One of the fans Darcy Moore exults with after Collingwood win another close one is his younger self.
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“It’s an extraordinary thing to be a part of. I was on their side of the fence for much of my childhood and rode every kick, every goal, every win, every loss,” he says. “Now to be on the other side, when the game’s over and they’re doing the Collingwood chant, I pinch myself and reflect on 12-year-old me and how pumped he’d be - and about where I am right now.“
Moore was to the Magpie manor born, but sometimes has seemed diffident and dispassionate about his inheritance. Not so, he says. It was just that he wanted to earn it.
His father, Peter, a Brownlow medallist and former captain, inspired his love of the game and he has always been proud of the name. “As a junior, getting lots of attention because of my last name was exciting to me,” he says. “It was never something that made feel embarrassed or nervous or anxious. It was just part of my reality.”
He always had his eyes on the No.30 guernsey. But once he was on Collingwood’s list, he was wholly intent on establishing his own bona fides. “The larger sentimentality of the generational thing was on the periphery,” he says. “It didn’t have much to do with the actual job.”
At 26 and now a cornerstone player, his view of the club and the game has widened and his perspective has lengthened. “I’ve definitely got an appreciation for how special it is for the fans to see me run out, a generation after my father,” he says. “That’s a really cool part of it. To wear that jumper and play for Collingwood has been a real joy.
“I’m sure when we’re both retired and old, we’ll sit back and have whisky and talk about what it’s like to play for Collingwood. That’ll be a nice moment.”
But not yet. On Saturday night, 2020 All-Australian Moore will have the biggest defensive job in footy, taming Geelong’s Tom Hawkins/Jeremy Cameron duumvirate in a qualifying final. Alongside him will be Jeremy Howe, forming not so much twin pillars as fliers in fellowship.