AFL 2021: Darcy Moore out for the season with knee injury

Collingwood’s season has gone from bad to worse after the extent of Darcy Moore’s knee injury was revealed. The Pies have also made a call on Jordan De Goey’s ban.

Nick Smart, Jon Ralph and Ronny Lerner

5 min read

June 16, 2021 - 3:11PM

News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom

Nathan Buckley speaks to his players in his last match as senior coach.

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Collingwood star defender Darcy Moore is set to miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury.

The All-Australian centre half-back injured the posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in the dying minutes of the Magpies’ gritty Queen’s Birthday win over Melbourne.

The 25-year-old met with specialists on Wednesday and it was decided his knee would be braced for at least six weeks.

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Collingwood has lost Darcy Moore to injury.

Although Moore looks to have avoided surgery for now.

It is a blow for incoming caretaker coach Robert Harvey as Moore is one of Collingwood’s most important players and can play at both ends.

He will be without the talented swingman for his nine games in charge in the back end of the season.

“It is obviously disappointing for everyone,” Magpies football boss Graham Wright said.

“For Darcy, who had been enjoying another fine season, and for the team which is now without one of the game’s best defenders.

“We know Darcy will be dedicated in his approach to his rehabilitation and will continue to help the group as one of our emerging leaders but there is no sugar-coating the disappointment of his loss.

“Especially, with Jeremy Howe also missing from our backs group.

“That said, AFL football is a game of squads.

“We have some young backs who will now get their chance.”

Jordan De Goey pursues Clayton Oliver during the Queen’s Birthday clash on Monday. Picture: Matt King/Getty Images

Harvey, who will be looking to impress in his first crack as an AFL senior coach, will also be without Jordan De Goey for his first game in charge after the Pies accepted a one-week ban for a glancing blow on Clayton Oliver.

The midfielder-forward played one of his best games of the season against Melbourne, racking up a career-high 33 disposals in Nathan Buckley’s final game as coach.

But the decision to run past the ball to clip Oliver with a high bump in the last quarter of the Queen’s Birthday clash has earned him a one-week suspension.

The incident was assessed as careless conduct, medium impact and high contact.

The Magpies have the bye this week and then take on Fremantle at Marvel Stadium the following week.

They will hope to get back onballer Taylor Adams from a sore medial ligament for that clash.

After the Dockers they’ll then face St Kida at the MCG on July 3.

Caretaker coach Robert Harvey will be without two stars in first game at the helm.

BUCKS PARTY: PIES SEND OFF LEGEND IN STYLE

Nathan Buckley’s 218-game career as Collingwood coach has ended on a massive high note with his Magpies surviving a late surge to topple the ladder-leading Melbourne by 17 points in a Queen’s Birthday stunner at the SCG.

After controlling proceedings for most of the day, Collingwood got out to a 20-point lead early in the final quarter.

However, Melbourne strung together four scoring shots in a row late in the game, but luckily for the Pies, only one of them was a goal, to Ed Langdon.

And after Brayden Maynard took a match-saving mark deep in defence with less than a minute to go, the ensuing transition ended up with club stalwart Steele Sidebottom, who fittingly iced the cake for Buckley with a goal after the siren.

Buckley said post-game he was confident the Pies’ regeneration was on track.

“It’s going to be a pretty good footy team. They’re on their way.”

Nathan Buckley leaves the field for the last time as Collingwood coach.

Buckley and Collingwood have gone together like a horse and carriage for a very long time, given he spent 26 years at the club as coach, assistant coach and one of their greatest ever players, and his players sent him off in fitting fashion, playing with renewed freedom after being unshackled by the burden of expectations.

Pies should sack the coach every week
— Dane Swan (@swandane) June 14, 2021

Melbourne’s backline is usually the most organised in the competition, but it was uncharacteristically disjointed, allowing the Magpies 18 marks inside 50 — their previous high for the year was 15 — while down the other end, the Demons could manage only nine.

Melbourne’s usual pressure wasn’t there either, the premiership favourites laying just 44 tackles, well down on their season average of 64 per game. And with a clear advantage in that category (52-44), the Magpies out-hunted their more-fancied opponents for longer.

The first quarter was a scrappy affair which was punctuated by numerous turnovers from both sides. The combined AFL average for clanger kicks per quarter this season is 11, and there were already 19 committed at the 24-minute mark of the first term. That figure ballooned out to 41 at the 20-minute mark of the third quarter.

Max Lynch and Luke Jackson track the loose ball.

But just as it did against a couple of other top-four contenders in Port Adelaide and Geelong recently, the unattractive nature of the contest suited the Magpies just fine. They then increased their pressure, cleaned up their disposal and sped up their ball movement in the second quarter to boot four goals in a row, including a pair to Brody Mihocek, before taking a 16-point lead at halftime.

Like they did against Brisbane last week, the Demons lifted their intensity after the break, registering 10 of the first 11 inside-50s of the second half to kick the first three goals on the way to a one-point lead late in the third quarter.

But on the back of some great work from Sidebottom in particular, Collingwood hit back hard, kicking four goals on the trot to stretch their lead to 20 points early in the final quarter.

Jordan De Goey wins a hard ball.

DE GOEY DOMINATES

Jordan De Goey didn’t get off to a great start when his kick across Melbourne’s goal in the opening stages missed its target and eventually led to Alex Neal-Bullen kicking the first goal of the game for the Demons.

But the Collingwood star put that setback behind him to become the most influential player on the ground. Relishing the freedom of playing mainly on the ball, De Goey was instrumental to Pies’ victory, finishing up with a game-high 33 disposals (11 contested) and seven clearances, to go with three goal assists, 11 score involvements.

Kysaiah Pickett flies high, but didn’t come down with the footy.

CAMERON CONTROVERSY

A controversial moment occurred midway through the third quarter when Collingwood’s Darcy Cameron was paid a mark 20m out from goal, despite TV replays clearly showing Steven May’s hands touched the ball first. A bemused May’s desperate protestations to the umpire fell on deaf ears as Cameron coolly slotted it home for the third of his four majors to put the Magpies back in front.

PIES OWN QUEEN’S BIRTHDAY

The result continued Collingwood’s domination of the modern-era Queen’s Birthday fixture, having now won 13 of 20 meetings with Melbourne on the public holiday, including eight of the past 10.

PIES BALLET

One of the highlights of the second quarter came at the 24-minute mark when De Goey brilliant spun out of traffic to avoid Harrison Petty and dish off a handball to Beau McCreery who performed his own pirouette, which also included a strong fend-off of Clayton Oliver, before checksiding it home from 20m out to put the Magpies 14 points to the good.