Darcy Moore leaves AFL world speechless in incredible Anzac Day moment

Darcy Moore is the talk of the AFL world after producing what has been labelled one of the best post-match speeches in the history of the traditional Anzac Day match. The Collingwood captain led his side to a remarkable comeback victory over Essendon on Tuesday, with the Magpies erasing a 28-point deficit at three-quarter time to win 13.12 (90) to 11.11 (77).

Moore accepted the Anzac Cup as the winning skipper on the day, before blowing the AFL world away with his victory speech. “First of all, I want to give a massive thank you to the 95,000 fans who are here – record-breaking crowd,” he said.

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“No matter whether you wear the black and white stripes or the red sash, this game is about so much more than four points. So you turning up today and showing your support means a lot and we’re incredibly proud to play our part in this game.

“To Essendon – both Andrew (McGrath) and the team, as well as the broader club – thank you so much for making this event what it is. It means a lot to us that we can come together with your football club and commemorate the sacrifice of not just the Anzacs, but all servicemen and women who served Australia all around the world. So thank you to the Essendon Football Club.

“I want to thank and mention all men and women who are serving our country’s interests, both at home and abroad, in war and in peacekeeping operations. It means a lot to me and the team and the whole club that we can commemorate your service and your sacrifice today by doing what we do. So thank you for your service.

“To the veterans – there are over 600,000 veterans in this country who have returned from service – we also extend our thanks to you for your sacrifice and we hope that again, doing what we do today, somehow honours your legacy and what you’ve done for our country. Thank you to those 600,000 veterans as well.

“And then finally, to the families of those serving and those veterans: Too often, your stories go untold and on behalf of the Collingwood footy club, we just want to acknowledge the pain of war that runs through so many families across this country. It’s a real honour for us to run out here and play our game in honour of you and your service. So to the families of those who have served, thank you so much for your service.”

AFL world blown away by Darcy Moore's Anzac Day speech

AFL fans and commentators were left in awe of Moore's classy words at age 27. Sarah Jones said on Fox Footy: “In addition to being one of the best defenders in the game, he is a very thoughtful and eloquent young man. That speech was, frankly, incredible the way he spoke and thought about so many people. It was something we’ll remember for a long time."

Jason Dunstall called it “one of the best speeches I’ve ever heard on this day”, adding: “He made it all about the occasion and the sacrifice that has been made for us, well before us. I thought that was brilliant. The words that he chose summed it up perfectly.”

David King lauded Collingwood's call to make Moore their captain this season after Scott Pendlebury stepped down from the role, saying the Magpies “haven’t made a poor decision in a couple of years”. He added: “They got the right coach. When the time was there to make a tough call, they made it. They made a change to the captaincy and they’ve absolutely nailed that.

“The way they’re developing these young players, the way they’re making them think and act – I know they’ve had a couple of issues off-field, but they’ve addressed them immediately. They’ve been honest as a footy club, they’ve been absolutely bulletproof for the last 18 months.

“He (Moore) just makes you proud of our code when you hear a young man speak like that. Full credit, Darcy Moore.”

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