Moore determined to clear the air
Speaking to Fairfax Media, Moore admitted the chance for his children to be closer to the rest of the family in Queensland convinced him to make the move.
"The Reds weren't in pipeline until quite late but the opportunity arose, we spoke about it as a family and that's the decision we made. I'm happy with where it's at. It's important for me to consider my family in everything, it's not just a one-year deal. It's a three-year deal, so I have to think about what's best for them," Moore said.
Moore added that he saw an opportunity to "grow and improve" at the Reds and help the club get back on its feet. Moore, the Reds and the Wallabies will manage and monitor his work load to extend his career.
"But I don't want to talk about that because it's a year away. I've got a job to do in Canberra. I'm not big on predictions, we've tried to build at the Brumbies to be competitive every year and if you're good enough to make the finals, you've got to take those opportunities.
"I'm well aware nothing is guaranteed, part of my consideration was 'did I think I could contribute to my province and Wallabies if I stayed'. I know I have to work hard and improve as a player, I'm willing to do that," he added.
Moore was in negotiations with the Brumbies and the Reds joined the table late in the piece, however, a potential move abroad was on the card as well – with Irish club Munster keen to secure his services.
Moore, who has played 102 Tests and led the Wallabies to the 2015 World Cup final, said playing abroad and maintaining his Wallabies duties would be difficult to juggle and he wasn't prepared to walk away from his international career.
He spoke to Cheika, who indicated he was keen to have Moore stay in Australia for another four years. The turnaround under Cheika helped sway Moore's decision.
"Playing under Cheik has been one of the greatest experiences of my career, and with the great group of guys. I wasn't keen to pass that up. It would have been hard for me to play overseas and Australia. If I went overseas, I probably wouldn't have played for the Wallabies. That's something I wasn't keen to do yet," he added.
Despite the lingering tension and in a way to avoid any and all confrontation, the hooker declared his only focus is on helping the Brumbies achieve their Super Rugby championship goal in 2016. He admitted though that there was more emotion involved compared to other player movements, given he was moving to another Australian franchise.
"For me, I'd like to think I'm professional enough to make it clear that the Brumbies and Canberra community mean an enormous amount to me and always will. I'll be doing all I can this year to make sure we have a good season before I move on to the next challenge.
"I'm going [to the Reds] for something different, a new challenge. It doesn't mean that I don't value my time at the Brumbies or that the club doesn't mean a lot to me. It's been a huge part of my rugby career and my life.
"I don't want to reflect on things because I've got a season ahead of me in Canberra. It's not uncommon for this stuff to happen, I just don't want it to affect our season. That's why I wanted to speak now, to make sure when we arrive back in January [for training] it's all done and dusted and we can move on," Moore said.
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