‘Not sure when’: Collingwood skipper no guarantee to return in 2026

Collingwood are facing the possibility they could be without skipper Darcy Moore for the rest of the season even as he took to the track for the first time since he hurt his hamstring in Scott Pendlebury’s record-breaking match.

Magpies coach Craig McRae said that although Moore was making progress in his recovery, the rate was slow.

“There is more evidence to suggest he is moving in the right direction [but] there is still a long way to go,” McRae said on Thursday, after Moore was back on track at training.

He said no one knew what the timeline for his return was, and kept open the prospect he may not feature again in the 2026 campaign when asked whether there was a chance Moore may not play again this year.

“Potentially [that may be the case]. I don’t know if that is reality. I think he is progressing in the right direction to suggest he will, but I am not sure when,” McRae said. “Ideally, you get a body of work under him, and he plays, but I don’t know what that looks like.”

Moore spent time training in the USA where he was given advice on how he might need to adjust the way he moves slightly to guard against further injury. McRae said the trip was a positive exercise, but time would be needed before the benefits could be realised.

Collingwood veteran Jeremy Howe has stood up in Moore’s absence, with the high-flier in superb form in the past month.

Isaac Quaynor stood out of training momentarily on Thursday after experiencing foot soreness. McCrae said the premiership defender seemed OK, but he would be monitored ahead of Saturday’s clash against Richmond.

The Magpies only expected to make one change, with Scott Pendlebury to return after missing the win over Port Adelaide through illness. Ned Long replaced him but the coach gave no indication of who might be left ou for the veteran’s return.

Brayden Maynard trained strongly but is still at least a week away from returning from a shoulder injury. McRae said Maynard may need a shoulder reconstruction if it did not stand up to the demands of the game, but at this stage they were prepared to push on.

The Magpies sit 11th on the ladder and are in a battle to make the 10 with their experienced list. McRae said he had been heartened by the improved form of individuals such as Harry DeMattia and Charlie West in the VFL recently. Neither are likely to play against the Tigers, but they are beginning to create selection pressure that the coach believes has been missing.

“I think in the last couple of weeks our VFL footy has been at a much better level and players are starting to play above VFL level, which is what we need. So that puts pressure on our selection,” McRae said.

“We want to keep rewarding these young guys to get opportunities and force their way into the team. We probably haven’t had it at a level in recent times.”

‘He wants to chop the tree down’: Modra in pain but on the mend

AAP

Adelaide great Tony Modra is “out of the worst” after a near-fatal freak accident, his close friend Mark Ricciuto says.

Modra suffered facial injuries when a fallen tree branch crashed through the windshield of a truck he was driving near his cattle property south of Adelaide last Thursday.

The Adelaide and Fremantle great, renowned as one of the most spectacular players in AFL history, was initially in a critical condition.

The 57-year-old has sustained facial surgeries and is still in pain, says Ricciuto, his former captain at the Crows who remains a close mate.

“He’s improving a lot,” Ricciuto told Triple M. “He did not sound like the old Tony Modra, he sounded like a bloke who didn’t want to move his head – and basically couldn’t half move his head.

“He sounded completely different at this stage because of all that.

“But he still had Mods’ sense of humour which was awesome to hear, he was trying to have a laugh in super-tough times.

“He did sound like he was in enormous pain and he is because he’s had so many operations, but fingers crossed he’s had his last one there for a little while.”

The accident involving Modra, a popular full-forward who kicked 588 goals in 165 games for the Crows and Dockers between 1992-2001, triggered an emotional outpour among the AFL and wider community.

“He’s out of the worst the woods can be,” Ricciuto said.

“Now he’s just living with the pain and waiting to get better and dealing with all the emotional stuff that you deal with, I guess, of having an accident and remembering parts of it.

“He said he wants to chop the tree down ... we were having a few laughs, that’s typical Modra chat.

“It was just good to have a little bit of a giggle as much as he could.”

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