Darcy Moore injury storm erupts as Collingwood coach's revelation questioned

Collingwood have revealed skipper Darcy Moore will be out until the AFL finals after scans revealed he suffered a low-grade hamstring strain on Friday night. Collingwood fans were fearing the worst when Moore was subbed out of the Magpies' win over Geelong after grabbing at his hamstring, particularly considering they lost Nick Daicos last week.

Speaking in his post-match press conference, coach Craig McRae said the injury wasn't serious and he wasn't concerned about the possibility of the 27-year-old being sidelined for the remainder of the season. "It's not major," McRae said of the injury.

'WILL BE MISSED': Tributes pour in for retiring AFL superstars

'LOCK IT IN': Eddie McGuire drops Damien Hardwick bombshell

"My understanding is that he's tight - neurological tight hamstring. We have to wait until the scans show what the damage is. He’s fine. He goes ‘I think I’m fine’, again until you really know you don’t know. But the instruction was it’s a tight hamstring.”

But Collingwood announced on Saturday afternoon that Moore won't be available for the final two games of the regular season. "Darcy underwent scans on his left hamstring this morning and the results have shown a low-grade hamstring strain which he sustained during the first quarter of last night's game," Collingwood football boss Graham Wright said.

"He will miss the next couple of matches, and at this stage, we expect him to return to the field for our first final. Darcy is an ultimate professional and will work closely with our medical team who will support him through his recovery. While we will miss his on-field leadership over the next couple of weeks, his absence provides an opportunity for another player on our list to make an impact."

Daicos is out for up to six weeks after sustaining a knee injury in last round's shock loss to Hawthorn, meaning he won't be available until deep into the finals. A significant injury for Moore would be a monumental blow for the premiership contenders.

“It’s a huge blow … First Nick Daicos then Darcy Moore,” Leigh Montagna said on Fox Footy. “If you were saying which two players you wouldn’t want to lose if you’re Collingwood, they’re the two – and it looks like it’s consecutive weeks. He’s had a history of soft tissue injuries. He looked at the physio straight away and he was subbed out.”

Hawthorn champion Luke Hodge was very sceptical about Collingwood's attempts to play down the injury. “Turn it up, he reckons that was tightness," Hodge said on Channel 7. “He’s trying to pull one over our eyes there. That’s a genuine string.”

Matthew Richardson also seemed to question the assessment of 'tightness', saying: “Having had hamstring (injuries), when it goes like that and you grab it straight away, I’m not doubting that but…”

Collingwood return to winning ways after Darcy Moore injury

Moore watched from the bench as the Pies got back to their winning ways, turning the match around after Geelong's dominant first quarter. "We've re-established that we're one of the best pressure teams in the comp," McRae said.

"We really played our version and our brand. You get to see how damaging our ball movement can be when we get our pressure right. We're still not finished."

Playing for the first time in years without his brother, winger Josh Daicos led the Pies with a career-high 38 disposals, nine contested possessions, eight score involvements and 564 metres gained. "The boys really rallied together and brought the hunt," Daicos said of the response to Moore's injury.

"We have had a little bit of a lull but we're really confident. That stuff doesn't bother us."

Jack Ginnivan had 10 disposals and three goal assists after being subbed in for McRae. He could make a return to McRae's squad after injecting much-needed energy into the game on Friday night.

"Tonight, he certainly showed everyone that his best is well and truly in our team," McRae said after Ginnivan's first appearance since being dropped due to poor form in Round 12.

"He's a player that ignites the crowd and he ignites us. He's had to wait maybe longer than he had to but I thought if we picked him before tonight, then we picked him on last year's form."

Forward Brodie Mihocek also returned to form, kicking a career-high five goals after going goalless in four out of the five preceding games. "It's pretty tough when you're not kicking goals as a forward," he said.

"I just wanted to get back to what makes me a good footballer and how I can help others. Sometimes it doesn't work, sometimes it does and it worked tonight."

Despite the positive update that Moore's injury was just 'tightness', fans were also still left highly sceptical and fearing the worst.

with AAP

Sign up to our newsletter and score the biggest sport stories of the week.