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First-year Collingwood captain Darcy Moore is entirely his own man and it suits the Magpies just fine as they prepare for the AFL grand final.

Ask Collingwood players what makes Darcy Moore so special and they will each have a different answer.

That might just be the key to the Magpies' success this September.

On the field, there's the towering defender's brilliant marking ability, poise and smarts across half-back.

Off it, the first-year captain is a man who speaks eloquently, stands up for what he believes in and has made sure he brought all his teammates along for the ride to the AFL grand final.

Incredibly, he's maybe even made Collingwood likeable to their fiercest rivals.

Perhaps defender Brayden Maynard sums it up best.

"D-Moore's the man," Maynard told AAP.

"He is such a great leader on and off the field. He's the man.

"He's very, very special, D-Moore. I love playing underneath him."

Moore, who has bleached, long blonde hair, has always marched to the beat of his own drum.

But his Collingwood teammates will follow their unique leader to the ends of the earth - and hope they find AFL glory along the way.

When Moore leads Collingwood out onto the MCG on Saturday, he can cap off a near-perfect, transformational first season as skipper.

"Just the way he handles himself on and off the field, he's such a great leader," vice-captain Maynard said.

"The way he talks to the media - you've obviously seen his speeches post-game. He connects with everyone.

"He has really good relationships with everyone and he's got a good sense of humour. Like he's pretty funny.

"Not many people think he's funny, but I do. I really like his humour.

"He's a great fella and he's really easy to connect with and we also have a pretty unique relationship. So it's great to play alongside him and play for him."

Moore's talent and leadership made him the obvious candidate to take over as captain this year.

But he never tried to replace or become Scott Pendlebury. Instead, he's done things his own way.

It's worked a treat.

Winger Josh Daicos describes the transition as "seamless" while defender Nathan Murphy relishes Moore's authenticity.

"The best thing about Darce is he's really stayed true to himself," Murphy told AAP.

"We were so lucky, we had Scott Pendlebury captain us but he hasn't tried to be like Scott Pendlebury.

"Darce has just stayed Darce which has been really nice and I think his football has really excelled because of that."

The 27-year-old isn't afraid to stand up for what he believes in.

Moore was heavily involved in the 2021 response to Collingwood's Do Better Report on racism at the AFL club.

He is also a long-standing AFL Players Association board member.

But his eloquence caught the football world's attention after this year's Anzac Day match.

That day, Moore hailed veterans and the families of those currently serving in active conflict, acknowledging "the pain of war that runs through so many families throughout this country."

"I always sit back and marvel at the way he goes about it and especially the way that he speaks publicly," defender Isaac Quaynor told AAP.

"He's just very well thought out and articulates himself so well and he represents us as a club and the team really, really well.

"As a younger player, I've looked up to him a little bit as a leader. Especially the stuff he does off the field as well.

"The way that he goes about having a balance outside of football, I love and really respect that side of it."

It doesn't hurt that Moore is very, very good at football.

Now a two-time All-Australian, he has transformed from a rangy key forward plagued by hamstring injuries into arguably the best intercepting tall defender in the league.

On Saturday, he and his band of backmen face arguably their greatest challenge yet: a Brisbane attack spearheaded by Joe Daniher and Eric Hipwood, plus the likes of Charlie Cameron, Zac Bailey and Cam Rayner.

If successful, Moore's father, dual Brownlow medallist Peter Moore, will hand the premiership cup over to the son that wears his No.30.

But before that, Moore's fellow defenders will walk taller knowing their skipper is right there, leading the way.

"I get to play along one of the best key backs in the game," matter-of-fact Murphy said.

"I'm just extremely grateful for that because he makes me look good most of the time.

"So it's really nice to have him."