He’s 21 years old and stands over two metres tall. Maybe even bigger.

Yet Darcy Moore is still adjusting to the body which has allowed him to play 41 games in his first three seasons in Black and White.

The forward was listed at 201cm when heights and weights were measured at the beginning of the 2017 pre-season campaign. Yet he this week told of an unexpected growth spurt which interrupted his training.

“I grew a couple of centimetres in February-March this year,” Moore told 6PR in Perth.

“It’s nice to keep growing and be able to play through the ruck and stuff like that by getting a couple of extra centimetres, but unfortunately it upsets your body a bit.

“It’s been a bit of a tough trot, but I’m thinking hopefully I’ve finally stopped growing in the last couple of months.

“I’m ready now to settle into my body a little bit more.”

Moore’s move to the ruck has provided much-needed assistance to first-choice big man Brodie Grundy this season.

In 15 games he has attended 36 centre bounces as the Magpies’ ruck choice. This number is 36 more than in 2016, when he viewed primarily as a forward target.

Former Magpie Michael Christian believes it’s a promising step forward for the son of Collingwood ruck-forward and two-time Brownlow Medallist Peter Moore.

“I don’t want to put too much pressure on him, but I think in two to four years time, he could be the dominant ruckman in the competition,” Christian said on Collingwood Media’s ‘The Agenda’ in June.   

“From what we’ve seen, his ability to leap at the centre bounce, his athleticism around the ground, his ball use…he could be anything.”

For Moore, simply playing consistent games in 2017 has been a success in itself. Collarbone and hamstring injuries kept the former Oakleigh Charger to 17 games in his second season, an improvement on the nine he played in his debut year.

“To play every game, bar one, has been a big step up for me,” he said.  

“I struggled last year with the physical load, so definitely physically I’m feeling a lot better and trying to consistently play some good footy and contribute to the team.”