COLLINGWOOD coach Nathan Buckley has revealed a "shattered" Darcy Moore wasn't considered for selection ahead of this week's Grand Final after failing a fitness test.
Moore has been out of action since round 20 due to a hamstring strain, though has been training with the main group throughout September in a bid to return to the side.
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The Magpies named an unchanged team for the Grand Final on Thursday night, with Moore not named among the emergencies, after failing to prove he would be able to play.
"In the end he wasn't passed fit by the medical staff," Buckley said on Friday.
"It was an unacceptable risk for us to take, given it was such a big game. That was the same situation as last week.
"Darcy was understandably shattered with that, the fact that time had run out for him. He hadn't been able to prove his capacity to get through a game of footy."
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Premiership defender Ben Reid was also left out of Collingwood's side, but was named as one of the club's four emergencies for the clash against West Coast.
Buckley said the reasoning for Reid's absence was different to Moore, highlighting his confidence in the club's current defensive group led by Tyson Goldsack and Jeremy Howe.
"'Reidy' is a little bit different," Buckley said.
"He's been up and about for the last couple of weeks and he's been training well. We would be confident taking him into a game, but we're pretty happy with our mix as it stands."