There had been fears he had suffered damage to his anterior cruciate ligament, which would have led to a knee reconstruction and a year on the sidelines.

“There is no structural damage to my knee which is big,” Moore said.

“Thank you to everyone for the messages of support. It’s truly overwhelming and much appreciated.”

However, Moore does have a hyperextension, bone bruising and what the Magpies said was “a capsule strain”.

He could still miss up to six weeks, but this still means he is likely to return in time for the finals. He will be assessed again later in the week.

The Magpies have leapt to sixth on the ladder after a come-from-behind, five-point win over the Suns at Metricon Stadium. They host North Melbourne at the MCG on Saturday, and appear well-placed to make the finals in Craig McRae’s first year as senior coach.

The Bombers add former St Kilda AFLW coach to their ranks

Marnie Vinall

Former St Kilda AFLW head coach Peta Searle has taken up a part-time coaching development role at Essendon in their AFLW program.

Searle will support and mentor the coaching staff and leadership group, including head coach Natalie Wood.

Searle was the inaugural Saints AFLW coach and joined the club’s men’s side as a development coach in 2014, making her the first woman appointed as an assistant coach in the AFL.

“I’m very excited to join the Bombers. They’ve been preparing for a long time and have been very thoughtful and considered in developing the program with lots of depth and layers, which will build a great foundation,” Searle said.

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“I look forward to working alongside Natalie and the other coaches, with the key focus on development and learning.

“I’m also excited to be working with the player leadership group to provide mentoring for coaches and players, ensuring a seamless connection between the two.”

Essendon’s general manager of football Josh Mahoney said the appointment would ensure the development of coaching knowledge at the club.

Essendon’s AFLW coaching panel includes Natasha Hardy, Kirby Bentley and Brett Gourley as assistant coaches, and Jacara Egan and Gavin Urquhart as development coaches.

‘It’s got a kind of finals smell to it’: Cats embrace Demons’ blockbuster

Jon Pierik

Geelong star Zach Tuohy says Thursday night’s blockbuster against Melbourne at GMHBA Stadium has a “finals smell” as the Cats prepare to test themselves against the competition’s benchmark side.

Tuohy stressed on Monday that two stinging defeats to the Demons last season - in round 23 after a stirring Melbourne comeback was capped by Max Gawn’s post-siren goal which allowed the Demons to finish as minor premiers, and an 86-point thumping when Gawn was dominant in the preliminary final at Optus Stadium - have no impact, but the Cats will be desperate to reinforce why they are an improved unit this season.

This clash pits the top two teams on the ladder against each other - they also sit top two for time in front and are elite in several statistical categories - and could yet be a grand final preview.

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Skipper Joel Selwood (rested) and boom defender Sam De Koning (cork) will return after missing the 112-point mauling of North Melbourne on Saturday but defender Jake Kolodjashnij is in concussion protocols and will miss.

Tuohy, the rebounding half-back, said the Cats were ready for another prime-time clash.

“It’s got a kind of finals smell to it, this game. And this is why you play - to be playing against the best teams in games that have, or could have, significant ramifications,” he said.

“[It’s not] quite knockout, but we are playing the reigning premiers, and probably the best team in the comp. There’s a fair bit on the line.”

The top-of-the-table Demons have regained their groove since three-straight defeats and, according to coach Simon Goodwin, will be boosted by the quicker-than-expected return of Gawn. The premiership skipper has missed the past fortnight because of an ankle syndesmosis injury.

The Cats sit second but are only percentage ahead of Brisbane and Fremantle, while Carlton and Collingwood are only a game behind.

Coach Chris Scott has told his team to embrace the pressure that comes with taking on the premiers, declaring it is “good practice for when the heat’s on later in the year [and] it’s a reflection that we’ve been able to hang in there this year to be in a position where we’re considered one of the contenders against the best team in the competition”.

Tuohy said the Demons, who held the Crows to only 15 scoring shots in Adelaide on Saturday, were the team to beat.

“It’s ridiculous to suggest they’re not,” he said. “If anybody thought they were just going to walk through the whole season unbeaten, they, obviously, haven’t watched footy for the last 150 years – that’s not how the game works.

“The fact that they’ve dropped a couple of games says nothing about the calibre of team they are - they’re still the benchmark, and I suspect we’re probably going to be underdogs this week and justifiably so, they’re reigning premiers.”

Goodwin made a tactical change against the Crows, using Christian Petracca more as a forward. Petracca had booted only nine goals from 40 attempts heading into the clash, but finished with three goals and was arguably best afield with 33 touches.

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