Dylan Moore was an All-Australian in 2024, a ringing endorsement of a player transformed from the margins. Yet three months into 2026, the Hawthorn forward finds himself stripped of the vice-captaincy he held, sidelined from a leadership group that valued his work so highly it had locked him to the club for another five years.
The fall came fast. Moore and teammate Connor Macdonald were arrested for trespassing during an overseas trip late last year, spending a night in jail in Phoenix, Arizona. Moore had been in Phoenix for pre-season training and admitted that a drunken decision to climb onto a scissor lift led to police taking him into custody.
In an interview with Channel Seven, Moore offered no excuses. "I was in the US, I was out having a few drinks, and made a foolish mistake, decided to get on a scissor lift and next thing I know the cops are there telling me to get off, and I got off, and next thing I know, I'm in police custody," Moore told Seven News.
What strikes about Moore's response is the clarity of his accountability. Moore acknowledged that as vice-captain at the time, "I should have recognised the situation and known the situation and consequences, and risks," and that with Connor there as an older player, "I should know better," adding "I feel like I've let the leaders down and Connor down".
The consequences came swiftly from his club. Moore has since been stripped of the vice-captaincy, a demotion that carries symbolic weight beyond the title. Moore completed a diversion program that included 16 hours of education on alcohol and relationships and will also carry out community service soon. The pair were fined by Hawthorn and have undergone alcohol counselling and will also complete community service, but are not facing further sanction from the AFL.
Yet the pair still have a pending court date in Arizona, meaning this is not fully resolved. The numbers tell a story of a talented player making a serious misjudgement rather than a systemic problem. Moore is 26, at the peak of his professional powers. The question now is whether he can rebuild trust both with his club and the supporters who follow it.