THE BEST way for young Collingwood forward Darcy Moore to prepare for his eventual AFL debut will be easing himself in as an emergency, according to captain Scott Pendlebury.
 
Moore has been named in the Magpies' 25-man squad for the second straight week, with coach Nathan Buckley forecasting on Tuesday that he could play his first game in the Anzac Day blockbuster against Essendon.
 
The 19-year-old is backing his case with strong VFL form, but Pendlebury said it might pay for the son of club great, Peter Moore, to bide his time.
 
"He's in the squad again this week and that's a couple of weeks in a row," Pendlebury told AFL.com.au's First Bounce.  
 
"I think that's a good start for Darce, getting used to the pre-game meetings and how all that stuff goes through.
 
"When he's ready, he'll get a go. His form in the VFL has been fantastic and I think it's just a matter of time."
 
Pendlebury said the Magpies would be underdogs against Essendon on Saturday, despite the Pies' impressive 74-point win against St Kilda in round three.
 
He said the 2-1 team deserved to have its doubters this season.
 
"We didn't finish that well [last season] and we're still fighting at the moment to get that respect back from the football world," he said.  
 
"In saying that, we're confident that we've had a good pre-season.
 
"We had an ordinary game against the Crows, but the other two games we've managed to get the points.
 
"We know tomorrow (Saturday) is going to be a massive game, we'll be the underdogs again, and hopefully we can sneak up and nab another four points."