DARCY Moore used to live on Flinders Lane, so he knows all the hidden secrets around the city. Which is part of the reason why the Collingwood captain was being photographed all over this neck of the woods one morning last month. 

The 28-year-old might be football royalty as the son of two-time Brownlow Medallist Peter Moore, but he is not a stereotypical footballer. Far from it, in fact. 

While Moore has become a household name in his own right, leading the Magpies to a premiership in 2023, weeks after becoming a two-time All-Australian, the star defender has always been authentic, unafraid to speak up or tread a different path to his teammates.

Moore frequents the city often, using it as an escape from the all-encompassing football world, in a town where AFL is a religion.

"I definitely start with the food," Moore says of his perfect day in the city. "A coffee at Dukes on Flinders Lane. I'll take a seat in the corner and read the paper over a long black. Then head to Captains of Industry for breakfast; it's a super hidden place upstairs on Somerset Place. It's always a great spot to do some uni work or just people watch over Elizabeth Street.

"Then it's probably a visit to the NGV; getting lost in the many galleries there for hours is always a great escape. I'd probably have a long lunch at Cumulus Inc or Embla and then probably find a show or some theatre to go to at night, whether it's an MTC [Melbourne Theatre Company] play or a comedy show or live music, I love experiencing whatever the arts has to offer in Melbourne."

Moore is studying a Masters of International Relations at Melbourne University, majoring in trade and economics. He is contracted at Collingwood until 2028 and should play beyond that, but when the time is right to change careers, a job abroad beckons for the Victorian, who has found extra study helps him perform better as an athlete. 

"Life away from football is such an important part of performing for me. Football is a job that requires intense focus, dedication and sheer physical work all year round, so finding things that can help relieve some of those pressures is so valuable for performing consistently over such a long season and then over the years," Moore said. 

"For me, I'm constantly refining my process to find that balance between being stimulated and passionate, but not wearing myself out and taking time to recover. We hear so much about the importance of recovery in our game because it is so brutal, but it is honestly true: if you can recover from games well in body and mind, you've got an edge."

Moore is usually still playing deep in September. Last year, Collingwood went all the way after reaching the penultimate weekend of 2023. He played at least two finals in 2019 and 2020 after missing out on 2018, but the Magpies are watching on this month after finishing ninth, just outside the eight on percentage. 

The former Carey Grammar captain will spend part of the month in Byron Bay and Vietnam, before heading to Italy, Portugal, the United Kingdom and Germany for a month, where he will spend time at adidas HQ in Bavaria. 

Moore suffered a concussion in Collingwood's final game of the season but is now back to full health and getting to work ahead of pre-season training in November, ready to atone for a disappointing campaign by the reigning premier. 

"This year proved just how even the competition is and the margins are narrower than ever. There truly are no easy games," he said.

"We'll take the time to recover and reset, which will pay us back in the long run, I'm sure of it. We have such incredible experience on our list and as a team, so the guys know what a strong summer looks like and how best to prepare for season 2025. 

"In that way we have great belief and trust in ourselves. But we've got to be ready for just how even this competition is at the moment and pay attention to the details of what we do as a team."

Darcy wears looks by Christian Kimber (Little Collins St), Bared Footwear (Manchester Ln, Melbourne) and Incu Collection (at Incu, QV Melbourne).