Collingwood skipper Moore raring to go for AFL finals

Darcy Moore says minor premiers Collingwood feel their best footy lies ahead as the finals loom. (Morgan Hancock/AAP PHOTOS)

Collingwood captain Darcy Moore is taking a positive view of his enforced stint on the sidelines as he prepares to lead the minor premiers into the AFL finals.

Moore missed the Magpies' final two home-and-away matches with a hamstring injury sustained during the round-22 win over Geelong.

The star defender was able to resume running three days later and has declared himself "100 per cent" fit to play in the qualifying final against Melbourne on September 7.

"I've had a really good training block for a couple of weeks and put some work in to be ready to go next Thursday night, so I'm keen," Moore told reporters on Wednesday.

"As much as you'd love to play every game ... I suppose in hindsight it's a good chance to freshen up both mentally and physically."

Brownlow Medal fancy Nick Daicos appears unlikely to recover from a knee injury in time to face Melbourne, though key defender Nathan Murphy (back/glute) and pressure forward Beau McCreery (suspension) are available to return.

"We've got a lot of guys in form and one person basically on our injury list at the moment," Moore said.

"It's a great position for the team to be in and there's going to be some stiff individuals but that's what makes a great team."

Collingwood entered last year's finals series as a surprise packet, having surged up the ladder on the back of a series of narrow victories.

This time they are the flag favourites, finishing on top of the ladder despite winning just two of their last five home-and-away games.

"We're pretty confident. We think our best footy is ahead of us," Moore said.

"We were riding the wave last year of some great momentum, winning 11-12 games in a row was really exciting, and this year feels like a new challenge.

"But we've got plenty of guys in the team with experience from last year, so we'll definitely draw upon that in the next month and we're hoping to bring our best."

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