COLLINGWOOD star Darcy Moore has avoided an anterior cruciate ligament tear after injuring his knee against Gold Coast on Saturday night.

The All-Australian defender was carried off Metricon Stadium on a stretcher in the dying minutes of the Magpies’ five-point win after hyperextending his knee in a marking contest.

Moore returned to Melbourne ahead of the team on Sunday to undergo scans, before being cleared of the worst-case scenario on Monday morning.

The 26-year-old has suffered bone bruising and a capsule strain and is expected to spend some time on the sidelines.

Players who have suffered similar injuries have missed a month, but Collingwood expects a clearer timeframe around Moore’s return in the coming days.

Moore was in a celebratory mood when announcing the news via Instagram on Monday morning, saying: "There is no structural damage to my knee...  Thankyou to everyone for the messages of support, it is truly overwhelming and much appreciated." 

Collingwood expects a more clear timeframe around Moore’s return in the coming days.

With Collingwood climbing up to sixth at 10-5 on the weekend, Moore could miss a run of games against North Melbourne, Adelaide, Essendon and Port Adelaide – who are all in the bottom 10 – and return for a tough final three rounds ahead of September.

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With Jordan Roughead retiring at the end of May, Mark Keane walking away from his contract in January, and mature-age rookie Charlie Dean suffering another injury setback in his debut season on Sunday, Collingwood has been short on depth in the defensive key posts this season.

Jeremy Howe is expected to face North Melbourne at the MCG on Saturday after missing the trip to Queensland due to illness.

The 32-year-old was ruled out of the clash against the Suns after suffering a stomach virus late last week.