guide the team and guide the young boys to the standards we expect and will expect when we win a premiership is part of (being a leader),” he said.

“You are never a finished product and we feel like our standards, especially around training, are really high at the moment.”

Dylan Moore has been leading the Hawks. Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

That lift in effort saw the Hawks win five in a row before a brutal trek to the Cattery.

In a sign that the club has turned a corner and doesn’t accept losses like perhaps in the early staged of its rebuild, Moore said the lesson handed out by the Cats hurt more than other losses this year.

Hawthorn hosts Fremantle in Launceston on Saturday, a game it will need to bank to keep pace with the top eight.

“We knew the last five weeks we had been playing well and winning games but we could have lost a few of those as well,” Moore said.

“We had a bit of a bad day. Really good sides, their off nights can be really competitive but at the moment, our off nights aren’t as competitive as they need to be.

“A few of us thought this one hurt more than the losses earlier this season. We go into a game now where to be honest, we are expecting to win. We know if we play our way and play well enough for long enough we are going to be a chance to win, so this one definitely hurt.”

Originally published as AFL 2024: Hawthorn star Dylan Moore on All-Australian hope and Hawks improvement