Collingwood captain Darcy Moore has declared himself totally match greater than every week out from the Magpies’ qualifying ultimate blockbuster in opposition to Melbourne.
Moore says his hamstring damage has healed and he’ll return to the Magpies backline subsequent Thursday evening on the MCG, whereas Nick Daicos is “pretty close” to a return from a fracture in his knee.
The Magpies skipper didn’t supply a timeline on the Brownlow Medal contender’s restoration, however mentioned teammates had been “excited” by his progress.
“(Daicos) is pretty close, he’s moving pretty well, and we’re excited to see how quickly he can recover,” Moore mentioned.
“I’m 100 per cent good to go. Absolutely (I’ll play), I’m feeling great – I’ve had a great training block for a couple of weeks and I’ve still got a few sessions to go before the game, so I’m already feeling really good.”
Moore mentioned the two-week break from taking part in after he picked up the minor damage within the spherical 22 win over Geelong had freshened him up bodily and mentally forward of the finals sequence.
He mentioned the Pies had been working behind the scenes to enhance deficiencies of their recreation all season, and never simply within the final month as their type fell away.
“We’ve obviously put together such a consistent season, banking 18 wins and finishing on top of the ladder,” he mentioned.
“Team defence is one of those things (we discussed) in the last few weeks, and we addressed it pretty emphatically on Friday night, giving up about two goals to three quarter time.
“We’re confident our best footy is ahead of us and we’re going to bring it.”
Moore mentioned there could be some “stiff individuals” on the choice desk because the Pies put together to face the Demons with solely Nick Daicos lacking from their finest facet, whereas he performed down the importance of final yr’s one-point preliminary ultimate loss to Sydney as a motivating drive for his teammates.
“It feels like a lot of time has passed since that devastating result,” Moore mentioned.
“We were riding the wave last year of some great momentum, winning 11 or 12 games in a row was really exciting … this year feels like a new challenge, but there’s plenty of guys in the team with experience from last year, so we’ll definitely draw on that in the next month.”
Collingwood’s AFLW group can be getting ready to face the Demons in a blockbuster season opener at Ikon Park on Friday evening.
Captain Brianna Davey confirmed she would play her first recreation in virtually 18 months after recovering from a ruptured ACL, together with vice-captain Britt Bonnici
“It will feel a bit surreal running out, it’s been almost a year and a half now since I’ve played a game,” Davey mentioned.
“It’s been a long time for all of us really, so we’re just excited to get out there and play against one of the best teams in the comp.”
Source: www.news.com.au
