Finally ready for Moore

Magpie feeling confident after string of games ROUND 5

MAGPIE Darcy Moore says he prioritised confidence in his body over a move to Sydney last year after finally putting together a string of AFL games.

Moore will play his fifth game in a row against Brisbane on Thursday night in a rare marquee game in Queensland.

The Lions will pack out the Gabba with 35,000 fans and hope to advance their finals prospects after an encouraging 3-1 start to the season.

Moore played only seven games after continual hamstring issues last year and had strong interest from multiple clubs including Sydney.

But when his body continually failed him he told his management to get a deal done at Collingwood, keen to remain at the club where his father Peter was a champion.

Moore said he hadn’t ended up close to leaving for Sydney.

“Not really, to be honest. Last year was more about my body than my contract,” he said.

“It was the hardest part of last year, trying to get some confidence in my body and trying to play games and not be able to play two games in a row was the frustrating thing.

“When I couldn’t get out on the park and get two games in a row it made my contract not really the focus for me. It’s good to be out there at the moment and be on top of my body.”

Moore told 3AW he had worked all summer to regain confidence in his body after coming up short of playing in last year’s grand final.

“It’s a bit of a balance with soft-tissue injuries,” he said.

“A lot of the time is about management. It’s not like you sit back and relax during the week and roll out. It takes a lot of work to get out there but thankfully after four or five games in a row it’s helped me feel a bit more confidence. It’s going well, touch wood.”

Collingwood will assess Chris Mayne during the week after he suffered a small fracture to a bone in his back early in the win over the Western Bulldogs.