AFL side Collingwood is preparing to adopt an unconventional, progressive rehabilitation strategy for its captain Darcy Moore after yet another soft tissue injury sidelined the star skipper, extending what has already been a devastating run of injuries for the club’s leader. Moore sustained a new hamstring injury during last weekend’s match against the West Coast Eagles, an issue that is expected to keep him off the pitch for as long as eight weeks. This latest setback is just one in a long string of health problems for Moore in the 2024 campaign: he already dealt with a pre-season calf injury, hamstring tightness in Round 1, combined knee bursitis and hamstring trouble in Round 3, and a concussion in Round 9. Moore is no stranger to navigating repeated soft tissue setbacks; early in his professional career, he traveled across the globe to Europe to consult leading specialists in soft tissue recovery to address his recurring issues. Speaking to reporters this week, Collingwood head coach Craig McRae acknowledged that the club’s current recovery approach has not worked, and a new path forward is non-negotiable to get Moore back to elite playing condition. “It’s been a frustrating year for him to get on the paddock and then back out on the field,” McRae said. “Clearly we need to do something different because what we’re doing right now – given his body feedback – he’s not capable of doing it at the level which is required. We’ll be progressive around his rehab.” The coach added that this unorthodox approach could include a controlled, limited stint in the Victorian Football League (VFL), Collingwood’s reserve-grade competition, as Moore builds his fitness back up. “We might just weigh up what that means in terms of, ‘OK does he need to train for a bit longer to be fit and available? Does he need to play a VFL game?’” McRae explained. “I don’t know yet, (but) we’ve got to work all that out.” A restricted run in the reserves is not off the table as the club maps out Moore’s comeback, the coach confirmed. Unfortunately for Collingwood, Moore’s injury is not the only bad news the club received this week. The Magpies’ training and medical facility became a revolving door for scans this week, with multiple key players requiring assessment. Veteran forward Jamie Elliott has been ruled out for the remainder of the season after scans confirmed he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. Rising young star Nick Daicos also underwent assessment for a sore foot, but McRae delivered positive news on that front: Daicos has been cleared fit to line up against the Western Bulldogs in this weekend’s primetime match. Even McRae himself was caught up in the injury wave sweeping the club, revealing he also underwent scans on a sore shoulder this week. “I think everyone went in for scans this week, I popped in for a couple on my shoulder as well. That (clinic) was a revolving door,” McRae joked. Despite the season-ending injury, McRae added that Elliott remains in good spirits as he prepares for his recovery and reconstruction surgery.
AFL 2026: Collingwood to try ‘something different’ with Darcy Moore’s soft-tissue rehab
