“He just makes you proud”: AFL star's stunning Anzac Day speech
Darcy Moore, captain of Collingwood Football Club, has been praised across the board for the words he delivered in the wake of his team’s Anzac Day win against Essendon.
The Magpies had a lot to celebrate after their comeback win in front of a record-breaking 95,179 person crowd, but it was Moore’s post-game speech that is fixed in the mind of supporters, and anyone else who had had the honour of hearing what he had to say.
Moore was accepting the Anzac Day trophy before he gave his speech, and opened with a round of thanks for the thousands of fans - Collingwood and Essendon alike - who had made the trip to be with them on such a momentous day.
“First of all, I want to give a massive thank you to the 95,000 fans who are here, [a] record-breaking crowd,” he said. “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.”
The Fox Footy panellists covering the game were some of the first to declare their appreciation for Moore’s sentiments, and were in agreement that the Collingwood captain had displayed some exemplary character - on and off the pitch.
“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,” Sarah Jones, Fox Footy host, said.
“One of the best speeches I’ve ever heard on this day,” declared triple Coleman medallist Jason Dunstall.
“He made it all about the occasion and the sacrifice that has been made for us, well before us,” he went on to tell Fox Footy. “I thought that was brilliant.
“The words that he chose summed it up perfectly.”
And in the words of former AFL player David King, “he just makes you proud of our code when you hear a young man speak like that. Full credit, Darcy Moore.”
Images: Getty