Can a half of football earn you a Rising Star nomination?

Darcy Moore is living proof that it can.

The 20-year-old stole the show against West Coast on Saturday evening, winning eight disposals, taking six marks and kicking three goals in the first half.

But just as he appeared set to tear the game apart, Moore left the field with an upper hamstring complaint.

He sat out the remainder of the match, but his work was already done: The AFL Rising Star selectors crowned him their player of the week on Monday evening.

It’s just reward for a player who has made rapid improvement since his debut in July 2015.

He has missed only four of his side’s 28 games since, and has cemented his place in Nathan Buckley’s first choice line up.

Moore has kicked 21 goals from 15 games this year, second only to Alex Fasolo’s 25 on Collingwood’s season leaderboard.

He has gone goalless just twice and ranks first at the club for contested marks (32).

Speaking of contested marks, Moore took five in the first half alone, causing the Eagles no end of grief by soaring over the back of Will Schofield and Sharrod Wellingham.

Collingwood’s Rising Star Nominees (1993-2016)
1993: Sav Rocca (round 13)
1994: Kent Butcher (round eight), Jon Hassall (round 22)
1995: Nil
1996: Andrew Schauble (round seven)
1997: Mal Michael (round 17)
1998: Nil
1999: Nick Davis (round five), Paul Licuria (round 18)
2000: Damien Adkins (round three), Josh Fraser (round six)
2001: Ryan Lonie (round four)
2002: Jason Cloke (round six), Mark McGough (round 10), Alan Didak (round 16)
2003: Richard Cole (round 17), Matthew Lokan (round 22)
2004: Guy Richards (round nine)
2005: Travis Cloke (round 10)
2006: Dale Thomas (round two), Heath Shaw (round five)
2007: Scott Pendlebury (round four), Marty Clarke (round 13), Tyson Goldsack (round 21)
2008: Nathan Brown (round 10)
2009: Jaxson Barham (round four), Brad Dick (round 11), Dayne Beams (round 17)
2010: Ben Reid (round 12)
2011: Alex Fasolo (round 22)
2012: Ben Sinclair (round 11)
2013: Marley Williams (round 18), Brodie Grundy (round 22)
2014: Tom Langdon (round seven)
2015: Tim Broomhead (round 11), Jordan De Goey (round 19)
2016: Darcy Moore (round 19)